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What Type of Pain Scale Do You Use?
This was a question that was inspired by a question that dame asked in another community.
What type of pain scale do you usually use to rate your migraine attacks?
What type of pain scale do you usually use to rate your migraine attacks?
How do we get the medical community to revamp the pain scale to Corlenblespar's ultimate pain scale.
good name huh?
Tracy
good name huh?
Tracy
LOL. again, i love it! that is such a pefect "No." face!
also, i am a huge House fan!
also, i am a huge House fan!
I could just imagine if someone drew faces for my scale like the pain scale that goes from 1-10. Like the faces would be generic circle heads with minimal detail that go from happy looking to extreme pain until you got to level 5 which then it would have this head cut out for it:
http://athlog.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/half-life-house.jpg
http://athlog.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/half-life-house.jpg
I am changing to Corlenbelspar's pain scale and will try to get it in my physicians office. Maybe they will get it better if it is put in simple terms for them, that we are in painnnnnnnnnn....LOL
Good one. Maybe we should add a frustration scale too in Dr's offices. ?
Tracy
Good one. Maybe we should add a frustration scale too in Dr's offices. ?
Tracy
I like it!
Hi SurgiMenopause,
Yeah, that sounds like a -/10 pain scale with definitions/instructions, because it is out of 10 and each level has a definition attached to it.
Yeah, that sounds like a -/10 pain scale with definitions/instructions, because it is out of 10 and each level has a definition attached to it.
I only used both scales during the pain management exercise. But I saved the paper with their scale: on the pain "distress" side, "the emotional feeling that you are experiencing (depressed, frustrated, angry, worried, tense)"
0 "no stress" "calm, relaxed, peaceful, enjoyment"
1-4 "low level of negative emotions" "I feel unhappy, but it does not stop me from living my life."
5-7 "moderate level of negative emotions" "I am so unhappy I have to force myself to get through the day."
8-9 "Severe level of negative emotions" "I am so upset, I can not concentrate or focus on anything."
10 "Desperate" "Can not think clearly and must ask for help from others just to survive. (Psychiatry Dept./Emergency Room)"
The pain levels for physical on the same paper are a little different than what I posted above. What I posted above is what I think I recall from a migraine tracker paper given me by a neurologist who followed me a number of years.
So, I guess I would pick the one right above "other" in the poll, would that be right? When I used to go to Kaiser- they had a facial pain scale- smiling face- no pain or 0, 10 was a picture of a bawling face.
0 "no stress" "calm, relaxed, peaceful, enjoyment"
1-4 "low level of negative emotions" "I feel unhappy, but it does not stop me from living my life."
5-7 "moderate level of negative emotions" "I am so unhappy I have to force myself to get through the day."
8-9 "Severe level of negative emotions" "I am so upset, I can not concentrate or focus on anything."
10 "Desperate" "Can not think clearly and must ask for help from others just to survive. (Psychiatry Dept./Emergency Room)"
The pain levels for physical on the same paper are a little different than what I posted above. What I posted above is what I think I recall from a migraine tracker paper given me by a neurologist who followed me a number of years.
So, I guess I would pick the one right above "other" in the poll, would that be right? When I used to go to Kaiser- they had a facial pain scale- smiling face- no pain or 0, 10 was a picture of a bawling face.
I use this little scale I made up:
Level 1 Hurts a little
Level 2 Hurts moderately
Level 3 Hurts a lot
Level 4 SONOFABI-OW
Level 5 No.
Simple and concise ha HA!
Level 1 Hurts a little
Level 2 Hurts moderately
Level 3 Hurts a lot
Level 4 SONOFABI-OW
Level 5 No.
Simple and concise ha HA!
I guess I was thinking in terms of physical pain for the poll, but you pose a good point. Maybe you could explain how you use 2 scales in the comments? I'm always willing to learn new ways.
I'm sorry, but I don't understand the poll. There are two pain scales I was made aware of in pain management- physical and the emotional. For instance, you could have a 2 pain level (scale of 1-10) and yet it could be driving you nuts, so you could have like an 8 on the emotional side of things. I typically use the physical side for my ratings. 1-3 (tolerable)- mild 4-6- moderate (might limit me some), 7-10 severe (disabling).
I had a SS doctor claim in order to have a 10 migraine, one MUST be suicidal. I said just because you had a 10 migraine in pain didn't necessarily mean you had to be suicidal, because you have hope it will pass eventually. It was after this social security review (she also differed with me on a moral issue, her advocating population control by abortion as I recall) that I was rejected for social security, but I appealed and it was overturned, thanks be to God!
I had a SS doctor claim in order to have a 10 migraine, one MUST be suicidal. I said just because you had a 10 migraine in pain didn't necessarily mean you had to be suicidal, because you have hope it will pass eventually. It was after this social security review (she also differed with me on a moral issue, her advocating population control by abortion as I recall) that I was rejected for social security, but I appealed and it was overturned, thanks be to God!
Happy I made it so that you understood it. Your version sounds really cool to.
hi dame,
thank you so much for explaining that! that is really interesting! especially since i think i sort have used a descriptive pain scale that is similar to that myself without even knowing that pain scale existed... so it is very interesting to find out that a pain scale like that exists, since in the past I've used an anthropological model to describe what's happening to me when I'm in pain, so it is really cool that this (pain scale that is so similar to an anthropological model) actually is something that is real that doctors use and understand.
the reason why i started to describe my pain in a similar way to the red, yellow, green activation shared scale was inspired by a first year anthropology lecture i had (i majored in anthropology). it was a lecture on symbols and neural modeling. during the lecture we were taught that the human brain evolved so that things weren't changed/removed, just added onto, so that we ended up with a three part brain (this explanation of brain evolution is extremely simplified in cultural anthropology, but saying we have a 3 part brain works well when talking about neural modeling, or anything else that might be touched on in cultural anthropology. i went into physical anthropology so after that i studied brain evolution in way more detail, but... anyway, the 3 part brain model works fine for the scope of cultural anthropology and i found it useful in the future for discussing my pain levels. i digress...). so the lecture went something like: the oldest part of our brain is the reptile part of the brain and it is in charge of regulating our metabolism and the things we aren't really aware of like some of our motor functions and breathing and stuff like that. next comes the limbic system, also known as the ancient mammalian brain, and that controls our emotions, some of our behaviours and regulates hormones. and last comes the neocortex or higher mammalian brain which can often over-ride other parts of the brain in the motor and sensory areas, it basically controls the other two levels, it's responsible for our thoughts, our reasoning, etc..
the "3 brain level" model we're taught about in anthropology is a bit different then the red, yellow, green activation shared scale brain level model... i guess red and yellow on the red, yellow, green activation shared scale would both fall under the "oldest brain / reptilian brain" in the anthropological model... but, the similarities are very interesting!
i would often explain this anthropological model to my doctors and then tell them that when in pain, i feel like i lose the human part of my brain, i lose access to the neocortex, i lose the ability to think, i lose the ability to reason, and all that is left is emotion, all that is left is the non-human mammalian brain, the emotional brain, the part that can feel, the part that hurts, the part that is afraid, etc. i have said that i understand and empathize with animals that appear to do irrational things when they're in pain and distress, like gnaw off their own tails or bite off all of their fur (i've had cats who have bitten off all their fur when ill and then started biting through their skin after that), because i do irrational things too when i'm in pain. i've sat outside in my pajamas in the middle of the night in order to feel the cold air on my head, i've crawled into my freezer for the same reason, i've banged my head against the wall until i've passed out. i do it for the same reasons animals do it, because they can't think, they can't rationalize, and neither can i when i'm in severe pain. and, then, when i reach a 9/10 pain level, i lose even that ability to feel emotion and i am left with only the ancient reptilian brain, there are no emotions left, not only have i lost my humanity, but i have also lost my ability to feel anything but physical sensation and all i can do is react to those sensations. i usually get frantic and i pace, like i'm running away from something but i couldn't tell you what. pain robs me of my humanity. and... that's the way i've always explained it to the doctors, using the anthropological model of the 3 level brain.
so, it's just so interesting to find out that there is a pain scale so similar to this.
thank you so much for telling me about this!
- marilee
thank you so much for explaining that! that is really interesting! especially since i think i sort have used a descriptive pain scale that is similar to that myself without even knowing that pain scale existed... so it is very interesting to find out that a pain scale like that exists, since in the past I've used an anthropological model to describe what's happening to me when I'm in pain, so it is really cool that this (pain scale that is so similar to an anthropological model) actually is something that is real that doctors use and understand.
the reason why i started to describe my pain in a similar way to the red, yellow, green activation shared scale was inspired by a first year anthropology lecture i had (i majored in anthropology). it was a lecture on symbols and neural modeling. during the lecture we were taught that the human brain evolved so that things weren't changed/removed, just added onto, so that we ended up with a three part brain (this explanation of brain evolution is extremely simplified in cultural anthropology, but saying we have a 3 part brain works well when talking about neural modeling, or anything else that might be touched on in cultural anthropology. i went into physical anthropology so after that i studied brain evolution in way more detail, but... anyway, the 3 part brain model works fine for the scope of cultural anthropology and i found it useful in the future for discussing my pain levels. i digress...). so the lecture went something like: the oldest part of our brain is the reptile part of the brain and it is in charge of regulating our metabolism and the things we aren't really aware of like some of our motor functions and breathing and stuff like that. next comes the limbic system, also known as the ancient mammalian brain, and that controls our emotions, some of our behaviours and regulates hormones. and last comes the neocortex or higher mammalian brain which can often over-ride other parts of the brain in the motor and sensory areas, it basically controls the other two levels, it's responsible for our thoughts, our reasoning, etc..
the "3 brain level" model we're taught about in anthropology is a bit different then the red, yellow, green activation shared scale brain level model... i guess red and yellow on the red, yellow, green activation shared scale would both fall under the "oldest brain / reptilian brain" in the anthropological model... but, the similarities are very interesting!
i would often explain this anthropological model to my doctors and then tell them that when in pain, i feel like i lose the human part of my brain, i lose access to the neocortex, i lose the ability to think, i lose the ability to reason, and all that is left is emotion, all that is left is the non-human mammalian brain, the emotional brain, the part that can feel, the part that hurts, the part that is afraid, etc. i have said that i understand and empathize with animals that appear to do irrational things when they're in pain and distress, like gnaw off their own tails or bite off all of their fur (i've had cats who have bitten off all their fur when ill and then started biting through their skin after that), because i do irrational things too when i'm in pain. i've sat outside in my pajamas in the middle of the night in order to feel the cold air on my head, i've crawled into my freezer for the same reason, i've banged my head against the wall until i've passed out. i do it for the same reasons animals do it, because they can't think, they can't rationalize, and neither can i when i'm in severe pain. and, then, when i reach a 9/10 pain level, i lose even that ability to feel emotion and i am left with only the ancient reptilian brain, there are no emotions left, not only have i lost my humanity, but i have also lost my ability to feel anything but physical sensation and all i can do is react to those sensations. i usually get frantic and i pace, like i'm running away from something but i couldn't tell you what. pain robs me of my humanity. and... that's the way i've always explained it to the doctors, using the anthropological model of the 3 level brain.
so, it's just so interesting to find out that there is a pain scale so similar to this.
thank you so much for telling me about this!
- marilee
http://www.traumahealing.com/somatic-experiencing/index.html is the site I got the pic from if you care.
I got the red, yellow, green scale from my Somatic Experiencing therapist. It's based on the evolution of the nervous system.
Red is the primitive base of the brain (dorsal vagal) which controls the "play dead' response. Basically you're either turned on, or turned off. If I say that I'm red, it means my body is in "shut down" and I'm basically non-functional. This is also my depression.
There's a side of red I call "Reptilian Red" which means I'm basically a lizard sunning itself. Just kinda hanging out.
Yellow is next on the evolutionary scale, about even with reptiles. (Ventral Vagal if I remember right) It's the "Fight or Flight" response. When I say I'm yellow, it means that I'm really activated and basically jittery in my mind. This is where my manias are.
The good side of yellow is things like laugher and being really happy.
Green is the highest evolutionarily speaking, and the 'ideal' place to be if you will. (I think it's the sympathetic nervous system) It's where you're capable of social interaction and understanding. The green is also very zen feeling, when you're capable of learning best.
The graph for the activation goes red at the bottom, green in the middle, and yellow at the top. The goal is to be a wave in the green zone, getting closer to red and yellow at times, but mostly be in the green. That's the ideal mind. What happens when trauma happens is either you spike into yellow, or sink into red and flat line there.
There's a good graph here: http://www.traumahealing.com/images/pptSlide01.gif with the top part of the graph being yellow and the bottom red, even if it doesn't say it.
Somatic Experiencing is often used by First Responders as a way of doing mental triage.
hope that makes sense,
~dame
Red is the primitive base of the brain (dorsal vagal) which controls the "play dead' response. Basically you're either turned on, or turned off. If I say that I'm red, it means my body is in "shut down" and I'm basically non-functional. This is also my depression.
There's a side of red I call "Reptilian Red" which means I'm basically a lizard sunning itself. Just kinda hanging out.
Yellow is next on the evolutionary scale, about even with reptiles. (Ventral Vagal if I remember right) It's the "Fight or Flight" response. When I say I'm yellow, it means that I'm really activated and basically jittery in my mind. This is where my manias are.
The good side of yellow is things like laugher and being really happy.
Green is the highest evolutionarily speaking, and the 'ideal' place to be if you will. (I think it's the sympathetic nervous system) It's where you're capable of social interaction and understanding. The green is also very zen feeling, when you're capable of learning best.
The graph for the activation goes red at the bottom, green in the middle, and yellow at the top. The goal is to be a wave in the green zone, getting closer to red and yellow at times, but mostly be in the green. That's the ideal mind. What happens when trauma happens is either you spike into yellow, or sink into red and flat line there.
There's a good graph here: http://www.traumahealing.com/images/pptSlide01.gif with the top part of the graph being yellow and the bottom red, even if it doesn't say it.
Somatic Experiencing is often used by First Responders as a way of doing mental triage.
hope that makes sense,
~dame
Hi dame,
Can you tell me about the red, yellow, green activation shared scale? I don't think I have heard about that one before, I'd like to know about it.
Thanks!
- marilee
Can you tell me about the red, yellow, green activation shared scale? I don't think I have heard about that one before, I'd like to know about it.
Thanks!
- marilee
I actually have 4 different scales that I use all at once. It's a 1-5 shared (MHNI's) functionality scale, 1-10 pain scale, 1-10 mood scale (I'm bi-polar and the moods effect the pain), and a red, yellow, green activation shared scale.
we input all those numbers and then look for patterns to best judge how to treat me and my attacks.
we input all those numbers and then look for patterns to best judge how to treat me and my attacks.
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