I here your pain. My normal is 5-6 if I seek attention from my GP it’s because it’s hit 9-10. I rarely come away with anything from the consultation. Does it make the pain any better.... no but at least I’ve registered my pain somewhere 🙁

Pain scale is really only helpful by the individual person. If your provider isn't someone who knows you or your pain strategies well, it is just a number. Besides, at this point if someone asks me my pain level, I have to take a moment and undo all my pain mitigation strategies before I can even evaluate. I am better off evaluating myself by how I am moving and able to navigate in my own world. Assessing by my physical ability also tells me what road I may be headed down. If I have to compensate to the right because of neuropathy, that left S1 joint will be out in 10 hours. Does anyone else assess by that? I feel like I should have little laminated cards that show my different levels by physicality. If only we could get our providers to TRUST us and our interpretation!!

I completely agree with the pain scale... the last week has sucked like hell for me. Pains been up around a 8-9... woke up yesterday in so much pain I could barely breathe and felt nauseous all day because of it. I'm on 900mg of gabapentin twice a day, muscle relaxers, on cymbalta due to the depression and also for the nerve pain. As well as a few others but those barely help.

I totally agree. Pain scales r a joke. Yes i truly wish drs could put some trust in us as we do them. They arent God and we DO know our bodies better than anybody else. Hang in there. We just gotta depend on God and do the best we can everyday. Sending hugs.

Today I woke up in terrible back pain. To me I am a 10. To the doctor he’d say what is your number ? I’m in severe pain so
screw his number. Let him assign a number to himself if he feels like me.