Tips to Explain Your Pain in an Emergency Room

 Pain levels may differ from one person to another. Keep in mind that pain is a personal experience. It may differ depending on various factors, such as overall physical health and emotional state. These factors play a significant role in defining how you feel about the pain.

When you can accurately describe your pain to an emergency doctor, they provide proper treatment. The best way to keep track of your pain is by writing details about your pain in a pain journal. When you visit the doctor, you can hand over the journal to them, so they can clearly understand how you feel. Here are some questions that your doctor may ask upon visit:

• When did you experience a certain pain for the first time?

• What are the intervals of pain?

• Why do you experience the pain?

• What activities relieve you from pain or make it worse?

• What is the exact location of the pain?

• Are you feeling pain at a specific spot, or is it spreading?

• Is the pain constant or pulsating?

Also, you need to know some words to describe your pain. Some of these words are:

• Dull

• Sharp

• Burning

• Shooting

• Cramping

• Aching

• Intense

• Tender

• Heavy

• Pressure

• Gripping

• Gnawing

• Stabbing

• Stinging

• Prickly

A pain journal is of great help when it comes to tracking your pain. You can make different columns and fill them out to explain how you are feeling:

• At what time you started to experience the pain?

• How are you feeling?

• How long did the pain last?

• What is the exact location of the pain?

• What is the severity of the pain? (You can rate your pain out of 10)

• What are the triggers of the pain?

• What activities help you relieve?

• What treatments or medications you take?

If possible, you should bring the pain journal while visiting an emergency room. This diary will help the doctor understand the kind of pain you are experiencing.