New Hampshire Partnership for End-of-Life Care
Pain Management 

Pain Book Mark
Developed by the N.H. Partnership for End-of-Life Care    

PAIN

You don’t have to be in pain!

You don’t need to suffer!

 Talk to your doctor about:

·  your pain

·  your fears and concerns

·  what can be done

 Follow the Plan!

Call your doctor if you do not feel better.

 PAIN

Are you in pain? 

Definition:

Pain is whatever you say it is, occurring whenever you say it does.

PAIN can be physical, emotional or spiritual.

PAIN can affect you in many ways.

PAIN can keep you from:

·  being active

·  sleeping well

·  enjoying family and friends

·  eating

PAIN can make you feel afraid or depressed.

 Call your doctor if you do not feel better.

Getting Ready to Talk to Your Doctor

To receive the pain treatment you want, begin by asking your doctor for extra time to talk about your pain, its causes and treatment.  Your report of pain is essential to good pain management.

Be prepared to answer these questions:

• Where is the pain?
• When did it start?
• When do you get the pain?  Is it constant or does it come and go?
• What does it feel like?  Use words like sharp, stabbing, dull, aching, burning, tingling, deep, pressing, etc.
• How intense is it?  Mild, moderate, severe?  Rate it on a scale from zero (no pain) to 10 (the worst pain you can imagine).
• Is your pain better or worse than the last visit?
• What makes it worse?  (moving, coughing, or walking?)
• How is pain affecting your sleep? Mood? Daily activities?
• What makes it better? (medicine, lying down, music, heat or cold?)
• What other medications are you taking? (Bring a list.)

Don’t delay!

A pain emergency is difficult to manage.  Pain is easier to treat when it is mild than when it is severe.

10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Ask your doctor or pain specialist to explain:

1.      What is causing my pain?

2.      What is the treatment plan?

3.      What are the benefits of this approach?

4.      What are the negative side effects?  (sleepiness, itching, nausea, constipation)  How long will they last?  How are they treated?

5.      What should I monitor and call you about?

6.      What should I do if my pain worsens?

7.      When will you check again to see how I am responding to this treatment plan?

8.      What is the cost of this medication?

9.      Is there a lower-cost option?

10.  Are there other useful approaches?  Can I use complementary treatments such as relaxation and breathing exercises, massage or cold and heat packs?

If your regular doctor cannot help you with treatment for your pain - or if your medication is not working - you can ask for a referral to a pain specialist or pain clinic.  There are many advances in this area of medicine and these specialists have up-to-date training in pain treatment. 

Excerpted from "Pain: Questions to Ask Your Doctor," a publication of the Community-State Partnerships to Improve End-of-Life Care and the Midwest Bioethics Center, Kansas City, MO.