Some treatments involve medications, and some do not. Treating, or managing, chronic pain is important. Finding a way to manage pain is often easier if it is addressed early. It is important to see a doctor if you have a new pain. Some people put off going to the doctor because they think pain is part of aging and nothing can help. Working with your doctor, you can find ways to continue to take part in physical and social activities despite having pain. This worry can make you afraid to stay active, and it can separate you from your friends and family. Other people are quick to report pain and ask for help. Some people feel they should be brave and not complain when they hurt. Attitudes About PainĮveryone reacts to pain differently. Your doctor may ask you to keep a diary of when and what kind of pain you feel every day. Some doctors or nurses have pictures of faces that show different expressions of pain and ask you to point to the face that shows how you feel. Or, your doctor may ask if the pain is mild, moderate, or severe. Your doctor or nurse may ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain you can imagine. What medicines, including over-the-counter medications and non-medicine therapies have you tried, and what was their effect?.Is there anything you do that makes the pain feel better or worse? For example, does using a heating pad or ice pack help? Does changing your position from lying down to sitting up make it better?.When do you feel the pain? In the morning? In the evening? After eating?.What does it feel like? Is the pain sharp, dull, or burning? Would you use some other word to describe it?.When did the pain start? Does it come and go?.Think about these questions when you explain how the pain feels: Many people have a hard time describing pain. Keep you from spending time with friends and family.Get in the way of your daily activities.Living with any type of pain can be hard. It may also follow acute pain from an injury, surgery, or other health issue that has been treated, like post-herpetic neuralgia after shingles. For some people, chronic pain is caused by a health condition such as arthritis. Pain that lasts for 3 months or longer is called chronic pain. You might feel acute pain after surgery or if you have a broken bone, infected tooth, or kidney stone. Acute pain begins suddenly, lasts for a short time, and goes away as your body heals. Always tell the doctor where you hurt and exactly how it feels. Pain can be your body's way of warning you that something is wrong. But, many older people have ongoing pain from health problems like arthritis, diabetes, shingles, or cancer. Maybe you've had a headache or bruise-pain that doesn't last too long. You've probably been in pain at one time or another. The pain's getting to be too much to handle, but she doesn't know what to do about it. It keeps her awake at night and stops her from doing activities she enjoys. But, at age 76, the constant knee pain from osteoarthritis is taking a toll. Phyllis loves playing with her grandchildren, working in the garden, and going to bingo games.
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