“How would you rate your pain on a scale of 1-10?”

I detest this question.  But I get asked it all the time from my doctors.  How can you apply a pain scale to chronic pain?  I don’t even remember what no pain feels like.  So the whole scale seems to shift.  Pain is so relative.  I have gotten used to being in pain all the time.  I’ve gotten used to the constant stomach pain from the Autoimmune Pancreatitis and the debilitating joint pain that keeps in the wheelchair.  Not something you want to get used to.  But it’s amazing how much I can even take my normal level of pain for granted.

The last 3 days I was without my pain medication due to a major pharmacy mess up coupled with a significant insurance snag.  My stomach hurt and my joints seemed to be screaming with pain.  In more pain, I was more drained, more cranky, more emotional.  I couldn’t sleep well.  I’m yawning even now from the last few nights of poor sleep.  But strange thing was, I didn’t let myself realize how much pain I was really in until it was over… after I finally got my pain meds today again.

The sudden relief from pain was dramatic.  It’s amazing what you can live with when you have no choice, but I won’t be taking my “normal” level of pain for granted so quickly again.