Let's talk about the Wong-Baker pain rating scale.
Because you guys, this thing stresses me out.
The first time I was ever presented with the faces and asked what my pain level was was when I was in labor with Nicky. In the years since having my first baby, I've had the opportunity to rate my pain in labor and non-labor situations, and I always overthink it.
I might feel like a 10, but there's no way I'm ever going to say that! Worst possible pain? How do I know? Sounds like an opportunity to be proven wrong!
So I can never be a 10.
But if I'm in very serious, all-consuming pain, I need to rate it as close to 10 as possible while still allowing space in case it gets worse. That makes me lean toward 8 as my highest possible initial rating. That way, if it gets worse, I know I have room to progress to 9.
Then there's the matter of being taken seriously. I don't want to give myself any rating that doesn't match my behavior, so if I rate myself an 8, I want to make sure I'm acting how an 8 would act. I don't want a doctor hearing "8" but seeing "5" and then disregarding me as a credible pain evaluator. So that makes me prone to underrating my pain. But then I worry if I'm too low on the scale, my pain isn't severe enough to address.
Then again, if I'm able to sit and think about it in this depth, I'm probably not in 9 or 10 sort of pain. I think if the pain is that bad, you just shout "TEN!" You don't take the time to think about it.
Perhaps what really matters, though, is not the way your pain compares to someone else's or even to your own pain of the past, but how it compares to itself before/during/after treatments have been applied or time has passed.
In that case, I still can't ever be a 10 because there always needs to be space for things to get worse.
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I've had many of you reach out after my recent post about being in pain. Thank you so much for your love and concern. There are some things in the works that could be helpful, but it will take some time to know for sure.
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