What is your definition of pain free?

[leelee88]

I am not trying to ask a stupid question here, but I know most of us suffer daily with pain, and alot of times it is severe. So I was wondering what would pain free be to you? I know when I am asked that question if I am at a level 2 which is a slight ache to me that is nothing, so I consider that to be pain free..What is your input on this..Thanks Ronda

[Briza]

Not a stupid question. I have had MANY completely symptom free days, those days I would call pain free. What 's harder for me to describe is severe pain. I had such off the charts pain after my hydro when I was retaining and had paralyzed bowels. That was beyond a 10, on a 1-10 scale, and beyond a 5 on a 1-5 scale. So when I'm really hurting now, what some people might describe as intense or severe pain, to me yes it does hurt bad, but compared to after the hydro, in my mind it's like 2 or 3, even though it probably should be rated higher than that and I have to tell my doctors 4-6, otherwise they don't take me seriously. I know you had problems after your hydro, too. Do you have trouble rating your more severe pain now after that experience? I think Amy put it once as reserving a 10 for having your leg amupated on the battlefield without anesthesia, and that I should think of the hydro experience as a 9. That put it into perspective for me, a little.

[leelee88]

Yes Briza,
I have problems rating my pain thats why I am asking..Like you with the hydro/ rupture. it was worse than child birth for me or any other pain.. My appendix have almost ruptured before and the pain was not that bad...So I have a very high high tolerance for pain..So when I am at a 4 its nothing..Thats a good day for me..My GYN thought I was joking when I told her this..

[Briza]

I think this is a great thread. Will be interesting to see how people respond, whether it be on what they consider pain free or how they rate more severe pain based on their "worst pain you've ever felt" experience. I have not had children, but when my friend visited me in the hospital, and she has had two difficult deliveries....she said from the way I was screaming that my pain had to be worse than hers, and I was on a morphine pump, and like I was in labor for 9 days straight.

[zanne]

Pain free, what is that? I can't remember when I have been "pain free", I have got my IC under control and only suffer a few days a month with that, usually during my period.:woohoo: I watch everything I eat, which has helped alot with the pain.

I have been having some other pain in other areas, my Dr found something in my vagina and did a biopsy and that is causing me alot of pressure which now has been giving me alot of pain. My gyne kind of shrugs it off, she wanted me to go for a colonoscopy which I did yesterday and that Dr said everything was fine, I did have 1 polyp which he removed but he said not to worry. I have called my Gyne back and asked her to refer me to someone who could help me with the thing they found in my vagina, she originally told me she could not do anything for me. I have given myself until Sept 1 and I want to be pain free, I know I will still have IC pain days, but I have already accepted I have IC and it is something I have to live with. This other pain is way worse than IC pain.
I would rate it an 7, everyday I deal with this pain.

Sue

[L. Thomas]

Instead of just giving a number 1-10, I always try to qualify the 1 and 10:
If 1 is a sore muscle and 10 is an abscessed tooth I am at___

I consider "pain free" when I don't notice it or am not aware of pain, but if I stop and "rest" I am uncomfortable. Basically I am a "Keep Busy" gal.

Are any of you doing the "Proclaim" questionnaire that Jill posted a few months ago? It is very enlightening. Just in answering the questions each month I am beginnig to understand how I respond to different situations. And what responses cause problems and which solve problems. Now if I could just get the actions and the responses to go together I would be sitting pretty.

[dancemomof2]

Let me see, my 9th grade year before the endo started. WOW that has been forever I can't even remember how to decribe it.

[GriffsMommy]

I think I'm like you, I think pain free is a really low level pain. On a really good day I may not have much pain but I will at least have some twinges here and there which are a 2 or 3. I don't know if I can remember the last time that I went through a whole day with NO pain, just less pain.

[Babs RN]

My last pelvic pain free year was 1985 before my freshman year of high school--before my first cyst and endo started. Tolerable and functional is pain free to me. Sounds blunt I know, but I know no other way of living, and I have chosen to reclaim my life from the pain.

Hugs,
Barb

[tigger_gal]

pain free days would be nice even if it was 1 time a week. I think with the fibro, arthritis, and sacralititis with the ic pain is now my life.

[charmedx3]

I wish for a pain free day but just like everyone else it has been a long time. My average day is about 4-5. A good day is 1-2. lately I am at about a 6-7. There have been a few rare days (3 this year) that i have had absolutley no pain. I think keeping busy is the way to go although there are those times that I wish I could just stay in bed.

[lan]

Very interesting thread. I still think of pain free as being a 0 on the 0-10 scale (where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain I have ever been in). I was a 0 before I was suddenly stricken with IC in late Dec 06. I can still remember what pain free feels like and it is my goal to feel like that again some day. I am now a pretty consistent 2 or 3. And sometimes when I am really busy/distracted I can be at 1 for a short period of time. For me, 2 is uncomfortable but I am able to function normally. I can exercise, work, etc. But I still long to be a 0. Here's hoping that we all find 0 again someday...Linda

[leelee88]

Thanks everyone, I wish I could show your comments to the new URO im going to see, just to show her that I am not alone and so many of us suffer on a daily basis with IC, but hoping she is good enough to know enough about IC to realize this..Thanks again.. You all are GREAT!!(((hugs))) Ronda

[**Angie**]

On one of my last visits to my pain Dr she asked "what I wanted her to do for me". I responded "I want to be pain free". She said "that's unrealistic". Is it really?? I don't want to live at a pain level of what I call 2-3 with pain meds----which to anyone else would be a 3-4. When those pain meds don't work I'm at a 5-6. But like quite a few others I have had pain most my life. (due to kidney problems/endo and ando)

[LeeAnn]

pain

I think pain free means no pain at all. As in, you forget you have a bladder altogether.

I was lucky enough to have four days this weekin a row of no pain. That is seriously the first time in eleven years that I can say that. It has to be the Topamax.

Then I had sex this morning and now I'm burning a little. And my frequency is up.

But maybe it was b/c I ate 3 peanut m&m's yesterday.

So no more of either for me!!! LOL.

I'm still elated that I had four days of no pain. I had really lost hope that it would ever happen for me. I'm so thankful to have hope again.