Multiple Disorders

[wyrd_dragon]

After reading about how 'The Spoon Theory' has been so useful to so many people here, I thought I'd also post about the Comparative Pain Scale.

I haven't made enough posts to be able to post links yet, but if you Google search 'comparative pain scale' it should be the first result.

I've found it very useful in reporting my pain more reasonably and in understanding how much it affects me (my husband made me a daily health report so we can track how I am doing).

I hope some others of you with chronic pain (from any source) might find it useful too.

 

[safenow]

Thank you, DeathRay, I looked that up. It is very interesting. I personally have two pain scales. One for physical pain, one for mental anguish.They have helped me for many years. I'm glad you found that.

 

[The Albatross]

Me too Safe Now, I use the 0-10 for physical pain... but I use 0-100 for mental/emotional. An exercise I did (don't remember where at the moment, but a sometime several years ago) was to list physically painful stuff from 1 to 100... zero being no emotional/mental pain, 1 being something the least painful all the way through to 100 being the most painful thing you could ever imagine (each one was unique to each person who participated in the exercise). When a mental/emotional difficulty or disturbance occurs, I practiced going back to my scale and asked myself, "What injury would I be willing to replace the mental pain I'm feeling right now with?"

It helped me to realize that the intensity I gave my mental/emotional pain was often incongruent with what I was willing to consider replacing it with a real physical injury for. Most often now, my responses are well below the 20's and are mostly below 10 on that 0-100 scale. In that way, I was able to get braver and more courage about overcoming the perceived mental/emotional difficulty.

Not sure if I explained it well, but I found it very beneficial and useful. I still use it when the need arises, but not nearly as often.

 

[safenow]

"What injury would I be willing to replace the mental pain I'm feeling right now with?"

Wow. I really like that. Bless your heart for sharing that. I think that could help so many people. I hope a lot of people read this thread and get that. I really do mean that. I hope they will take the time to put it in practice.

I want to thank you for all your support during my visits here. Bless your heart and mind for staying with me and walking me through a rough couple of days. Sometimes the things remembered about early youth can make us weep, you know what I mean? This place is the best group therapy I've ever been to. NO games playing, NO bull sh**, just honest, caring emotion and good advice from those who really do understand what it's like.

I wish I'd found this place sooner.

 

[The Albatross]

I am absolutely drawing a blank though on where I learned that. Isn't that funny? :O_o: It was a very difficult exercise to come up with my own 1 through 100. But once that was done, that was my scale and I evaluate the mental/emotional stuff against it.

The take away was, (paraphrasing because I can't remember even who said it or when) that we will do or attempt to do many things to avoid physical pain... but that for many of us, we do not have the same drive to avoid mental/emotional pain or self injury. If we put them on a par, and can agree that unfiltered, unrestrained reliving of past pain, traumas or abuse is our own mind or psyche inflicting pain on ourselves... relating it to a scale of actual physical situations (a paper cut, a sprained ankle, a broken nose, etc) can dial back the intensity of the pain we perceive from the memories because we well know physical pain and have experienced it first hand.

It contrasts and compares real pain or injury against the feelings of pain emotionally. I really benefited from that.

Not entirely sure that I correctly related the second paragraph at all well. But I did the best I can.

 

[safenow]

I use the pain scale on my earlies memories. Things like, a board across the back, or being slammed into a wall or having my leg twisted until it breaks, the first time I was raped, etc. That type of thing. My medical doctor and physical therapist have come to learn how I judge pain. I'll be looking at them, and they can see I'm obviously in pain. They will ask me to go into my body and tell me where and how severe the pain is. LOL. Some times, I've ended up in the hospital because they make me do that. But they are much wiser than I am. I always try to give 100% no matter what is going on. It just took me many many years to find such good team to work with.

Perhaps that is why, when I call and ask for help, they come right away. I'm grateful for people that really do hear me. Most of the time there is such bull sh** spoken, people have learned to tune out most of what people say. i have found that 100% truth gets better results.

 

[The Albatross]

Mostly I'm in now. At times half way in/half way out and I have to put myself back in. Most often it is an unexpected fright or a fear that will scare me out, a trigger or pain. Physical pain at a higher level than my norm like during medical procedures. There may be a time in my future when my physical pain is great enough that I will stay out and go back to hovering just in front of the bridge of my nose. God I'm so glad some here understand it. I never reported it to any of my doctors, just my psychologist and an allergy nurse.

Off topic, sorry about that. Back on track now. I just really understand what you're saying and wanted you to have some validation Safe Now.

 

[safenow]

Thank you, alba. As always, you are so kind. It's a good thing you never told anyone other than your psychologist an allergy nurse. The world at large would have ignored you and branded you as insane. But for those of us with PTSD Dissociation, we do understand. It is really more common than most people admit to. For me, it's being up on the ceiling or in a corner of the room most of the time. LOL.

 

[safenow]

I actually bought a little spoon that I keep on my key chain.

While most people in this day and age would brand you a coke addict for that little spoon, I think that's a great idea. I just might do that, but I'll put mine on as a necklace so people can't see it. LOL.

 

[Britt.f7]

Safenow, :hilarious:!

Thank you DeathRay for bringing up the pain scale. Thankfully my illness doesn't cause pain, but I do have other times I'm in pain and have a hard time coming up with the level of pain, since I usually downplay it. Very interesting.

Thank you Safenow and Albatross for talking about mental anguish and having a pain scale for that. I never considered that and it makes total sense. I'm thinking how, over the last year, I really could have used that scale. It seems like it would help my husband understand the level of my depression. He just sees it as depression, no matter where it would be on a scale. Giving him a number might give him a better understanding of where I am at.

 

[Lionheart]

Just wanted to update and let everyone know that I am finding significant relief from my chronic illnesses (including PTSD, Depression/S.A.D., CFS, Fibro, IBS, COPD, etc). I still need to stop smoking and still struggle a bit with tiredness and breathlessness, but overall I seem to be in "remission" *(for lack of a better word).

I know that it can all seem so hopeless at times and I just wanted to share that I am doing quite well despite having several chronic disorders. While I still need to see a therapist, a psychiatrist, a M.D., take several medications and need to give up cigar smoking, I am happy to say that I am responding well to the treatments and am enjoying a better quality of life.

Healing hugs for all,
Lionheart

 

[Britt.f7]

I am happy to say that I am responding well to the treatments and am enjoying a better quality of life.

Oh Lionheart, that is fabulous! It is so nice to get a reprieve! The other things will come in time. Don't be hard on yourself.

Thank you for the update. It is so nice to hear something positive. :)