How do I communicate my pain level to my doctor in a way he will understand and be more accepting of. ?

Question

Ion have CFS and if I'm Not taken care of I could end up homeless and lose my s

Answer 1

Well if you have a really bad pain and try to explain it and he looks at you funny I suggest the following.

1. Stand up.

2. Punch him in the baby maker.

Then he'll understand. Although the accepting part may be a problem.

Answer 2

Many pain specialists ask you to keep a pain diary, rating the pain on a 0-10 scale and recording the time of day you experience it and what types of activities make it better or worse.  I'm a nut for statistics and kept a diary that also chronicled barometric pressure, other meds taken, mood, etc.  The doctor thought I was nuts, but was impressed enough that he asked if I minded if he used it as a model for other patients.  While many people don't want to be bothered with recording such trivia, when you're in chronic pain, focusing on a task like this can sometimes help get your mind off it.