Because of the subjectivity (there's no blood test for pain, frex), many different scales and tests have been devised to help assess pain in patients. One of the more common is the Wong-Baker FACES pain rating scale, with a 1-10 numerical value in tandem with different cartoon faces. The pain in my knee at the moment is between 4-6, with 4 being a resting value. The pain is there; it's noticeable and does occupy a good chunk of my attention. When I go to move, it can easily hit an 8. Yesterday, in the two mile drive to get my prescription, it was about as close to 10 as I've come.
I haven't slept the past few nights, either; sleep escapes you when the simple act of stretching out in bed comes with an intense, shooting pain that only subsides to a raw throbbing. I had to cancel a range trip yesterday with the new KRISS, that's how much I hurt. The funny thing is that standing is the least painful position, with my knee bending the least in a standing position - however, the four mile drive to the range would have simply been too much. If this continues into tomorrow I'll see my primary care physician to discuss pain management techniques; lord alone knows how I'll make the 10 mile drive to his office...
It's amazing how much something like pain can cloud your thinking and impair your judgement. I know the past few days I've been short with the family; I've tried really hard to convey that I'm in a lot of pain and have apologized profusely. Fortunately TheBoy sprained his foot a few weeks back and understands how pain can change your outlook; the Mrs. is getting through a particularly nasty bout of migraines and is sympathetic as well. It wreaks havoc both physically - I feel like an old man, shuffling around the house and dreading the loooong walk up the stairs - and mentally - I'm missing out on a lot this weekend and it's getting me down. Hopefully the meds will kick in today and I'll be back to normal - or what passes for normal for me - for the start of the week.
Anyways, if the rage seems sharper lately, now you know why...
That is all.
21 comments:
Most definetely you have our sincerest hopes for a speedy recovery.
Take it easy, rest up...and if turning on the free ice cream machine aggravates anything, you ce3trtainly have the understanding of your loyal readers & friends if you are busy doing other things - like resting & getting better.
Best wishes.
Somehow that posted without my signature. Not sure how.
Remember when colchicine was available without being mixed in with something costing $3 Bazillion per pill?
Please see the docs ASAP - the damage only gets worse the longer you grate away at the joint. And remember that synthetic narcotics are your friend.
stay safe.
Ah, that blows. Hope you feel better soon. Drink lots of clear liquids... vodka, gin...
I kid, but seriously, narc up when you have blocks of time available so you don't move around.
That sucks Jay... I hope you feel better. My Brother in law deals with it in his wrists and knees. From what I gather it really sucks.
Hopefully it will end soon.
You poor baby! You must be in a LOT of pain if you cancelled a trip to the range. Get to the doctor, get good drugs, rest. Putting it off will only make things worse.
:( you cancelled a trip to the range - it is bad :(
hope you're feeling better soon.
Hope you feel better soon, Jay. I deal with it in my feet and toes. Did you know there are a lot of joints in the feet that you usually aren't aware of? Well, when a gout attack hits in one of those ... you notice. I'd almost rather it was in the knee. Then I could stand. :P
So, I hear ya. Glad the family's being understanding of the grouchiness that goes with constant pain.
And you know it's bad, when you cancel a range trip to shoot something as sweet as the KRISS.
You definitely have my sympathy, Jay - been there done that myself, just over a month ago. It hits my left big toe. That was two weeks of misery. I found myself extremely glad my new car is an automatic, despite my preference for manual transmissions.
Supposedly, cherries are great for breaking and preventing attacks. I've found cherry-raisins (essentially, raisins made from cherries instead of grapes) at my grocery store that are pretty good and make a good snack. Cherry juice (actual cherry juice, not cherry flavoured "juice") is pretty convenient, too.
Here's hoping for a fast recovery!
Hope it's better soon.
Yes. Left big toe. No need to discuss with anyone who's been there.
Gout is your body's way of telling you to cut down on fructose and entrail foods(paté. sweetbreads, haggis, chitterlings, kidneys, some sausages, etc) as well as beans, peas,lentils and spinach.
I'd suspect you're drinking too much soda myself(with high fructose corn syrup).
I've had bouts of gout before; it's one of the most painful things you can get in a joint.
Lots of antioxidants, vitamin B complex, and water helps; they flush the urea from the system faster.
Have the doc in the box drain that sucker and take your colchicine.
hope you feel better soon
I wish I could send you some of my coltricine. The gout in my toe is bad enough, at least I can gimp around. I'd never move if it was in my knee.
Jay, first of all, my best "get well frikkin' fast" wishes. My local mechanic has epic battles with gout, and echos the "lots of cherry juice" suggestion.
So, niceties despensed with.... maybe you could photoshop the "pain-level" face onto your profile image, so we know what state you're in, day to day till this clears up?
Y'know, just cause your normal grimace there looks to be about a seven on the scale, on it's own merits!
/smartassery.
Seriously. Get'cha well, fast, and soon, etc.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
probenecid.
I've been taking it for years, no more problems. Gout can easily hit 11 on the pain scale.
No Gout, but I passed Gall Stones for 3 months, plus the usual stuff like having a Finger Nail removed by a piece of Industrial Machinery, a Sledge Hammer swung wrong and cutting the tendon on my Trigger finger, stuff like that. Pain sucks. And the asshole who said it's "Weakness leaving the Body" obviously hasn't been hurt or sick enough to understand how wonderful a Morphine Drip can be sometimes.
Take care, buddy.
From a chronic Gout sufferer, I feel your pain and sympathize.
I use to suffer 8-10 attacks a year, usually triggered by stress. Changed my diet, colchicine, etc, nothing worked. I would equate it to someone taking a vise-grip and just locking it on my ankle.
I now take Uloric, daily, and I don't have any attacks. Its obscenely expensive, but worth every dime now that I have my life back.
You need a better pain scale... try this one out:
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/02/boyfriend-doesnt-have-ebola-probably.html?m=1
Now hurry and feel better. We wanna hear about the Vector!
Been there, still visit [painfully] on occasion.
My best advice is as a preventative try to eat a decent sized bowl of fresh strawberries at least twice a week.
When an attack hits, like everyone else: drink cherry juice for it's anti-inflammatory properties.
Found this one online, and tried it - ended my last attack in 3 days: Lemon juice. Supposedly it's alkaline and helps neutralize the uric acid. I don't care for it straight, so I squeeze half a lemon into a big glass and cut it with ice water. It's actually a refreshing drink. Do that twice a day.
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