Becoming your own persistent chronic pain investigator

Persistent or chronic pain impacts every aspect of a person’s life, so it’s important to become your own pain investigator.  In fact, not just their life, but those of everyone around them.  It can increase the stress and strain on relationships, makes people shorter tempered and tetchy, reduce our ability to work effectively.  It makes decision making more challenging.  I know, I know I’m painting a rosy picture here!  You’re probably saying, ‘Stop telling me things I already know’ 

But this is all part of helping you to take back control for yourself.  No one knows you like you know you.  It’s time now to don your Columbo mac or your Angela Lansbury ‘Murder She Wrote’ outfit, grab your magnifying glass and start investigating yourself. 

Not only will this help you to feel that you’re taking positive steps to help yourself, it will also be useful information to take to medical appointments.  Let’s Get Started on Getting You Sorted if you are having issues with persistent or chronic pain there are steps that you can take to help yourself. 

Become your own investigator.

It’s your body, you should know what does and doesn’t feel right for you.

Keep a pain diary, it will help you to track any changes and also provide useful information at appointments.

Here’s some suggestions of what to include in your pain diary:

• Has it been diagnosed by a medical practitioner?  If yes what is the diagnosis?
• Where is your pain?
• How long have you had it?
• Does it change at all?  Increase or decrease in severity.
• What does it stop you doing?
• What are you OK to do?
• What if anything makes it worse?
• What is anything makes it better?
• What difference would it make to you to not have the persistent or chronic pain?

Then over a week or more, track your pain on a daily basis.  Use a 1-10 scale of no pain (0) and excruciating (10)

Grab your copy here

This is your baseline, your starting point.  It’s in writing, not just you trying to remember or being guided what others say about their pain if they have any.  Also, by writing things down, other things may come to mind, you may see patterns in behaviour that no longer serve you and by removing them you can reduce your pain.

And if you feel you’d like some help with this then book your FREE 15 minute call here