Cooley Dickinson Hospital cares about managing your pain. It is important to us that you are as comfortable as possible. Good pain control helps you rest, heal and feel better faster.

What Can You Do To Get Proper Pain Relief?

• Talk to your healthcare staff about your pain. We cannot always tell when you are having pain. Let us know when you are having pain.
• Tell us what has and has not worked for you.
• Don’t wait! Tell us when pain begins.
• Ask for medication before potentially painful treatments or procedures.
• Help your healthcare team understand your pain.
  • Describe your pain in the best way you can.
  • Show us where your pain is located.
  • Tell us when it hurts.
  • Use one of the pain scales below to tell us about your pain.
• Let us know what is an acceptable level of pain for you. Set a goal.
• Sometimes anxiety or feeling nervous can add to feelings of pain or discomfort. Let your healthcare team know if you are nervous or anxious.
• If your pain is not relieved, please let a staff member know right away.

Pain Scales

Use one of the scales below to tell us about your pain.

Pain Scale

How Can You Be More Comfortable and Have Less Pain?

• Get regular periods of rest and sleep
• Use breathing exercises and relaxation techniques
• Listen to music and humor
• Apply hot or cold packs
• Change positions/ move/ exercise
• Focus on pleasant images and memories.

Often people will have less pain if they use these methods. Like pain medicine, each method works differently for different people. Ask your nurse for help with these pain reduction methods.

Here are other tips to help you and the healthcare team manage your pain:

• Don’t wait until your pain is out of control before asking for help. Let’s work together to relieve your pain.
• Less pain means that you heal faster, become active faster, get your strength back and go home sooner.  
• Some people fear that they will become addicted to their pain medication.  Your doctor will prescribe a safe medication and dosage.

Remember, you and your healthcare team need to work together to help you manage your pain.