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SamaritanNJ.org 19MANAGING PAINManaging pain improves the quality of your life. The benefits of managing pain:%u2022 Enjoy doing the things you like%u2022 Improve your mood and your ability to think%u2022 Eat and sleep better%u2022 Other symptoms decrease%u2022 Blood pressure and heart rate decrease%u2022 Reduces stress for those caring for youCONTROLLING PAINUnderstanding the intensity of your pain helps the people who are caring for you decide how to treat you. You can rate how much pain you are feeling by using a pain scale, and we have provided a variety of pain scales on the pages that follow. The larger the number on the scale, the more intense the pain is. Your nurse will explain the pain scales and how to use them.You can use a rating scale to answer these questions:%u2022 How bad is your pain at the present time?%u2022 How bad is your pain at its worst?%u2022 How bad is your pain at its least?%u2022 What is the level of pain that is acceptable to you?You may find it helpful to keep a record or diary about your pain. This will help you and those who are caring for you understand more about your pain, the effects it has on you, and what works best to ease your pain.Some things to include:%u2022 The number from your rating scale that describes your pain before and after using a painrelief measure.%u2022 The name of the pain medicine that you take and the dose.%u2022 The time that you take pain medicine.%u2022 How long the pain medicine works.%u2022 Anything that you do other than taking pain medicine for pain relief, such as rest, distraction, etc.%u2022 Any activity that makes the pain better or worse.WHY ASK ME?The pain that you are having is your pain %u2013 not anyone else%u2019s. You are the best judge of what you are feeling and when you are feeling it. If you do not receive enough medication and you are in pain, you cannot do the things that are important to you. Our goal is to always believe your report of pain and to continue to work together with you, your family and your caregivers to reach the highest level of comfort and function with the least amount of side effects.