Patients & Visitors

Managing Your Pain

Staff will ask you about your pain regularly. Tell them if you have pain, even if they don’t ask. You will be asked to describe how bad your pain is on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain. Special pain scales are available for children and infants.

  • Ask for pain relief medications when your pain first begins.
  • Tell your doctor or nurse if your pain gets worse so other options can be considered.
  • Side effects from pain medications can include constipation, nausea, vomiting, itching and sleepiness. Call your nurse if you notice any medication side effects.
  • PCA – Patient Controlled Analgesia – may be prescribed for you to manage your pain. It allows you to give yourself a predetermined amount of pain medication. A maximum safe amount is programmed into your PCA pump so that you cannot give yourself too much medication. Push the button when you become uncomfortable – simply push the button and release. Do not allow others to push your PCA button.