Dancing in the Rain... A Wellness Journal

Building Trust with your Doctor

Do you realize that 4 out of 5 people over report their pain levels to their doctors? Do you go into your doctor’s office without showing him where your pain levels have been since your last appointment and what steps you are doing to take responsibility for your body? Do you realize that if you are stating that you are over a 7 at all times, you may not be taken seriously by your healthcare provider?

The two main reasons most people over report their levels are: One, most people don't keep a pain diary. If you are at a level 8 then you rarely remember that last week you were at a level 3 or 4, at least part of the time. The second reason is that most people think that if they don’t report that they are a 7 or above all the time, then the doctor will cut back on the pain medicine. While this is very understandable, do you realize that, if you do this, you may be hurting yourself in the long run? It will be far better to partner with your physician, through open and honest communication, so that together you may find the most appropriate medication and dosage to control your pain over time.

I so often hear from people that the doctors just don’t understand what they are going through. It is your job, not the healthcare provider’s, to make sure they understand. The doctors are not going to work harder than you are to understand your pain. Especially, when your doctor sees you for 15 minutes every month or so and all you have to say is that you hurt. If you go in empty handed, then they may treat you just as they did the other 20 patients they saw that day.

It is so important for you to build trust with your doctor. The Wellness Journal is a great way to show your doctor what you are doing to help yourself and to keep track of what is going on with your body. One of the most valuable tools that this journal has to offer is the monthly pain scale. First, it has a pain scale that defines every pain level. It is not just the normal scale most doctors use, i.e., 1 is no pain and 10 is worst pain ever. That really leaves a lot of room for misconception in describing your pain. You can actually show your provider that a 4-5 is discomforting moderate pain and a 6-7 is distressing severe pain. This way you are on the same page with your doctor, who can now see, what is actually going on with your body for the last month in less than 10 seconds. This can save the doctor’s time and your frustration. This is so important; I really can’t stress this enough. If you want your doctors to take your health seriously then you need to take it seriously. If you don’t take responsibility for your body, no one will.

In this journal, you will learn why and what
to pay attention to when it comes to your pain levels. You will also learn some valuable information on coping with chronic pain.

The Wellness Journal features:

* Psychological affect of dealing with chronic pain- This is valuable information regarding the psychological impact after the diagnosis of chronic pain.

* Pain Management Techniques - This gives you proven techniques that help learn how to cope with chronic pain.

* Tips on taking care of you- It is no secret that when you look good, you feel good. We know that medications can have a huge affect on our skin, hair and nails. This will give you great tips on how to look and feel better about your image.

* Medication/ Supplement Log- Have one place to keep track of what, when and why your doctor prescribes medications. Do the research to find out what supplements help feed your body and give it nutrients to repair itself. The supplement log gives you a place to list what you are taking and where you got it.

* Daily Pain Diary – You will learn in this journal what to keep track of regarding your pain and why. The daily log is designed to keeping it simple. It only takes a couple of minutes to log your day.

* Doctor’s Section with Monthly pain scale- This is critical for your partnership with your doctor. This is one section where you fill in your pain levels for the month and write down any questions you have for your provider. He will be able to see in seconds where your levels have been and what questions you are having about your treatment. With the pain, scale you can both look and see if there is a pattern or any stressors that are affecting your pain. You can look back over your journal to see what was going on that week.

* Inspiration Quotes and “Yes” Moments- Keeping track of your pain levels and treatment can be very negative. You will find inspiration quotes all throughout the journal to help you on this journey. You will also keep track of the “yes” moments that happen throughout your day. This will help give you the positive you need to balance your journey.