the pain of measuring pain

Yesterday they started my back treatments. They are using this machine to separate my vertebrate (gently pull me apart) and then this machine to stimulate (gently shock) the muscles in my back. It's actually very relaxing. For an hour I simply listen to my ipod and try to be as relaxed as possible while the machines do their thing.

So each time I go to the doctor I have to give them the level of pain I'm currently experiencing from 0 - 10. How to measure pain? I started measuring it based on how much brain power is devoted to the pain. Below a 5 means that I feel the pain in my leg but also additional pains like my stiff right shoulder that I have been sleeping on for that past month because sleeping on the left hurts too much. Anything over 5 means all pain is focused on the leg. A 1 or 2 means I am thinking other things and am only occasionally reminded about the pain while a 3 or 4 means there is a small part of my brain dedicated to "ow that hurts." 5, 6, 7 & 8 is really all about how much much my brain is shouting at me about the pain and how much I can think other thoughts. A 9 or 10 means that nothing in the world exists except the pain and I have resorted to breathing exercises in order to keep from going crazy.

Between time, the pain medication I have and the new treatments I am feeling generally better than I have in weeks. I'd been over 5 most days for weeks with 9s in the morning when I try to get up but the past few days have been 3s. Last night I even managed to spend part of the night flat on my back and part of it laying on my left side.


I will have back treatments everyday for the next two weeks and then three days a week for the next month.

The doctor gave me nutritional shakes to replace meals for the first few days to help me get started on the diet. I don't mind the shake for breakfast because I was never a big breakfast person anyway but can't stand it more than the one meal.

Since going in to the doctor initially about the pain a few weeks ago I have lost 12 pounds. Most of it I'm sure is due to the fact that the pain meds made a mess of my digestive system so I immediately began drinking a ton of water and watching everything that went in to my mouth. Also with the nerve pain, I have stopped ingesting caffeine - I'm not missing it but man, I want something SWEET AND SUGARY!