Pain Energy Theory

I've been living in pain for years.  I haven't been living *with* pain.  Living *with* something means that it is separate to yourself.  It means living with something that you can kick out when it annoys you.  Like a flatmate.  I have been living *in* pain.

My pain ranges from 2 - 5 most of the time.  Last night, it hit 8.  It was a bad night.  Today it's back down to a 3/4.  Despite this seemingly low grade of pain, I have been mulling over an idea.

The idea that pain doesn't exist by itself.  It exists with energy.

This is how most people see pain...

If you hit your thumb with a hammer, your pain is going to be a 9 or 10.  However, the pain quickly goes away.  Usually, a person's "Pain Energy" level will also be a 9 or 10, and so they have resources to deal with it.  Swear a little, throw something, swear some more, glare at anyone laughing at you, and apply some ice.  It's done.  Over.  Any energy spent is quickly replenished.  Perhaps there will be bruising, however that will soon fade.

When you live with pain every day however, that energy level is at a constant low.  So while my pain level may *only* be a 2, if my Pain Energy level is also only a 2 (or 20%), then I don't have much to work with.  This can be similar to someone with Pain Energy levels at 100% having a pain level of 10.

The thing is - when you see a doctor about pain, they only ever ask what your pain level is.  They never ask what your energy level is.  They certainly never consider that people who live in pain have to keep a certain amount of energy in reserve - after all, you never know when there will be an emergency.  You never know when you may need to take your child to hospital, or even small things, like forgetting to get milk, and therefore having to go through the task of going out to get some.

All three need to be considered when assessing pain.

This theory is parallel to the Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino.  The Spoon Theory however, relates to energy alone, and is used by people who have any invisible illness or disability.  I feel that chronic pain needs some tweaking of the Spoon Theory, and so here it is...

If pain levels correspond to percentages, such as 2 = 20%, and energy is also calculated on a percentage basis, then I suspect that in order to deal* with pain, then one must be within a range of 10 of the other.  For instance, if your pain level is at 40%, however your Pain Energy level is only at 20%, then you are 10% short of being able to adequately "deal" with that pain.  If your pain level is 100% (i.e. the most painful thing you have ever experienced, or can imagine experiencing), and your Pain Energy level is 95%, then you will be able to adequately deal with that pain.

Pain Levels are influenced by Pain Energy Levels and both are influenced by the duration of the pain.

Time in pain also has to be added in to the equation.  The longer you are in pain (i.e. Chronic Pain), the harder it is to replenish your Pain Energy levels, and the quicker they are used up.

Pain is a tricky thing.  People all have different thresholds, many people complain about nothing, and many people suffer in silence.  There is no definitive measure of pain, and there never will be.  This has led to people living in pain being very misunderstood.  I feel that a large part of this misunderstanding is the idea that a pain level of 2 (20%) is "nothing".  For the most part, most people should be able to take a pain level of 2 (20%) and suck it up.  However if your energy is at 5%, then you simply don't have the resources to suck anything.  Anyone with an energy level at 5% is going to have trouble getting out of bed to take a piss, even if they are not in pain.  For the person in pain, it's just not going to happen.  They will piss the bed.

So please - the next time you consider pain levels - also remember to consider Pain Energy levels.  They are just as important when ascertaining how a person is *dealing*.

Because a 3 isn't a 3 when it's been a 3 or more for over four years. 


* By "dealing", I mean emotionally and physically, and both short and long term, and I do not mean in the moment (after all, a person who has just hit their thumb with a hammer has a burst of pain, which is going to take them over for a while, while the person with more constant pain is more likely to be able to mentally push it aside at times).  A person of perfect health who hits their thumb with a hammer is likely to largely forget about the incident by the next day, as their pain energy levels are replenished.  However, the longer you are in pain, the longer it takes to replenish those levels.  This can cause depression and guilt as the person is unable to go about normal tasks (especially when this depression and guilt is compounded by outside parties who fail to understand the situation and expect too much).  Over time, it can start to cause other health concerns.  There are an infinite number of effects, as pain and pain energy levels are unique to each individual.  So when I use the term *deal*, I mean to wake up the next day with no lasting after-effects of any kind.  Aside from short-term bruising anyway, as in the case of the thumb and hammer.


Note: I literally only had this brain fart in the last few hours, so please feel free to comment, and let me know what you think :)