[Medic946RN]

Before I became a nurse I was paramedic and I picked up my share of females with abdominal complaints on the ambulance. Many of them when as to describe the pain would often say: "It's like the first pain you get when your period starts, you know?" Being male, NO I did not know.

Being an ER nurse means you get often sit in triage and assess patients again I have seen a litany of female patients describing their abdominal pain as same as their first pang of their menstrual cycle and when they say "You Know?" I say "No I dont, really."

The other day a guy comes in doubled over complaining of testicular pain. It's 10/10. (I'm with you there brother.) I ask him to describe it. He says "You ever been kicked in the nuts?"

"Yes, yes I have and yes I do know how that feels." (Finally)
That young man went straight back to a room and good thing cause he was the first testicular torsion case I had ever seen, zipped him up to OR after a quick ultrasound, heard he was doing fine.

Just a witty observance on my part. You all stay safe and sane.

[Katnip]

I always like it when I hear a nurse explaining the pain scale to a man or a young woman who has never had a baby: "0 being no pain, 10 is like being in labor."

[traumaRUs]

Had a lady who came into triage c/o abd pain 10/10 "comes and goes" and "I haven't pooped in a couple of days either". My triage RN wheels her back on a cart and I (charge RN) follow her into the room. Pt says, "It hurts down there" (pointing to you know where". Okay...lets get undressed. I shuck off her daisy dukes and (oh oh) there's a baby's head crowning! Yikes...(I have her in the psych room - no oxygen, no suction, nothing!!) Fortunately I had put on gloves prior to entering the room. She denies any possibility of pregnancy, but less than 60 seconds later, out pops a baby girl - full term!!! The life of an ER RN!

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

When I ask about pain, I give them the scale definition instead of letting them define it, since pain is so subjective--

0 is absolutely no pain at all, none, nada!
10 is writhing on the floor hurting so bad you can't do anything else.

Few people have really experienced a writhing on the floor hurting so bad you can't do anything else--but they seem to be able to relate.

An equal opportunity pain scale !?!?!

Safe and sane--thanks! You too!

[Scis]

Medic946RN:
You guys really stick together. Had a doc answer the trauma phone the other night and the case coming in was a longshoreman who had been hit in the crotch with an iron
pole that then bounced off the ship and returned again to
strike him in the same place the second time! The male
physician manning the phone gave an order for 4mg of
morphine to be administered en route to our trauma center.
I kidded him the morphine HAD to be an order from a man,
since MI victims only get about 2 mgs ordered before they
get here. He said yes, it was a sympathy call, he said he
felt pain in his crotch just listening to what happened to
the guy!

[BarbPick]

I knew I was dying. My head hurt so badly, I could not move my head off the pillow withoput screaming. This went on for a few hours, I just knew I had a brain tumor and it was all over!!!! My husband brought me some tylenol and ice water, when I drank the water, I almost arrested, then it dawned upon me, I was experiencing my first toothache. I had heard patients say toothaches were worse than labor, and they were right!!!!!!!!!!!