Pain & Death

Quote: petroglyph

https://www.verywellhealth.com/pain-scales-assessment-tools-4020329

When those nosy ass medical professionals* come round asking "what level is your pain at", I think most people don't have much of a field of reference to answer that question.

I've heard people loudly enough proclaiming "I'm at an eleven" "I'm at an eleven", they are even doing pain a disservice. Those that would claim 11, have spent very little time at 8.

Out of the pain scales, I find the smiley, frowny face to be about the best for patients. Except for none of the faces are projectile vomiting. And very little writhing.

* : )

I HATE those things. With much fear at angering the gods, I'll say I used to get cluster headaches, what they call "suicide migraines". I know what a "12" feels like. 12 straight hours of scream puking so hard you bust the blood vessels in your face and eyes just over the pain; what's anything compared to that? Finger looks like a lightning bolt? That's a 2, maybe a 4 if you touch it. Torn labrum? That's a zero, my arm just don't work. Walnut in my cheek from an abscessed tooth? That's "fetal position pain". And in my experience, "fetal position pain" is about a 6/7. There's still a long way to go to reach the top.

Disservice indeed. Prolly why I can't never get more than a GD ibuprophen out of them =p

Quote: Face

Without proper anesthesia, it's just a heart attack. I'm told those kinda hurt, and though I do not suggest it, veterinary blogs confirm it. Just trust me on that one. Those are a tough read.

Some sudden cardiac arrests (from what I read) are accompanied by symptoms including pain before hand. But apparently there are some where you feel nothing in particular and just collapse.

Quote:

Dunno how close I came to dying, but can confirm traumatic head injuries are completely painless. The "after" sucks a whole bunch, but the event is a light switch. *Click*, and then nothingness

Yes, this is the sort of thing that makes me think pain doesn't necessarily need accompany death and could be thought of as a separate choice.

Quote: rxwine

I know there is controversy over the drugs used and it varies from state to state. And even what drugs are made available. But on the other hand, are you saying animal euthanasia has to be extremely painful? That would upset quite a few people thinking they put their pet to "sleep" as it's often described.

When animals are put to sleep, it's often because they are already in too much pain and beyond repair. Healthy animals are rarely put to sleep (not counting pounds).... Prisoners are often executed very healthy (in fact you have to pass a physical before your execution).

Surgeons literally cut the heart out of the body in a heart transplant. You won't feel a thing. Turn off the machines while the heart is out, the body will die.

You couldn't convince too many people to get major surgical procedures if they were able to feel the procedure.

Quote: Gandler

Lethal injection is actually incredibly painful, probably one of the most inhumane way to execute people.

Pain is a biological warning sign that something is wrong.

I agree they do not go hand in hand. You can feel alarming pain from relatively harmless injuries. You can also die peacefully with virtually no pain (just not from lethal injections).

Gandler.... Anesthesiologist here...... Lethal injection, done properly, is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PAIN FREE.

I HATED the stupid pain scores!!!!! I'd have to ask a patient with a boo boo on his ankle what his pain score was, 1 being minimal and 10 being the worst he could imagine. He'd say 10. He looked comfy sitting there. I asked him if he slammed his hand as hard as possible into a car door what would that be? He said 100. I'd have to explain that 10 was the highest on a 1 to 10 scale. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CANNOT UNDERSTAND A ONE TO TEN SCALE is 20 on a scale of 1 to 10......

Quote: petroglyph

https://www.verywellhealth.com/pain-scales-assessment-tools-4020329

When those nosy ass medical professionals* come round asking "what level is your pain at", I think most people don't have much of a field of reference to answer that question.

I've heard people loudly enough proclaiming "I'm at an eleven" "I'm at an eleven", they are even doing pain a disservice. Those that would claim 11, have spent very little time at 8.

Lately I have started inflating my pain rating when they asked. I have experienced more dramatic pain than most people through all my issues and 23 operations. I worry that when I tell them my pain level is 5 they won't take it as serious as someone that says theirs is a 9 or 10, where in my mind they probably haven't experienced pain that I would even classify as a 3.

Quote: SOOPOO

I HATED the stupid pain scores!!!!! I'd have to ask a patient with a boo boo on his ankle what his pain score was, 1 being minimal and 10 being the worst he could imagine. He'd say 10. He looked comfy sitting there. I asked him if he slammed his hand as hard as possible into a car door what would that be? He said 100. I'd have to explain that 10 was the highest on a 1 to 10 scale. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CANNOT UNDERSTAND A ONE TO TEN SCALE is 20 on a scale of 1 to 10......

Great post

Quote: SOOPOO

Gandler.... Anesthesiologist here...... Lethal injection, done properly, is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PAIN FREE.

Then you know perfectly well the AMA does not endorse lethal injection.

Done properly is the key (and even that is disputed). It is almost certainly more painful than the guillotine (and factually less effective, there are many botched lethal injections, and virtually zero botched beheadings, even when you factor in the many centuries longer it has been used).

I am against the death penalty regardless of the method, but lethal injection has a track record of failure.

Edit, and a quick Google search confirms the same for the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Quote: SOOPOO

Gandler.... Anesthesiologist here...... Lethal injection, done properly, is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT PAIN FREE.

Gandler is 29 and is a victim
of our education system
where all capital punishment
is wrong.