Pain Care Bill of Rights

 The Pain Care Bill of Rights

I found this while I was wandering the hospital on Tuesday, and I thought it reinforced some really great information and it comes from a major hospital, so it made me hopeful that people with chronic pain are getting the care they deserve.  Since pain is one of the biggest symptoms of endometriosis, I found this particularly important to share in this forum.  I did not write it, but it is distributed publicly and I found it supportive...  So click "read more" to see it :)  (Or, if this is emailed to you, just keep reading!)

Also, in a brochure I found a general definition of pain (as defined by the hospital, I guess):

What is Pain and Why is it Important?

"Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience.  Pain can acute or chronic, or occasionally both.  Acute pain typically has a known cause, such as surgery, a broken bone or car accident.  Chronic pain is described as pain that has persisted long after an injury or has lasted longer than three to six months.  Pain is also individual and can occur anywhere in a person's body.  No two people experience pain the same way.

Pain control is important because it can affect a person in many ways.  It can affect sleep, appetite, activity, emotions, and relationships with others.  Uncontrolled pain can affect one's immune system and may slow one's recovery.  To help achieve effective pain control, doctors and nurses, as well as other healthcare professionals, will ask about pain during hospitalization."