Fallacies of a 1-10 Scale for Pain

The 1-10 scale. I don't know about all of you but I detest this scale. It is so basic yet so difficult to pick a number at least to me anyway.

I can honestly say my 2 and 3 now would have been determined to be a 10 by me and taken me to ER over a year ago. However, there is something about living through polytrauma and having a closed head injury, and ongoing chronic pain on top of it all that changes the way I interpret my pain and tolerance levels.

I thought labor was intense! I can guarantee you not as intense as ribs 1-11 broken and displaced on one side of your body and displaced by 2 cm and then increased in their dysmorphism for 10 excrutiating months. Not even close to the shattered scapula that never healed in that time either. How I didn't end up puncturing a major vital organ is miraculous.

I finally got surgery in Oct 2014 once follow up was actually done on those ribs and scapula. Plated ribs 5-10 with Titanium and did some surgery on the shoulder/scapula. A 4 hour surgery that ended up being close to 8 hours.

Well I just had a CT scan on March 5, 2015 and guess what??? Rib 11 still fractured (no mention of 3 and 4 so this was odd to me) the hardware in 5-10 looks good and has not shifted or come undone. The body of the scapula on my R is still fractured with a nonunion gap of 16mm. I also had previously fractured T5-10 of the transverse processes of my spine. T6 had changed to a Schmorl node over the months, but has now developed into a "wedging" or Compression Fracture. The Ortho guy who did my surgery on my ribs was at a Conference all of last week.....so I wait.

This is the same guy that left me broken for 10 months along with my old Physiatrist who said I was "Malingering" about my pain and to find a good Psychologist (this was before the still broken bones were found) does anyone havr any idea how maddening that was? How could I have been, with my own mind, be creating such pain? Turns out I wasn't...I was still broken. I am wondering if it is in my best interest to get a second opinion from another Ortho guy or stick with someone who has already done surgery on my body and knows my body thus far.

So here I am working with my therapists still, albeit conservatively, since the CT results have been known. Each time I see them, they ask me....where is your pain Caren on a scale of 1-10? Where are your headaches or dizziness on a scale of 1-10 and I honestly don't know how to answer them. Do I answer as the old Caren would from my original pain level? Do I answer in the mind of my "new normal" who has been living with Chronic pain for 15 months now?  Do I answer based on a guess of what their OWN pain levels may be?  Just show me some faces like you do the kids and I will point them out.....that works much better....LOL

I am also supposed to hear back from the Ortho Office today to see how we proceed, if at all.....other than that here I sit another night of insomia.....YET....it's a good day to be alive.