I know that those of us that knew Bob Kipple and his lovely wife Judy, will always feel honored to have known them.
And I know that his KIP scale has been a GREAT tool for us to use, BUT, some are rather confused by it. TedTheBear has come up with his suggestions as to a new KIP scale.
I would NEVER demean or lessen the impact that Bob's scale has been, BUT, Ted has some good ideas (I think).
SO, what I am proposing is to add Ted's ideas onto Bob's scale. I think this newer version might help to eliminate some of the confusion that many of the newbies have with the scale.
What do you think?
CLUSTER HEADACHES PAIN SCALE
Here is Bob Kipple’s pain scale, with further clarification by TedTheBear in
italics.
Pain level 0
No pain, life is beautiful
SHADOWS
Pain level 1
Very minor, shadow's come and go. Life is still beautiful
Pain is barely noticeable. Just a minor ache!
Pain level 2
More persistent shadow's
Pain is now noticeable. Similar to pressing your temple against the edge of a wall!
Pain level 3
Shadow's are getting constant but can deal with it
Pain is increasing and beginning to nag. There’s a dull warm feeling and some pulsing. Able to function; however, it is a definite distraction!
LOW LEVEL PAIN
Pain level 4
Starting to get bad, want to be left alone
Pain is increasing and a burning sensation is beginning to set in. Ability to function is still there, but there’s a need to want to be left alone. There’s also a desire to press the hand over the area of pain. There may some tearing of the eye, stuffed nostril, and nose drip from this point on!
Pain level 5
Still not a "pacer" but need space
The pain and the burning sensation continue to increase, and the ability to function is now limited. There’s a definite need to hold the area of pain. There may be some rocking!
MID LEVEL PAIN
Pain level 6
Wake up grumbling, curse a bit, but can get back to sleep with out "dancing"
The pain is now very sharp and the burning sensation is likened to heated fork or skewer pushing against temple and eye area. There’s a definite need to rock and/or pace from this point on!
Pain level 7
Wake up, sleep not an option, take the beast for a walk and finally fall into bed exhausted
The pain continues to intensify! The burning sensation is as if the heated fork or skewer has penetrated into the skull, but not through it. It may feel as if the pain is spreading to the cheek and jaw area – like a bad toothache.
HIGH LEVEL PAIN
Pain level 8
Time to scream, yell, curse, head bang, rock, whatever work's
Pain is reaching an unbearable plateau. The burning sensation continues to intensify, and now feels as if the eye-ball is being pushed out from its socket. The pain to the cheek and jaw area now feels like a severe toothache!
Pain level 9
The "Why me?" syndrome starts to set in
Pain is unbearable! The feeling is that of someone reaching in and trying to pull the eye-ball from its socket, along with the cheek and jaw (the entire side of the face!).
INTENSE LEVEL PAIN
Pain level 10 (MAXIMUM level)
Major pain, screaming, head banging, ER trip. Depressed. Suicidal.
There’s nothing that can compare to the pain felt - they’re dangerously intense! The feeling is that of the whole side of the head being ripped apart from the inside out! There will be rocking, pacing, screaming, punching, kicking, head banging into the wall, running in an attempt to escape the pain, possibility of violence, possibility of black out, suicidal thoughts, and a trip to the ER.
So what do you think of the modified KIP scale?
Chuck