What is pain ?

Pain is an unpleasant feeling.

I feel fine.

I’m in pain.

Pain can be mild or acute.

It is important to say :

• when I am in pain,
• when I’m scared

People can help me feel less pain or less scared.

How do I say I am scared or in pain ?

I can talk.

I can show where I’m in pain.

• On my body
• On a drawing

I can use my communication binder.

I can show if I have mild, average or very acute pain on a scale.

There are different scales :

• A graduated scale,
• the smiley scale,
• a progressive scale.

I can go to the doctor with my scale.

I can also show how scared I am with :

• A graduated scale,
• the smiley scale,
• a progressive scale.

I can go to the doctor with my scale

To feel less pain

The doctor can give me medication, for example :

• Pills : I swallow them with a little water.
• Syrup : I drink it.
• A suppository. I insert it in my anus. I can do it alone. I can ask someone to do it for me.
• A patch. It is kind of like a bandage, but with medication. I keep it on for several days.
• An IV drip. The medication is in a liquid and goes directly into my blood. For more information, see the document on IV DRIPS.

How to feel less pain during care

The pain is not as strong if I am not scared.

To help me :

• the doctor explains things to me using simple words,
• a person that I know can stay with me.

The pain is not as strong when I am relaxed.

I sit down comfortably :

• On a chair,
• on a bed.

I breathe calmly :

• I breathe in, my stomach inflates,
• I breathe out, my stomach deflates.

At the hospital, I can have MEOPA. I breathe into a mask during the treatment. I feel calmer.

I can get hypnosis.

For more information, see the document on MEOPA.

The pain is not as strong when I think about something else.

For example, I can :

• talk to the person I’m with,
• listen to music,
• watch a movie.
• play,
• draw,
• look at a book.

How to avoid pain during care

I can get local anesthesia so that I don’t feel any pain.

With some anesthetic pomade : it needs to be applied two hours before the treatment.

Or with an anesthetic patch : it need to be put on two hours before the treatment.

With a shot to numb the pain. The shots numbs my skin. The doctor can perform the treatment : I no longer feel any pain.

I can be completely put to sleep :

with general anesthesia. For more information, see the booklet GENERAL ANESTHESIA.

SantéBD Multilingual is a project supported by the Orange Foundation.

 

SantéBD booklets?

• On the internet: Visit the website: www.santebd.org
• On the SantéBD Channel Youtube

SantéBD booklets are free.

SantéBD is a project by the NGO Coactis Santé contact@santebd.org
SantéBD booklets are produced in partnership with different participants from the world of healthcare and working with disabilities. Illustrations by Frédérique Mercier.
Copyright Coactis Santé

 

The creation of this tool was made possible with the support of:

• la Fondation Handicap Malakoff Humanis
• la Fondation de France
• la mairie de Paris
• l’Assurance maladie
• la Caisse nationale de solidarité pour l’autonomie
• Santé publique France

This document was proofread by people with learning disabilities and respects the European Easy-to-Read Guidelines. These guidelines help to make information available for everyone.

For more information visit the website https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/easy-to-read/