How FRIED Are You?

I know, everyone says to limit the amount of fried food you eat, I'm not talking about oyster po' boys here. I came across my notes from an International Myopain Society meeting from a few years back. Dr. Friction was teaching pain care providers how to access their chronic pain patients and it seemed like a good idea for people with Fibro and other forms of chronic pain to keep in mind when trying to explain how their pain and/or other health conditions had been affecting them.

When discussing your Fibro with your pain management provider, or your health in general with any healthcare provider, don’t forget to discuss how F.R.I.E.D. you feel. F: frequency and duration of your pain and/or other symptoms over the past 30 to 90 days (1 to 3 months). How many days did you experience pain, fatigue, etc? R: restriction on activities of daily living. What did your pain, fatigue, other symptoms prevent or inhibit you from participating in or completing? I: intensity of pain, fatigue and/or other symptoms. You know on a scale of 0-10. E: emotional coping. Are you hanging in there or falling off a cliff? D: disability. Have you been able to go to work outside the home, socialize with friends and family outside the home, or go to school or participate in any hobbies?

adapted from a presentation to the International Myopain Society by Dr. James Friction

University of Minnesota