the pain scale

so maybe it's my post call delirium and lack of caffeine, but instead of doing work here i am contemplating about the pain scale.
it is now a mandatory part of nursing assessment, along wiht vitals, to document pt's (that's patient's) pain level and adequate address it. the pain scale, for those who dont know, is based on 10 points: zero being no pain at all, 10 being the worst pain of your life. because pts are asked so frequently to assess their pain, this whole 10point system is pretty well known. so pts come in complaining of 10 out of 10 pain. and because it is so widely used, it is now being widely ABused.
so pts show up in triage, with something stupid like stomped toe and claim their pain is 10/10. now, i know pain tolerance is different for everyone. pain receptors, neurons, whatever makes you experience pain different (and sometimes even enjoy it ;) ) and i am in no way trying to discredit someone's pain as unreal or minimal, but sometimes i wonder if it's really that bad. of course, i've never been pregnant before so i arguably i dont know what labor feels like or how bad contractions can get. but i have been in pain before, maybe even significant pain (ask me about my injuries sometime), and when someone claims their pain is 10/10 and their cervix is closed....i dont know...
so i must admit i am a pain scale conservative. i do not give away pain points easily. and there is a whole rational reason behind it. if you had to rank your pain, ever, on a ten point scale, one should proportion points thoughtfully. if 10/10 is the worst pain of my life, then whatever i may be feeling now is probably not it. i mean i'm not dying yet, my limbs are all attached, it can potentially definitely get worse. now i've never been in labor, but i imagine having a baby squeeze through my vagina WITHOUT epidural is probably like a good 8 or 9. so we'll save that. now, i've also never had a kidney stone and that's prolly like a 7. so we'll save that. so how bad is this pain? now if i'm sitting in the ED trying to evaluate my pain and suddenly a bomb goes off and i have to run for my life, i'd probably be able to get up and go. i mean, despite whatever pain i'm feeling i'd survive this bombing thing. in fact, if push come to shove, i'd probably even push some little old lady in her wheelchair to safety. so i'm guessing my pain is probably like a 5. and so my worst ED visits, my pain has never gotten above 6. which just makes me think...next time someone asks you about your pain, be reasonable and dont just say it's a 10...because in all things possible...maybe just maybe it's not so terrible?