How the doctors are trained to see it

A fascinating and well-balanced, training approach to (Neuropathic/HIV)pain for clinicians, including good avice on how to assess the patient's pain levels and causes. It's helpful too for the patient because many people arrive at the doctor's practice in some state of anxiety and find it difficult to tell their story. This helps you to structure your explanation and understand what the doctor is looking before making a proper diagnosis.
Personally, I always write things down before going to the doctor otherwise, I tend to forget important details but it's good advice as a general rule. This link helps you specify exactly what the problem is (or isn't) and thus saves time for both yourself and the doctor.

This comes from http://www.aids-ed.org/ which is the site of the American AIDS Education Training Centers National Resource Center

Pain Syndrome and Peripheral Neuropathy
Background

The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage." Pain is subjective, it is whatever patient says it is, and it exists whenever the patient says it does. Pain is a common symptom in people with HIV infection, especially in those with advanced HIV disease. It occurs in 30-60% of HIV/AIDS patients and can diminish their quality of life significantly. Like cancer patients, HIV patients experience, on average, 2.5 to 3 types of pain at once. Pain in HIV-infected patients may have many causes (as discussed below).

Peripheral Neuropathy

Pain from HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy is particularly common, and may be debilitating. Peripheral neuropathy is clinically present in approximately 30% of HIV-infected individuals and typically presents as distal sensory polyneuropathy (DSP). It may be related to HIV itself (especially at CD4 counts <200 cells/µL), to medication toxicity (eg, from certain nucleoside analogues such as didanosine or stavudine), or to the effects of chronic illnesses (eg, diabetes mellitus). Patients with peripheral neuropathy may complain of numbness or burning, a pins-and-needles sensation, shooting or lancinating pain, and a sensation that their shoes are too tight or their feet are swollen. These symptoms typically begin in the feet and progress upward; the hands may be affected. Patients may develop difficulty walking because of discomfort... ...Patients should be assessed carefully before the introduction of a potentially neurotoxic nucleoside analogue (eg, didanosine, stavudine) to avoid the use of these medications in patients at greatest risk of developing peripheral neuropathy. Pain is significantly undertreated, especially in HIV-infected women, because of factors ranging from providers' lack of knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of pain to patients' fear of addiction to analgesic medications. Pain, as the so-called fifth vital sign, should be assessed at every patient visit. S: Subjective

The patient complains of pain. The site and character of the pain will vary with the underlying cause. Ascertain the following from the patient:

Duration, onset, progression
Distribution, symmetry
Character or quality (eg, burning, sharp, dull)
Intensity
Severity (see below)
Neurologic symptoms (eg, weakness, cranial nerve abnormalities, bowel or bladder abnormalities)
Exacerbating or relieving factors
Response to current or past treatments
Past medical history (eg, AIDS, diabetes mellitus)
Alcohol intake (amount, duration)
Medications, current and recent (particularly zalcitabine, didanosine, stavudine, and isoniazid)
Nutrition (vitamin deficiencies)
Meaning of the pain to the patient

O: Objective

Measure vital signs (an increase in blood pressure, respiratory rate, and heart rate can correlate with pain). Perform a symptom-directed physical examination, including a thorough neurologic examination. Look for masses, lesions, and localizing signs. Pay special attention to sensory deficits (check for focality, symmetry, and distribution [such as "stocking-glove"]), muscular weakness, reflexes, and gait. Patients with significant motor weakness or paralysis, especially if progressive over days to weeks, should be evaluated emergently.

A: Assessment

Pain assessment includes determining the type of pain: nociceptive or neuropathic. Nociceptive pain occurs as a result of tissue injury (somatic) or activation of nociceptors resulting from stretching, distention, or inflammation of the internal organs of the body. Nociceptive pain usually is well localized; may be described as sharp, dull, aching, throbbing, or gnawing in nature; and typically involves bones, joints, and soft tissue. Neuropathic pain occurs from injury to peripheral nerves or central nervous system structures. Neuropathic pain may be described as burning, shooting, tingling, stabbing, or like a vise or electric shock; it involves the brain, central nervous system, nerve plexuses, nerve roots, or peripheral nerves.

Assess the severity of the pain. Have the patient rate the pain severity on a numeric scale of 0-10 (0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain), a verbal scale (none, small, mild, moderate, or severe), or a pediatric faces pain scale (when verbal or language abilities are absent). Note that pain ratings >3 usually indicate pain that interferes with daily activities. Use the same scale for evaluation of treatment response.
...   (read the full article and explore the site)