Cancer Pain Management Options
by Debra Sully
http://www.fpaino.com
Many people with cancer experience pain; in fact 30% to 50%
of people who are undergoing cancer treatment are in pain
due to the treatment itself while 70% to 90% of patients
with an advanced stage of cancer are in pain.
What is pain and how does pain surface in cancer? When the
brain receives a message from the nerves about a problem,
the body wants to react to whatever is causing the damage.
Different treatments bring about different pain signals.
For instance, in chemotherapy, the cancerous cells are being
killed and this action may signal pain. The damaging force
of pain may trigger chronic pain, which is a major stressor
attacking the entire person's well-being from the body to
the mind. Another version of pain is breakthrough pain.
This style of pain spikes and temporarily increases the dose
of pain. Pain does not have to exist and 95% of cancer
patients find relief from prescription drugs and other
methods.
Why aren't more cancer patients seeking relief of their
pain? The main cause is patients must take action to
aggressively treat this unnecessary feeling. Why aren't
patients aggressive enough? First, certain clients who fear
being viewed as complainers overvalue "suffering in
silence". When doctors ask about these patients' pain, the
patient will gloss over its impact. This leaves the doctor
to focus more on the cancer and much less on associated
pain. Finally, some of the side effects of painkillers,
such as their addictive tendencies, hold back some patients
and even doctors who have uneasiness about prescribing these
more powerful narcotics like morphine.
While cancer pain responds well to pain medications, there
are also a number of non-drug alternative therapies that
work to relieve cancer pain. Some techniques that can be
effective when coupled with pain medication are biofeedback,
acupuncture, massage and hypnosis. If the cancer is a type
that presents with a tumor, surgery or radiation therapy
that shrinks the tumor may help if the tumor is impinging on
nerves or organs and causing the pain.
Once pain medication is started, a regular schedule should
be set into action. The regularity of the medication in the
body, such as every 8 or 12 hours, helps maintain a fixed
amount. When breakthrough pain forces extra pain, then
additional medication can be administered. Taking the
approach that pain medicine should be used only on demand
like in severe attacks runs the risk that pain will take
over. Overcoming pain at this point is much more difficult
than approaching it with a management plan.
This is a complicated disease; so don't be surprised
if your pain treatment must adjust as your cancer changes.
You may have to play with different solutions before finding
the right combination for your pain. Don't think that you
should feel "out of it" to be pain-free; if you experience
this, discuss this with your doctor and change your pain
treatment.
Each cancer patient has the possibility to experience pain
during treatment and as result of the disease. Don't take
the safe route and let pain overcome you. It's much better
to be pro-active in your fight against the cancer and find a
pain treatment that works for you or your loved one.
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