Telling your doctor or nurse about pain is not a sign of weakness and you should not accept pain as a normal part of having cancer. You have a right as a cancer patient who is experiencing pain to ask for pain relief. When you are free of pain, you can sleep and eat better, enjoy the company of those around you, and can continue on with work and hobbies.If your doctor suggests no other options to reduce your pain after discussing it with him, then ask to see a pain specialist or ask your doctor to consult with a pain specialist which may be an oncologist, anesthesiologist, neurologist, or neurosurgeon.
Use a pain scale when talking with your doctor. For example, your pain might be 5 on a scale of 0 to 10. Other important factors you should discuss with your doctor include ...
- How bad your pain is at its worst.
- How bad your pain is most of the time.
- How bad your pain is at its least.
- How your pain changes with treatments.
You should also discuss where you feel your pain, what it feels like (whether sharp, dull, throbbing, or steady), and how long the pain lasts. If you find something that eases the pain or makes it worse in your daily routine, this should also be discussed.
Some non-drug treatments for pain that you can add to your daily routine include relaxing and staying in a quiet place. Try slow rhythmic breathing while concentrating your eyes on an object or with your eyes closed thinking of a peaceful scene. With the palm of your hand or with the help of someone else, massage near the area of pain in a circular and firm manner. Acupuncture sometimes relieves certain pain and nausea.
1. A recent study suggests that the brain itself is what decides whether or nothing something is "painful" and that it may be possible to train our brains to handle better chronic pain...Pretty interesting, but sounds like good ol' fashioned meditation!
http://www.thenewsroom.com/details/184212?c_id=wom-bc-mam
--Matthew from the Health desk at TheNewsRoom.com
Posted at 3:33PM on Jun 20th 2007 by Matthew