Pain management
Pain management
Pain management
People with advanced cancer may experience pain. It can impact you both physically and emotionally, affecting healing and contributing to fatigue, loss of appetite, and difficulty sleeping. Depending on your cancer and the type of treatments you receive, you may experience pain that is acute (short‑term), chronic (long‑term), or breakthrough (pain that occurs despite a regular dose of pain medicine).
Measures to relieve pain
The most important thing to know about cancer pain is that you can take steps to relieve it. Your healthcare team can help you manage pain in different ways, and there are measures you can take to assist them.
Speak up
You are not expected to accept pain, and no one will think you are weak for admitting that you are in pain. When pain persists for a long time, it becomes harder to treat. The more your healthcare team knows about your pain, the better they will be able to help you manage it.
Monitor your pain
Note when the pain occurs, what triggered it, its location, its intensity (try using a simple scale from 1 to 10), and the measures you have taken to relieve it. This kind of information is very helpful for assisting your healthcare team in controlling your pain.
Follow management measures
It may take hours or days to get your pain under control. In the meantime, many strong pain medications can have side effects such as confusion, lethargy, and drowsiness. Don’t let these side effects prevent you from maintaining your pain treatment regimen! By discussing with your healthcare team, they can adjust your medication regimen.
Work with your healthcare team
You can collaborate with your healthcare team to develop a pain management plan. This plan may include:
- Over-the-counter medications
- Prescription medications
- Treatments that eliminate the source of pain, such as radiotherapy
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Sources and references
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