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Did you know that as many as 30 to 50% of cancer patients undergoing
treatment experience pain? Plus, for the patients in advanced stages of
cancer, 70 to 90% experience pain as result of the cancer. Why should
patients put up with this pain when treatments and other solutions exist? An
exploration of the cancer patient's options may bring surprisingly wonderful
relief.
A feeling of pain is the result when the brain receives signals from the
nerves that the body is being damaged by some force, in this case the
chemotherapy that is killing cells or the cancer itself which is damaging
the body. Chronic pain is an ongoing pain and becomes a major stressor to
both the body and the mind, affecting a person's entire well-being. Along
with chronic cancer pain, cancer patients may also experience what is termed
as breakthrough pain, which a is a spike or temporary increase in the amount
of pain. Fortunately, about 95% of cancer patients can find relief from
their pain through prescription drugs or other means.
However, while cancer patients should not be experiencing pain, surveys of
cancer patients conclude that pain is not treated aggressively enough for
many patients. There are several factors for this. First, patients may not
be accurately reporting their pain and prefer to "suffer in silence" rather
than be perceived as complaining about their condition. Some doctors may be
more focused on treating the cancer than about asking the patient about pain
and aggressively pursuing it. A third factor is that both doctors and
patients may be uneasy about prescribing or taking powerful painkillers like
morphine, which may be addictive.
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.
Don't let pain take over you or a loved one when cancer rears its ugly head.
Rather than taking a back seat to pain, meet with your doctor and find a
pain relief plan that is suited to you.
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Highway Hypodermics
