Cancer Awareness:  The Facts About Pain Management

Besides the usual fears, the announcement that you or a
loved one has cancer creates a frightening and complex
situation concerning the pain  the patient will suffer
during treatment. No one wants to suffer unduly, so  this
pain has to be properly managed.  The new field of  pain
management becomes a very important part of the treatment
of a cancer patient.  There are now medical specialists who
determine the most effective management in each case, and
there are many different approaches to pain management
today, so each plan is individualized.

It is now considered a misconception that having cancer
automatically means a great deal of pain in the treatment.
With today's pain management techniques, this has become a
complete fallacy.  Before, people frequently felt they just
had to learn to deal with the pain, now no one needs to
adjust to pain any longer. Once a patient is open and
communicative about his pain, the team can find relief for
the patient.  The patient needs to let the experts decide
which steps to take to alleviate the pain.

Normally, your doctor will  be very sensitive to your pain
and discomfort.  However, if you feel your doctor does
not seem to have a solution to the pain you or your loved
one is experiencing, it is important to meet with someone
who specializes in the area of pain management. These often
include  the oncologist , the cancer treatment specialist,
who is  a member of a pain management team. Some other
medical specialists who work in this area are neurologists
and anesthesiologists.  A neurologist deals with the entire
nervous system, the area of the body that signals pain, and
an anesthesiologist has the expertise to deal with pain
management during surgery.

It's important to recognize that pain management is part of
the overall process for treating cancer patients.  This
isn't a luxury, or something that's introduced only when
the pain becomes completely intolerable.  A good doctor
will want to be informed about any pain or discomfort, from
the moment that it's experienced.  As time goes on,
medications and/or other pain management approaches may
need to be changed, so it's critical that you keep the
lines of communication open in order to receive the relief
that you need.

Once a pain management technique has been identified, the
patient should follow it closely. The patient should not
try to "tough it out" by holding out and lengthening times
between doses. The doctor or pain management team has
prescribed what they believe to be the appropriate course
of treatment for relief, so postponing doses will throw off
this program. In many cases, this so called bravery only
forces people to increase the dosage to compensate for the
greater level of pain.  Let the members of your medical
team decide the proper dosage to control pain from the very
beginning. Gradually increasing or decreasing treatment is
the concept behind pain management.

The reason many patients resist the idea of pain medication
is that the are concerned that they will become addicted or
immune to the medication, or that there will be the side
effects. If these concern you, you should consult your
doctor. He will assure you that, as long as you follow the
program and are monitored, there should be no concerns.

The American Cancer Society or the National Cancer
Institute have the best information about pain management.
They have a team on hand of medical professionals who will
be happy  to assist you with any questions or concerns
about Cancer Care.