Pain Management
Cancer patients may sometime during the course of their illness experience pain. Most pain can easily be treated with pain medication and/or other treatments. Your oncologist and nurse will assist you to find the best possible way to control your pain. On occasion your doctor may ask a doctor who specializes in cancer pain management to manage your pain.
Patient Rights and Responsibilities
As a patient of SCCA, you have the right to:
- Information about pain and pain management.
- Have your pain treated promptly.
- Have health-care providers who believe your report of pain.
As health-care providers, we expect you to:
- Ask for pain relief when you first experience pain.
- Describe and rate your pain.
- Ask about pain management.
- Discuss options with your doctor or nurse.
- Inform us if pain treatment is not working.
- Help us develop a treatment plan for you.
What is Pain?
Pain is an unpleasant sensation that only YOU can feel. It is what you say it is. It may be caused by your cancer or by the treatment of the cancer.
How Can We Treat Your Pain?
Your pain can be treated/managed in many different ways. Your doctor may choose to prescribe Tylenol, ibuprophen, or narcotics/opioids such as morphine. Your doctor may choose to use a local anesthetic. The method depends on the location and severity of your pain.
Pain Medication May Be Given Different Ways
- Pills
- Patch (like a bandage placed on the skin)
- Intravenous
- Subcutaneous (under the skin)
- PCA-intravenous (a small computerized pump that lets you control how much pain medication you get)
- Epidural (a small tube inserted into your back)
Some pain medications should be taken on a regular basis (called long-acting medication), while others should be taken only when you begin to feel pain (break-through medicine).
Myths About Narcotics/Opioids
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Some people think they will become addicted.
Research has shown that this is not true. If your pain medication is used the way your doctor prescribes it, it is very rare to become addicted. - Some patients do not want narcotics because they fear the side effects. Nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, constipation, and itching are common side effects that can easily be managed by changing your medication or adding other treatments.
Non-Drug Methods of Pain Relief
- Hot or cold packs
- Massage/therapeutic touch
- Hypnosis
- Relaxation and music therapy
Taking Care of Your Pain
- Taking care of your pain will help you sleep better, feel stronger, and be better able to cope with your illness.
Assessment of Your Pain
Your nurse or doctor will ask you to "rate" your pain using a simple method. Remember, only YOU know what and where your pain is, and YOU need to help us help you.
Your nurse or doctor will ask you to "point" to the area of your pain. They will also ask you, What will bring on the pain? as well as, What do you think will get rid of the pain? Another question is What is the quality of your pain? (e.g., burning, radiating, throbbing, stabbing)
It is the goal of the staff at SCCA to provide you with the best possible treatment of your pain. We ask that you help us to do so by telling us about your pain when you first experience it.