Pain Clinic
Pain may be caused by a number of things, including your cancer, treatment, or an unrelated medical problem. Most pain can be treated with medication or treatments such as physical therapy. Your physician and nurse will help you find the best possible way to control your pain. On occasion this may involve an expert from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Pain Clinic, which specializes in managing complex pain related to cancer.
Cancer pain care needs to be carefully coordinated. It requires careful follow-up of issues and medications that can complicate a patient’s overall care. Cancer pain changes frequently, is complex, and can be addressed by many different care professionals. This contrasts with chronic pain, which remains relatively stable over time and can be managed by one or two physicians.
Pain Clinic services
The Pain Clinic manages complex, cancer related pain before, during, and after treatment. Staff includes registered nurses, clinical pharmacists, and attending physicians. If you are interested in being seen in the Pain Clinic, please discuss a referral with your oncology team.
How can we treat your pain?
Your pain can be treated or managed in many ways, including relaxation techniques, cold packs, physical therapy, over-the-counter medication, or prescription narcotics.
As a patient at Fred Hutch you have the right to: be informed about pain and pain management; have your pain treated promptly; and have health care providers who believe your report of pain.
Your health care team relies on you to: describe and rate your pain; ask about pain management; discuss options; ask for pain relief when you first experience pain; inform your doctor if your pain treatment is not working; and work with your doctors develop a treatment plan for you.
Emergency signs and symptoms
Call 911 now if you experience:
- Severe chest/arm pain
- Severe squeezing or pressure in chest
- Severe sudden headache
- Severe sedation or inability to stay awake
Urgent signs and symptoms
Call your care team if you experience:
- New pain
- Uncontrolled pain
- New headache
- Burning in chest or stomach
- Strong stomach pain
- Pain with infusion of medications or fluids into your central line
- Pain at your central line site or area of “tunnel”
- Chest discomfort or heart “flip-flop” feeling
- Pounding heart
- Unexpected or intolerable side effects of your pain medications (sedation, confusion, nausea, etc.)
- Nausea/vomiting causing inability to take your pain medications