Cancer Pain Management
Pain symptoms experienced by those with cancer pain vary from person to person and can range from mild to severe chronic pain. Pain can be caused from the cancer itself, or from the cancer treatments used to battle cancer, like chemotherapy treatment, radiation therapy and surgery.
Cancer Pain Causes
Cancer can cause pain as it grows by destroying or pressing on nearby structures inside the body, such as nerves, organs and bones. Cancer that spreads from its original site (primary tumor) can travel to other parts of the body (metastasis) causing injury to these other sites by growth and damaging nearby structures here as well.
Not only can the cancer itself cause pain, but the treatments used to treat cancer can also cause pain. Surgery is done to remove all or as much of the cancer as possible. The recovery from surgery can be painful and takes time to heal and recover.
Radiation and chemotherapy treatment can also cause pain after treatment due to injury to nearby structures. Some of the common side effects from these cancer treatments can include:
- Mucositis – painful sores around the mouth.
- Peripheral Neuropathy – numbness and painful sensations in the feet, legs, fingers, hands and arms
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal cramps
- Bone and joint pain
Treatment Options for Cancer Pain
There are no specific ways to test for cancer pain. However, anticipating patient needs for cancer pain management while undergoing cancer treatment can help to reduce acute pain and even prevent chronic pain.
Some clinic treatment options for cancer pain use pain medications. However, certain side effects like nausea, tiredness, fogginess and the inability to think and act as they normally do may make using them less tolerable to some cancer patients.
There are a number of cancer pain treatment options offered by Nura clinics that can help reduce or eliminate the need to take oral medications while still relieving the cancer pain. Some of these treatment options are listed below:
Cancer Pain Concerns
Those who have been diagnosed with cancer or undergoing treatment for cancer are likely to experience painful side effects. Cancer pain may not be appropriately treated by other factors leading to undertreated pain.
Some health care providers and cancer clinic doctors may not be asking you specifically about your cancer pain or ask about it routinely during your clinic visit. This may be due to lack of experience dealing with this type of pain and proper cancer pain treatments. This is when a referral to a cancer pain specialist may be beneficial to both you and your clinic doctor in helping to treat your cancer pain. There also is the perception that prescribing pain medication can lead to abuse of these pain medications.
Sometimes, the cancer patients themselves do not speak up about the cancer pain they are in and this can also lead to less optimal treatment of your cancer pain. This can be because of the false perception that nothing can be done and they have to deal with the cancer pain.
Also, some cancer patients feel that they may appear as narcotic seekers or complainers. Your cancer pain clinic specialist wants to know how you are doing and speaking to your clinic specialist about your pain is both appropriate and helpful in your cancer pain management.
There is also fear among some cancer patients that they will become addicted to pain medications. Typically, cancer patients who take their medications for pain do not get addicted. Patients, who use their pain medication inappropriately, such as taking it without pain, can become addicted. Also, cancer patients can develop tolerance to their pain medications, requiring changes in dosing, as deemed necessary by their cancer pain clinic specialist. Tolerance, however, does not mean addiction, as we all can develop tolerance when we have been taking cancer pain medications for some time. But this is variable between patients by working closely with a cancer pain clinic specialist, you can work to improve pain with the least amount of narcotics needed.
Another concern is the fear of side effects from pain medications. Some may be afraid of being overly tired and not being able to function as they “normally do”. Others also fear the stigma attached to taking pain medications. Using strong pain medications can cause fatigue and tiredness, but this does improve once you are using them regularly as prescribed. Used appropriately and at the correct dose for you, pain medications can be one tool to help you manage your cancer pain.
If you are experiencing pain from cancer or cancer treatments, please call Nura today and our team of top pain specialists will develop a pain management solution specifically for your needs.