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Pain
Reviewed: December 2006
While not all cancer patients will experience pain, approximately two thirds of patients will have pain at some point during their illness. It is important to understand that pain relief is an important part of care. Pain that is not relieved can interfere with your ability to sleep, eat and have quality time with family and friends.
Pain can be relieved most of the time by medications that are taken by mouth. You are the only one who knows about your pain level. Unfortunately, we cannot tell by looking at you whether you are having pain or not. It is very important for you to be clear with your health care team when talking about your pain. Do not be afraid to talk with them, whether your pain is unrelieved, partly relieved or completely relieved.
Pain may be caused by by many things, but particularly for people with cancer:
- Tumour involvement: tumour pressing against nerves or organs; cancer spreading to other areas of the body.
- Cancer related procedures and treatment effects: biopsy procedures, surgery, and nerve damage related to chemotherapy.
- Causes unrelated to cancer: this includes things such as low back pain, rheumatoid arthritis.
Why pain happens is very much connected with how we treat it. You will find that your care team will ask you many questions about your pain:
- Location - where does is hurt?
- Intensity - how bad is it?
- Quality - what words best describe your pain - aching, throbbing, stabbing, burning, tingling?
- Other factors - what makes it better? what makes it worse?
Often people with cancer fear pain, but most patients can get relief with proper treatment. Control of cancer pain is achieved through many different methods and medicines. You should seek treatment when you feel that you need help to control your pain.
This section offers the opportunity to learn about pain and the effects of pain as it relates to the cancer patient. You will also find ways to manage your pain which will help improve your quality of life.
The BC Cancer Agency maintains a database on commonly used unconventional therapies available to cancer patients.
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