Cancer Pain Treatment Options

By Author: Peter Wendt
Total Articles: 34
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If you or a loved one has cancer you already know there will be pain. You may experience pain from a tumor pressing on a vital organ or pain from the effects of radiation or chemotherapy to treat the cancer. At some point, all cancer patients will experience pain. Pain levels can be mild or extremely painful. So what is the best way to treat cancer pain?

The Path to Treatment Options

The first step in treating pain caused by cancer or cancer treatment is to talk openly with your doctor. Your doctor should be made aware of your pain, its intensity and when it happens. To treat the pain, your doctor needs to know where it begins. It is recommended to keep a pain journal. You will note the date and time of the pain, what you were doing when it happened and how long it lasted. You will need to be specific about the part of the body your pain was in and give it a pain level. Your pain level should be on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being severe and the highest level of pain. Describe your pain to your doctor. Is it a stabbing, burning, or throbbing pain? Your doctor will then determine what treatment you will receive ...
... for the pain.

Treating Cancer Pain at Its Source

Your cancer pain may be caused by a tumor on an internal organ or a tumor pressing on specific nerves. The cancer may be removed by surgery or shrinking the tumor with radiation and chemotherapy could reduce or eliminate the pain altogether.

Treating Cancer Pain with Medications

Cancer pain is often treated with medication. Whether it is from the actual cancer sight or the side-effects of the therapy to reduce and eliminate the cancer, medications are available. The patient should not be embarrassed to talk to the doctor about pain medication. This is the most common way to treat pain caused by cancer. Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen commonly known as Advil or Motrin or acetaminophen (Tylenol.) These are effective in controlling mild pain. Be sure to talk to your doctor about dosage amount and how long to use them.

Other Medication Options

Severe pain may be treated with drugs from the narcotic category. These are usually taken along with ibuprofen and acetaminophen. A doctor must prescribe these drugs and they are closely regulated. Some types of pain may be relieved by using anti-depressants and anti-seizure medicines.

Complementary Method of Pain Relief

Some cancer patients have found other methods of controlling cancer related pain. These methods are complementary methods and not used as the primary pain reliever. Methods include, massage therapy, acupuncture, and physical therapy. You may also consider going to a pain management clinic where they will teach you how to use distraction techniques to help control your pain.

Always advise your doctor if you are using an alternative or complementary treatment for pain management.

Peter Wendt is a writer and researcher working out of the great state of Texas. He has been writing about this subject for several years, and he finds that a great resource is the website at Austinpaindoctor.com .