There are thousands of people who suffer from one form of cancer or another and each day they go through a tremendous amount of pain. The pain may come from the cancer or from the course of treatment that they are under going. In some cases, when patients are in remission from cancer they can still experience pain. The cancer pain or sometimes it is a discomfort rather than a pain that comes from the cancer and or the treatment can be controlled with medications 95% of the time. There are medications and other treatments that can control the pain or discomfort.
Just like in being diagnosed with cancer, the quicker you get help for the pain the better off you will be because it will be more effective, if you begin right away. The pain or discomfort usually begins in the area that the cancer has been located in. What happens is that a tumor will press on the nerves or on the body organs. Pain can also occur when the cancer gets inside the cells as well as the bones and organs. The treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation and even surgery may cause pain.
Some of the symptoms of cancer pain may be different by each person’s standards. Some people can have a better tolerance for pain then others so they may not complain about it as often as someone else would. So the medications would vary on the degree of pain. If you are experiencing mild to moderate pain then the doctor may give you a pain reliever along the lines of Tylenol and other non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs such as Motrin and Aleve. Ask your doctor if you wish to take these on your own for the pain before taking anything. If you had or are doing chemotherapy or radiation, certain medicines even though they are over the counter may interact with your body differently then they would normally.
If you are suffering from moderate to severe pain then the doctor may prescribe a narcotic pain reliever such as Duragesic, Percocet, Oxycontin and Tylox. These may be prescribed as an addition to the mild pain relievers. For breakthrough pain, the doctor may prescribe narcotic pain relievers that you will need a prescription for. These can be called immediate release oral morphine, but that is just one of many of the breakthrough pain medications a doctor will prescribe.
Now if you have tingling and burning pain, then the doctor may prescribe an antidepressant such as Pamelor or Norpramine. They could also prescribe an anti convulsant or anti seizure medication or Deltasone or Corticosteriods.
Cancer may be treated with medicines and with surgeries to remove cancerous tumors. They can be treated with radiation therapy as well. The radiation shrinks the tumor and with the addition of medicines they can heal the cancer. Some doctors treat cancer patients with physical therapy and non-drug treatments. They may send the patient to a rehab center that uses biofeedback methods and relaxation methods.
For additional information and resources on Chronic Pain, visit PainsWeb.com. The author Sam Carson is a chronic pain patient and publisher of PainsWeb.com. His website specializes in conveying targeted information about all types of Chronic Pain and helps you find associated information, patient resources and forums etc to manage your pain. Authors can submit quality original articles to PainsWeb.com and get a back link to their site.
