Saturday, May 4, 2013

Pain Management for Cancer Patients

By Candice Collins


Cancer is never giving up its place on the top causes of death in the world. This kind of disease has many types and it depends on the body part that is affected. Some of these are cancer breast, anal, lung, throat, colon and of the cervix. All of these destroys the cells of the human body and eventually builds up a tumor which could cause a lot of pain. These can be eased by many treatments and medications. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery can usually reduce or remove the tumor from the affected part, thus relieving the pain. There are many alternatives that are being tried which are proven to give temporary relief and ease to a cancer patient.

Pain Management and Cancer Treatment

The main solution to the pain problem is the treatment of the disease. Oncologists, the specialists who deal with different types of cancer may perform a surgery and most likely chemotherapy to remove or eliminate the tumor. If the operation has been successful, the tumor reduction would lead to pain relief and could totally heal the patient from cancer. Before and after the operation, doctors would give the cancer patients some advice for them to prepare and completely recover.

It is crucial for a cancer patient to follow the instructions of the specialist and to not miss out from taking in his medicine. The patient must also be aware on how each of their medications work and what is the convenience that it would cause. There are medicines that a cancer patient must take before they sleep so they won't wake up because of the pain. Medications could be in the form of tablets, capsules, syrup and injections to be infused on different body parts. The dosage may change based on the condition and this should be asked to the doctor.

Coping with Cancer

Depression is common with cancer diseases. As per the National Cancer Institute (NCI), twenty five percent of cancer patients are suffering from depression. Anti-depressants could be helpful but the most effective way to help the patient cope is by counseling. They can also join support groups within the community for motivation, know more about the disease and get some tips on how a patient can cope with the pain.

There are management and coping sessions that can be done to help patients on how to deal with cancer. Deep physical and mental relaxation can help the immune system. Hypnotherapy is also being to reduce the effects and pain of the disease. Some doctors are making use of Trans-cutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation or TENS which makes use of electricity to calm and make the body feel numb, thus eliminating the pain.




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