One of the worst symptoms of cancer is the pain that comes along with it. Pain during cancer and cancer treatment tends to be quite severe, making it essential to find ways of managing the pain.
Most often, pain during cancer comes from the disease itself. However, pain can also be caused by cancer treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery used to remove cancerous tumours. Tests that are used to diagnose cancer may also cause pain. The amount of pain you have depends on the type of cancer, its stage, and your tolerance for pain. Most of the pain occurs when a tumour put pressure on bones, nerves, or body organs. People with advanced cancer are more likely to have pain.
Types of cancer pain
Acute pain
Acute pain is caused by an injury and usually lasts a short time. An example of acute pain is pain caused by surgery. This type of pain goes away when the wound heals properly.
Chronic pain
Chronic pain is caused by changes in the nerves, which are a result of cancer pressing on the nerves, or chemicals produced by a tumour. This type of pain carries on long after the injury or treatment is over and may require specialised treatment.
Treatment
While pain from cancer can be quite stressful and disheartening, there are treatment options that can offer relief. Pain from cancer is best relieved when treated early. Do not ignore the pain hoping that it will subside by itself- this will only make it worse. If you are in pain, consult with your doctor. If your doctor cannot further assist you with pain management, then you may want to get in touch with a pain clinic like Pain Clinic Ethekwini. We start off with nerve block techniques to help alleviate pain. In cases where nerve block therapy doesn’t work, we implant a highly specialised intraspinal drug delivery pump.