According to the National Cancer Institute, 20% to 50% of people diagnosed with cancer experience pain. If you’re experiencing cancer pain, the best thing to do is determine a personalized treatment plan to manage the pain in a way that’s comfortable for you and your family. The good news is that pain can be managed in most people with cancer. Read on to find out what to expect and what to avoid when dealing with cancer pain.
What Is Cancer Pain?
Cancer pain can manifest in various forms. In most instances, it means you’re hurting in a specific place or have a general feeling of not being well. In the worst-case scenario, cancer pain can be quite severe. This is why it’s recommended to seek help from the moment you start experiencing the pain. It can be difficult to talk about or describe the pain, but it’s crucial to do so so that your family and cancer team are aware of what’s going on.
If you’re not sure whether you’re experiencing cancer pain, look for signs such as limited mobility, trouble sleeping, dull aching, burning, pressure, tingling, or any other sign that indicates something could be wrong. You can also try rating your pain on a scale of 1-10.
Options for Managing Cancer Pain
Often, many people think that cancer pain can only be treated with strong medication or surgery. While these options can be effective at controlling the pain, they have their downsides. Medicine often comes with adverse side effects, and surgery is an invasive procedure that most people prefer to avoid. The good news is that there are alternative treatments for people dealing with cancer pain who also want to avoid surgery and pain pills. If the pain can be controlled via alternative methods, you often find that the need for pain pills or surgery decreases or disappears as the cause is addressed.
Things to Keep In Mind
It’s important to take steps to control your pain so that you can still live your life the way you want and do the things you need to do. Communicate with your family and cancer team as much as possible so they can assist you and focus on leading a healthy lifestyle by keeping your activity level up and eating recommended foods.
Cancer pain can significantly lower your quality of life. Thankfully, we can help. As a medical clinic that offers regenerative and alternative medicine, we can help you manage cancer pain, so contact us today.
