Each patient has a plan to control and manage their pain. However, this plan should not only work for you but also your family. When people complain of distress, it usually means that they are either feeling the pain or feeling anxious due to their condition. Some may even find it hard to talk about their discomfort. However, treatment is only possible if you discuss your issues with your family and the medical team.
In this article, we will share some important tips to manage pain for cancer patients at home. Use the following tips to help your loved ones get through the most challenging and painful phase of their lives.
Tips to control pain
When someone you love is writhing in pain, you can help them alleviate their condition by providing them oral medication. Pain medicines work best if they are taken as per their schedule as instructed by their physician. You will want to treat pain as soon as it starts and follow a regular routine after that. You can also look for alternative methods to treat the pain such as homeopathy or natural treatments that can eventually do away the need for medications at all.
Improving quality of life
It is common for cancer patients to feel lethargic and exhausted due to cancer pain that often leaves them fatigued. Even though there is no way to fully eliminate the cancer pain, it can be made less severe and allow the patients to do more activities, living their lives normally. If your family members are involved in your care during cancer treatment, then you would be able to live a normal life to an extent and also make your pain less severe.
You and your family should also know how to deal with breakthrough pain that often creeps up between your doses. According to a Cancer Specialist in Mumbai, you can safely take pain medicines or homeopathy remedies in addition to your regular medicines to control the pain. However, always tell your doctors and people who are involved in your care about your situation so that your doses can be adjusted as per your needs.
Keep an eye out for these symptoms
- Recurring pain that subsides with medication but returns when your next medicine is due. This may indicate that your medication plan needs to be changed.
- If you find it hard to sleep
- Not feeling active or experience a lack of interest in things you usually enjoyed
- New areas where pain is experiences
- Inability to move around or do things
Things Cancer Patients Can Do
- Discuss with your cancer team: Tell them how the pain starts and how long it lasts. You should articulate how it makes you feel and how it is affecting your life.
- Inform the cancer team about pain medicine effectiveness: if you feel that your pain medicine is not as effective as it should be, then inform your cancer care team.
- Use a pain scale to rate the pain: Use a scale of 1-10 to express the pain you feel.
- Increase activity level gradually: Take your medication exactly as prescribed and once pain is relieved, you can gradually increase your level of activity.
- Don’t allow pain to get severe: Always take your medicine on time and don’t wait for the pain to increase. Don’t start or stop a medicine suddenly. Ask your cancer care team to do this.
Tips for Family Members
- Look for Signs of Pain: Family members should keep an eye out for pain signals and immediately administer pain medicine if patient is unable to move.
- Give them a warm bath: You can either give them warm baths or cool ice packs to help them relax. Also consider giving a gentle massage or pressure to relieve some kinds of pain.
- Look for signs of dizziness: This is especially important when you start a new medicine or change the dose. Help patients walk until they are confident they can do it on their own.
Caring for cancer patients requires immense amount of watchfulness. These tips will help you stay prepared in case of an adversity.