by Judith O'Connor

Created on: June 21, 2009

Cancer Hurts!

Many forms of cancer have physical pain associated with the disease. Cancer treatment options can also cause painful side effects. That's a lot to deal with. Chemotherapy and other drugs can damage nerves, leading to tingling, numbness, burning and shooting pains most often in your hands and feet. Headaches, muscle aches mouth sores and stomach pains are common side effects to treatment. Some fortunate cancer patients (if you can call any cancer patient fortunate) do not suffer from pain with their illness or treatment. Cancer pain is often underrated due to lack of knowledge on the part of doctors, from your fear of becoming addicted, reluctance to tell your doctor (fearing an increase in pain is an indication your cancer is getting worse) or the incorrect assumption that you should be able to deal with it. For those of you who do experience pain there are treatments to bring relief.

At the beginning of your treatment over the counter medications such as acetaminophen, aspirin or ibuprofen may control your pain and decrease swelling. A wide variety of prescription pain relievers are available from which you and your doctor can choose. Each one serves to relieve specific types of pain for specific cancers. Your doctor will suggest the ones he/she believes will help you most with the fewest side effects. NSAIDs and corticosteroids lessen inflammation and the joint pain it can aggravate. Bisphosphonates help to decrease the changes in bone that cancer brings (and the pain from those changes). Narcotic medications are more effective pain relievers than those available over the counter. Narcotic drugs rarelycause addiction when used as prescribed and under a doctor's care. Some drugs prescribed mainly for depression alleviate the types of burning pain caused by certain types of cancer; these can also help when you are having difficulty sleeping. Certain seizure medications help you to deal with the tingling and burning sensations from nerve pain.

To begin the road to pain relief, you may want to keep a pain diary. Make notes daily chronicling where you feel pain; what the pain feels like: sharp, dull, throbbing; how strong your pain is; how long you are in pain; what makes your pain worse and what eases it (if anything); what medications you are currently taking for pain and how they are working. Then, when you talk with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist you will not have to try to remember specifics, especially if you are weak or in pain and

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