Not everyone with cancer has cancer pain, but some do.
Cancer pain takes many forms. It can be dull, achy, sharp or burning. It can be constant, intermittent, mild, moderate or severe. How much pain you feel depends on a number of factors, including the type of cancer you have, how advanced it is, where it’s situated and your pain tolerance.
Most cancer pain is manageable, and controlling your pain is an essential part of your treatment.
Causes
Pain can be caused by the cancer itself. Pain could happen if the cancer grows into or destroys nearby tissue. As a tumor grows, it can press on nerves, bones or organs. The tumor can also release chemicals that can cause pain. Treatment of the cancer can help the pain in these situations. However, cancer treatments, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, also can cause pain.
How to treat cancer pain?
A number of treatments are available for cancer pain. Your options may depend on what’s causing your cancer pain and the intensity of the pain you’re feeling. You may need a combination of pain treatments to find the most relief.
Integrative therapies can be a great option. Some people find some pain relief through acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques.
Some studies have suggested that the relaxation generated by conscious and calm breathing can help improve attention. For this reason, conscious breathing measures are currently being implemented, where the patient can learn breathing techniques that help to distract him/her from pain, strengthening attention as a key aspect that helps in modifying his/her perception.
All pain medicines have side effects. Work with your doctor to understand the benefits and risks of each pain treatment and how to manage the side effects. Together you can decide which treatments may be best for you.
We invite you to download Healing Presents and practice the meditation “Help to manage pain” that you will find in several sections, it can help you modify the perception of your pain, decreasing it´s intensity and suffering. Even if you are taking medication you can practice it and use the pain scale that has the App, it appears before the meditation and after you use it, so that you can identify how your pain was modified before and after performing it. Allowing you to learn tools to manage and reduce pain will always be of great help!
