UNDERSTANDING
Palliative
Care
03.2022
Pain Management
MANAGING
PAIN IS AN
IMPORTANT PART OF
PALLIATIVE CARE
Pain is unpleasant sensation, suffering or distress of the body or mind. Hurting can wear you down, make it hard for you to be active and make you feel tired and tense. Pain often accompanies cancer and other progressive diseases and it can affect the psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of your life.
PAIN IS A SYMPTOM
MOST FEARED BY PEOPLE
LIVING WITH A TERMINAL
ILLNESS.
Fear of pain adds to its total impact. It is important to speak up about your pain and your fears about pain. Be honest and ask questions so that you can be given accurate information. It is essential that you are open and honest about your pain so it can be assessed and planned for, for you as an individual.
Most pain can be relieved or controlled. Bringing pain under control and keeping it there means assessing each aspect of pain and monitoring it. These are core skills of palliative care doctors and nurses.
FACTS ABOUT PAIN
Fear of pain adds to its total impact. It is important to speak up about your pain and your fears about pain. Be honest and ask questions so that you can be given accurate information. It is essential that you are open and honest about your pain so it can be assessed and planned for, for you as an individual.
Most pain can be relieved or controlled. Bringing pain under control and keeping it there means assessing each aspect of pain and monitoring it. These are core skills of palliative care doctors and nurses.
FACTS ABOUT PAIN
- Not everyone with a life-limiting illness will experience pain.
- Everyone experiences pain differently, so the way you experience pain will be unique to you.
- Most pain can be relieved to a level that allows you to continue to live your life
- Pain can be due to different reasons dependant on the cause and therefore it may take more than one type of analgesia to control it.
- Pain is not always constant, it can change over the day and with different activities and can fluctuate with your moods, emotions and family life.
NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL PAIN MANAGEMENT.
Non-pharmacological pain therapy refers to interventions that do not involve the use of medications to treat pain. Treatments can include massage, positioning, hot and cold treatment, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), acupuncture and progressive muscle relaxation.
Non-pharmacological pain therapy refers to interventions that do not involve the use of medications to treat pain. Treatments can include massage, positioning, hot and cold treatment, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), acupuncture and progressive muscle relaxation.
PHARMACOLOGICAL PAIN MANAGEMENT.
NSAIDS: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are medicines that are widely used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and bring down a high temperature.
Examples: Paracetamol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen.
Examples: Paracetamol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen.
Adjuvants: In pharmacology, an adjuvant is a drug or other substance, or a combination of substances, that is used to increase the efficacy or potency of certain drugs.
Examples: Anticonvulsants, Antidepressants, Steroids, Bisphosphonates.
Examples: Anticonvulsants, Antidepressants, Steroids, Bisphosphonates.
“Weak” opioids: So-called weak opioid analgesics are often used to treat severe pain, or when paracetamol or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) proves inadequate.
Examples: Codeine, Dihydrocodeine, Dextropropoxyphene, Tramadol.
Examples: Codeine, Dihydrocodeine, Dextropropoxyphene, Tramadol.
“Strong” opioids: Opioids are medicines that are prescribed for strong or severe pain that is no longer responding to medications of lesser strength.
Examples: Oxycodone, Morphine, Fentanyl.
Examples: Oxycodone, Morphine, Fentanyl.
