In my many years working as a counselor in a cancer center, I have had many conversations with mesothelioma patients and their caregivers about pain.
Many of the discussions focused on encouraging patients to take their pain medication as prescribed, educating them on their communication experience pain in their health care team, listening to their fears about pain control and concerns about potential addiction.
While great improvements in the pharmacological treatment of pain have been made in recent decades, patients still complain of a lack of additional pain control means more drugs. Their concerns are the side effects: sedation, constipation and nausea
But research shows that our emotions and thoughts can also manage cancer pain
thoughts and emotions can control pain
One of the first theories of pain is called the theory of specificity. It shows that injuries produce messages in the nerves associated with damage. These messages travel along the peripheral nervous system to the brain where the pain message is interpreted.
But this theory ignores the psychological factors that influence the perception of pain. For example, do you remember a time when you hurt yourself while doing something fun or exciting and did not notice the pain until you've seen the injury?
However, Ronald Melzack, a neuropsychologist, and Patrick Wall, a neuroscientist in 1965 developed a different model, called the theory ?? control gate of the ?? pain. Their theory suggests that pain signals travel along two types of nerve fibers of the spinal cord, which contains a door mechanism ?? ?? amplifying or blocking pain messages before they reach the brain.
This means that our thoughts, feelings, behaviors and other psychological factors affect the way these doors ?? ?? open and close. The theory also helps provide strategies to help minimize our experience of pain.
What affects our experience of pain?
There are many personal factors that affect how we feel and interpret pain.
Our own past experiences with pain and injury can lead to anxiety or expectations about future pain. If we are depressed or anxious, we are more likely to experience pain more intensely. If we grew up with a family member who had uncontrolled pain, then we are more likely to have desperate needs for effective pain management.
If we fear that we or our loved one will become addicted to pain medication resulting from previous abuse problems, we are less likely to use drugs against pain properly and suffer needlessly.
There are also myths about pain management.
For example, a common misconception is that if a psychological intervention works to reduce pain, then the pain is not real, physical pain.
Before discussing non-pharmacological methods of pain management, it is important to recognize that the effective management of pain does not mean taking drugs against pain or using psychological and behavioral strategies. two strategies of pain management are working to improve the quality of a mesothelioma patient life in unison, not separately, and certainly not against each other.
Strategies to reduce pain
There are a variety of psychological and behavioral strategies evidence that reduce the experience of pain associated with the disease:
- Warning diversion
- Changing business models
- Setting negative thoughts about pain
Attention diversion
researchers studied how to pay attention to the pain worsens in fact our experience of pain and distraction minimizes feelings of pain. Divert our attention can be done physically or psychologically.
There are many ways we can physically divert attention from pain. For example, when athletes walk off a twisted ankle or someone shakes a finger after being hit with a hammer. Nurses typically rub the muscle after injection to provide ?? interference ?? of pain signals from the shooting.
physical distraction of pain is to add another nerve stimulation type (massage, rubbing or agitation) in the area around the pain to create more nerve signals that distract the brain from the source causing the pain.
not physical distractions also help manage pain. They are called psychological diversions. There are several ways to distract our minds:
- Watch a movie or a funny television show or commitment
- Socialize with other
- Puzzles , computer or video games
- Entertainment (cooking, carpentry, crafts, etc.)
- relaxation exercises
- a good book
Changes in business trends
Understanding pain and what makes it better or worse enables mesothelioma patients with pain to adjust their business models to minimize the pain and maximize their quality of life.
Many people with chronic pain discovered they need to incorporate rest periods into their day fatigue can exacerbate their experience of pain. Some people find the pain is worse in the morning after getting out of bed Meanwhile, others find that the day wears on, the pain increases.
The knowledge of your good and bad times of the day allows accordingly planning. One of the hardest adjustments to make when the effects of the pain of your life is to have realistic expectations of what you can accomplish when pain limits your energy and activities.
Many people believe they need to accomplish all tasks and activities as they did before they became ill. But there are times when we feel better about ourselves when we have realistic expectations of what we can do.
Setting negative thoughts
The emotions and pain are closely related. Fear, anxiety and depression amplify how our brain processes pain signals. Clinical studies have shown that the treatment of anxiety and depression helps reduce (eliminate) the pain associated with the disease.
When I advised mesothelioma patients experiencing pain, I find the support and explore their fears behind the pain is helpful. Sometimes, patients and family members with pre-existing beliefs about pain management or irrational fears of addiction to pain medication. These emotions respond well to cognitive behavioral counseling that challenges the negative thought patterns.
Patients may experience impotence, and are sure that doctors will not be able to properly manage their pain. Others may catastrophize (irrational overreaction) experience of future pain that increases anxiety and pain. These cognitive distortions respond well to the consultation, which helps patients feel better physically and emotionally.
best combination for pain management
Research shows the best way to manage pain is to combine pharmacological and cognitive behavioral strategies. It is the most effective way to help patients suffering from pain associated with the disease.
Most specialists and pain management clinics incorporate several non-pharmacological strategies in addition to drugs against pain they prescribe.
A great resource for more information on pain management and the latest research is the American Academy of Pain Management. Although the organization offers more benefits for members, it contains a news blog and other resources for visitors
Questions and answers online support group in August
Q :. All the pain medication prescribed by my doctor seems to makes me nauseous. Is there something that could help nausea
A :? Let your doctor know about nausea and other side effects that you notice after taking medicine against the pain. Your doctor may change the dosage or medication and provide other useful tips, such as suggesting that you always take the medication with a meal. You may also request an appointment with a specialist in pain management. These doctors are very experienced with the management of effective pain
Q:.? How long after the last chemotherapy treatment is planned review of imaging analysis
A: Shortly after your last chemotherapy treatment an imaging analysis will be conducted to see how you responded to therapy. The appointment for the analysis is often planned in a few weeks or a month of your last chemotherapy treatment
Q :. There seems to be less of fundraising for mesothelioma and other cancers. Why is it that
A :? The most common cancers ?? such as breast cancer and prostate cancer ?? tend to receive the most attention and funding. Because mesothelioma is a relatively rare cancer that receives less funding.
