How Can You Treat Mesothelioma Cancer Pain?

Mesothelioma cancer often causes pain for the victims and you need to know how best to manage the pain so that the stress usually caused by the pain will be relived. You will have to inform your doctor and medical team about the pain so that they can help you overcome the pain.



Your doctor will want to find out more about what is causing your pain because that will affect how the pain is treated. Drugs, procedures, cancer treatments, or even surgeries may be used in special ways to manage your pain.



If you have severe pain, your doctor or your cancer team will want to find treatment that best relieves your pain with the fewest side effects. You will need to stay in touch and let the doctor know how the pain treatment is working and how you are doing day to day. The goal is an effective pain control plan that works for you.



Cancer pain is usually treated with drugs that are called analgesics. You can buy some very good pain relievers without a prescription or doctor's order (for example, aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen). These medicines are also called non-prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics. OTC pain medicines can be used alone for mild pain, and along with other medicines for more severe pain. For other medicines, you will need a prescription. Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist for advice before you take any medicine for pain. Medicines are mostly safe when they are used properly, but they can be very harmful if not managed carefully.



For some conditions, medicines and non-medical treatments may not work well. But there are special pain treatments that can often be used for these kinds of cancer pain. For instance, doctors may use radiation to shrink the tumor; surgery to remove all or part of the tumor; nerve blocks in which medicine is injected into or around a nerve or into the spine to block the pain neurosurgery, where nerves are cut to relieve the pain, and more.



You may also use non-medical treatments such as relaxation techniques, biofeedback, guided imagery, and others along with the medicines.



You need to develop a pain control plan:



The first step in developing a plan is talking with your doctor, nurse, and pharmacist about your pain. You need to be able to describe your pain to your family or friends too. You may want to have your family or friends help you talk to your health care team about your pain, especially if you are too tired or in too much pain to talk to them yourself.



Using a pain scale is helpful in describing how much pain you are feeling. To use the Pain Intensity Scale below, try to assign a number from 0 to 10 to your pain level. If you have no pain, use a 0. As the numbers get higher, they stand for pain that is getting worse. A 10 means it is the worst pain you can imagine.



0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0- no pain

10-worst pain



For example, you could say, "My pain is a 7 on a scale of 0 to 10."







Tell your doctor, nurse, pharmacist, and family or friends:



* where you feel pain

* what is the nature of the pain,how does it feel like? is the pain sharp, dull, throbbing, gnawing, burning, shooting, or steady?

* how strong the pain is (using the 0 to10 scale)

* how long it lasts

* what eases the pain

* what makes the pain worse

* how the pain affects your daily life

* what medicines you are taking for the pain and how much relief you get from them



Your doctor, nurse, and pharmacist may also need to know:



* the medicines you are taking now, including vitamins, minerals, herbs, and non-prescription medicines



* the pain medicines you have taken in the past, including what has worked and not worked for you. You may want to keep records of this information.



* any known allergies to medicines, foods, dyes, or additives



When you go to the doctor, bring all your medicines, vitamins, minerals, herbs, and non-prescription drugs with you. Show them to the doctor and explain how you take them. Questions you may want to ask your doctor or nurse about pain medicine:



* How much medicine should I take? what is the normal dose?



* If my pain is not relieved, can I take more?what is the maximum dose that i can take?



* If the dose should be increased, by how much?



* Should I call you before increasing the dose?



* What if I forget to take it or take it too late?



* Should I take my medicine with food?



* How much liquid should I drink with the medicine?



* How soon will i begin to notice the effects of these pain medications?



* Is it safe to drink alcohol, drive, or operate machinery after I have taken pain medicine?



* Are there some other medications that are safe to take with these pain medications?



* What medicines should make sure i avoid while i am on these pain medications?



* What are the likely side effects of the drugs and how can they be prevented ? and how can they be managed?

Bello kamorudeen.For more information on mesothelioma visit http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com

mesothelioma settlement: asbestos lawyer mesothelioma

mesothelioma settlement: mesothelioma lawsuit

Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com

How Can Mesothelioma Pain Be Treated With the Use of Medication?

One of the main ways by which mesothelioma pain can be treated is with the use of proper medication.



However,the type of medicine and the way the medicine is given depend on the type and cause of pain. For example, chronic pain is best relieved by methods that deliver a steady dose of pain medicine over a long period of time, such as a patch that releases medicine through the skin or slow-release oral tablets. On the other hand, breakthrough pain {Breakthrough pain is flare of pain that happens even though you are taking pain medicine regularly for persistent pain. It's called breakthrough pain because it "breaks through" the pain relief you get from the regular pain medicine schedule}is best treated with medicines that work fast (quick release), but stay in the system only for a short time.



Below is an overview of the types of medicines used to relieve pain.



For mild to moderate pain



Non-opioids: Acetaminophen (Tylenol??) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen are often used.



You can buy many of these over the counter (without a prescription). For others, you need a prescription. Check with your doctor before using these medicines. NSAIDs can slow blood clotting. This may be a problem if you are having surgery or getting chemotherapy.



For moderate to severe pain



Opioids (also known as narcotics): Morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and codeine may be used.



You need a written prescription for these medicines. Non-opioids may be used along with opioids for moderate to severe pain to get the best effect.



For breakthrough pain



Rapid-onset opioids: Fast acting oral morphine; fentanyl in a lozenge or "sucker" form (these forms of fentanyl absorb directly from your mouth as you suck on them, they are not swallowed)



You need a written prescription for these medicines. A short-acting opioid, which relieves breakthrough pain quickly, is often used with a long-acting opioid for chronic pain.



For tingling and burning pain



Antidepressants: Amitriptyline, nortriptyline, and desipramine.



You need a prescription for these medicines. Antidepressants are also prescribed to relieve some types of pain. Taking an antidepressant does not mean that you are depressed or have a mental illness.



Anti-convulsants (anti-seizure medicines): Carbamazepine, gabapentin, and phenytoin



You need a prescription for these medicines. Despite the name, anti-convulsants are used not only for convulsions, but also to control burning and tingling pain.



For pain caused by swelling or pressure



Steroids: Prednisone, dexamethasone.



You need a prescription for these medicines. They are used to lessen swelling, which often causes pressure and pain.



How is pain medicine given?



Some people think that if their pain becomes severe, they will need to get injections or "shots" of pain medicine. In fact, shots are rarely given to relieve cancer pain. There are many other ways you can take pain medicine.



* Oral -- means the drug is taken by mouth, either by being swallowed or melted in the mouth. Medicine is given as a liquid, pill, capsule, or in transmucosal form (lozenge or "sucker" where the drug absorbs directly from the mouth).



* Skin patch -- a clear, bandage-like patch placed on the skin, which slowly but continuously releases the medicine through the skin for 2 to 3 days. This form of medicine is less likely to cause nausea and vomiting.



* Rectal suppositories -- medicine that dissolves in the rectum and is absorbed by the body.



* Injections



Subcutaneous (SC) injection -- medicine is placed just under the skin using a small needle.



Intravenous (IV) injection -- medicine goes directly into the vein through a needle, port, or catheter.



Intrathecal and epidural injections -- medicine is placed directly into the fluid around the spinal cord (intrathecal) or into the space around the spinal cord (epidural).



* Pump, or patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) -- with this method, you can help control the amount of pain medicine you take. When you need pain relief, you can press a button to get a pre-set dose of pain medicine through a computerized pump that is connected to a small tube going into your body. The medicine is injected into a vein (intravenously), just under the skin (subcutaneously), or into the area around the spine.



What are the side effects of pain medicine?



All drugs have side effects and pain killers are no exception.Each type of pain medicine however has its own peculiar side effects, even those that you can buy over the counter.



-Some, such as aspirin or ibuprofen (and others in that family of drugs) can cause stomach irritation, or even bleeding from ulcerations, and should be taken with food.



-Many side effects from opioid pain medicine can be prevented. Constipation, for instance, is easier to prevent than to treat. Most doctors will start you on a plan to prevent constipation at the same time they start your opioid pain medicines. Some mild side effects such as nausea, itching, or drowsiness, often go away without further treatment after a few days, as your body adjusts to the medicine. Let your doctor or nurse know if you are having any side effects and ask for help in managing them.



-More serious side effects of pain medicine are rare. As with the more common ones, they often happen in the first few hours of treatment. These serious side effects are: difficulty in breathing,dizziness, and rashes. If you have any of these side effects, you should call your doctor right away.



You should avoid taking medicines to calm you down (sedatives or tranquilizers), alcohol, or take sleeping pills, when you are on opoids as you raise your risk of serious side effects from opioids.Taking opoids and these other drugs has led to the deaths of some people. Make sure you discuss with your doctor before you start taking opioids for pain.



Also the use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and other NSAIDs are contraindicated{should be avoided totally} when you are having chemotherapy. If you are on mesothelioma chemotherapy make sure you discuss with your doctor before you take non-prescription pain relievers.

Bello kamorudeen. For more information on mesothelioma treatment go to http://www.mesotheliomacorner.blogspot.com

mesothelioma settlement: mesothelioma lawsuit

mesothelioma settlement: mesothelioma lawsuit

Article Source: www.articlesnatch.com