Deal with Cancer Pain

 

Chapter 7. Cancer Pain Guide

 

Cancer Pain Info

 

Cancer-related pain could start from the cancer tumor or as a result of the cancer treatments, some of which are fairly invasive.  All types of pain qualities have been reported as cancer pain: dull, burning, shooting, electric, intense, throbbing, etc.

 

Cancer-related pain can envelop the whole body, especially after chemo or radiation therapy.  If you have intense cancer pain, see your oncologist and a pain doctor so they can do their best to help alleviate it.

 

Cancer pain could be a constant dull pain called the baseline pain shattered by short, intense spurts of pain called breakthrough pain.

 

A lot of treatments are available for cancer pain like drugs, yoga, meditation, etc.  They may not be able to alleviate all of the pain.

 

Cancer pain can be caused by the following factors:

 

Spread of cancer (metastasis) to other parts of the body including the bones and organs

 

Paraneoplastic Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder in which the body fights the wrong cells resulting in a range of side effects like dizziness, blurred vision, foggy mind, etc.

 

Radiation treatment can cause  intestinal inflammation, neuropathic pain and spinal cord injury.

 

Chemotherapy can lead to joint pain, muscle pain, bone pain, abdominal pain, peripheral neuropathy-related pain, etc.

 

Hormonal therapy can cause bone pain, joint pain, muscle pain.

 

Surgical therapy can lead to post-surgical pain and phantom pain for the lost flesh.

Cancer medications have side effects.

 

If you have cancer pain, get a physical examination and a neurological examination to help determine the cause.

 

Your doctor will probably order a radiological test to see if your pain is caused by spread of the cancer.  Other tests include MRI, CT scan, plain x-r bone scan and diagnostic ultrasound.

 

Cancer Pain Websites

 

cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/pain, guides for pain management

 

cancer-pain.org

 

cancer.gov/cancertopics/paincontrol, Pain Control: A Guide for People with Cancer

 

pediatric-pain.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/MakingCancerLessPainful.pdf, free ebook.

 

acponline.org/public/homecare, ACP's Home Care Guide   

aapainmanage.org, American Academy of Pain Management

ampainsoc.org, American Pain Society

petermac.unimelb.edu.au/apli, Australasian Palliative Link

International, Australaisia, APLI is a group of palliative care personnel and supporters

 

painandhealth.org/cancer-links.html, Cancer Pain and Related

Resources, Mayday Upper Peninsula Pain Project, USA

coninfo.nursing.uiowa.edu/www/nursing/apn/cncrpain/toc.htm,

Cancer Pain Education for Patients and families, University of Iowa

College of Nursing.   

medsch.wisc.edu/WHOcancerpain, Cancer Pain Release

The World Health Organization's Cancer Pain and alliative Care Progra,

listserv.acor.org/archives/cancer-pain.html, CANCER-PAIN 

cancer-pain.org

bcn.boulder.co.us/health/chn/cancer/pain/cancer_pain.html,

Colorado Cancer Pain Initiative

jet.es/tardid, Cuidados Paliativos, Palliative Care, Spanish

language Dr.Tomás Ardid, Spain.   

cancerbacup.org.uk/info/pain.htm, Feeling Better: Controlling

Pain and other Symptoms of Cancer

growthhouse.org/palliat.html, Growth House Guide to

Palliative Care

kumc.edu/kcpi, Kansas Cancer Pain Initiative, University of

Kansas Med Center, USA.   

 

text.nlm.nih.gov/ftrs/dbaccess/capp, Managing Cancer Pain, consumer version of Clinical Practice Guidelines by AHCPR.  

nhcpi.org, New Hampshire Cancer Pain Initiative, USA

ocpi.org, Ohio Cancer Pain Initiative

nih.gov/sigs/pain, Pain Interest Group

cancer.med.upenn.edu/specialty/pain, Pain Management Menu,

OncoLink, Information for Health professionals   

 

coninfo.nursing.uiowa.edu/sites/pedspain, Pediatric Pain

Education for Patients, Families and Nurses, University of Iowa College of Nursing

 

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/304470.html, Physician's

PDQ Statement for Pain, CancerNet.   

leeds.ac.uk/lmi/ppc/ppcmain.html, Progress in Palliative Care

Roxane.com, Roxane Pain Institute, USA

palliativecarescotland.org.uk, Scottish Partnership for Palliative

Care

 

ruralnet.marshall.edu/pain, West Virginia Cancer Pain Initiative

 

Cancer Pain Websites 2

pain.com

whocancerpain.wisc.edu/

wisc.edu/molpharm/wcpi/

asco.org/

cancer.gov/clinical_trials/understanding/

cancer.med.upenn.edu

cancer.org/

cancercare.org/

cancertrials.nci.nih.gov/

cancerworld.com/

corpangelnetwork.org/

leukemia-lymphoma.org/

marrow.org/

mdanderson.org/patients_public/about_cancer/

meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/400065.html

meb.uni-bonn.de/welcome.en.html

mskcc.org/

nabco.org/

nci.nih.gov/

oncolink.upenn.edu/

pancreatica.org/

preventcancer.org/

pslgroup.com/dg/22872.htm

starbright.org/

endpain.org/

fhcrc.org/cipr/aacpi/aacpimn.htm

floridapain.org/

kumc.edu/kcpi/index.html

mainehospicecouncil.org/MPI/

masspaininitiative.org/

mich-cpi.org/

missouripain.org/

musom.marshall.edu/pain/

ocpi.org/

papainrelief.org/

sccpi.coh.org/

texascancercouncil.org/tcpi/introduction.html

vcpi.org/

whocancerpain.wisc.edu/

wisc.edu/molpharm/wcpi/

 

Cancer Pain Websites

 

action-on-pain.co.uk, Action on Pain (AOP), United Kingdom (UK).

 

aacfp.org, American Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACFP)

 

aaop.org, American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOP)

 

aapainmanage.org, American Academy of Pain Management

 

painmed.org, American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM)

 

aacpi.org, American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives (AACPI)

 

abipm.org, American Board of Interventional Pain Management (ABIPM)

 

theacpa.org, American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA)

 

achenet.org, American Council for Headache Education (ACHE)

 

painfoundation.org, American Pain Foundation (APF)

 

ampainsoc.org, American Pain Society (APS)

 

asipp.org, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP)

 

aspmn.org, American Society of Pain Management Nurses (ASPMN)

 

asra.com, American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA)

 

curepain.ca, Canadian Consortium on Pain Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Management (CCPMDM), Canada (CA).

 

cirpd.org, Canadian Institute for the Relief of Pain and Disability (CIRPD), Canada (CA).

 

istop.org, Institute for the Study and Treatment of Pain (ISTOP)

 

iasp-pain.org, International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)

 

pelvicpain.org, International Pelvic Pain Society (IPPS).

 

backpain.org, National Back Pain Association (BackCare), United Kingdom (UK).

 

chronicpain.org, National Chronic Pain Outreach Association (NCPOA)

 

ncps-cpr.com, National Chronic Pain Society (NCPS).

 

paincare.org, National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain (NFTP).

 

headaches.org, National Headache Foundation (NHF).

 

npecweb.org, National Pain Education Council (NPEC).

 

painconnection.org, National Pain Foundation (NPF).

 

nva.org, National Vulvodynia Association (NVA).

 

chronicpaincanada.org, North American Chronic Pain Association of Canada (NACPAC), Canada (CA).

 

painrelieffoundation.org.uk, Pain Relief Foundation (PRF), United Kingdom (UK).

 

ppaonline.co.uk, Physiotherapy Pain Association (PPA), United Kingdom (UK).

 

pain.org.sg, Pain Association of Singapore (PAS), Singapore (SG).

 

painsociety.org, Pain Society, The, United Kingdom (UK).

 

sppm.org, Society for Pain Practice Management (SPPM).

 

tna-support.org, Trigeminal Neuralgia Association (TNA), Facial Pain.

 

vul-pain.dircon.co.uk, Vulval Pain Society (VPS), United Kingdom (UK).

 

vulvarpainfoundation.org, Vulvar Pain Foundation (VPF).

 

wipain.org, World Institute of Pain (WIP).

 

painclinicians.org, World Society of Pain Clinicians (WSPC).

 

Local U.S. Pain Websites

 

southernpainsociety.org, Southern Pain Society (SPS).

 

wacpi.org, Washington Alaska Cancer Pain Initiative (WACPI).

 

endpain.org, Delaware Pain Initiative (DPI).

 

floridapain.org, Florida Pain Initiative (FPI).

 

louisianapain.org, Louisiana Pain Initiative (LPI).