What does it feel like to have cancer pain?

“It’s like eating a piece of rice. Wherever the rice is in the body, it will be painful.”

“I’m not afraid of death, but I can’t bear the pain of cancer!”

Han Jisheng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences once said that he and Pain treatment has been in the competition for 60 years. The most hope is to study pain well, so that people can be free from the pain of malignant diseases, and can walk through the last journey of life peacefully… And when it comes to the moving parts, the academician shed tears .

01. Late stage kidney cancer, pain from thousands of cuts

My dad One year after retirement, a tumor was found on the left kidney in the unit body. Less than 4 years after the excision, the cancer had metastasized to the bone, and the tumor compressed the lumbar nerve.

Just after 11 o’clock at night, the pain began to spread over his body. My dad said, It’s a feeling of being cut with a thousand cuts, like falling into an ice cave.

For half a year, he suffered from pain almost every middle of the night for short periods of time and could not sleep well.

Therefore, 4 young men would come to the house every day. When my dad started to cry in pain, the 4 people hugged him tightly, grabbing wherever it hurt. But the pain was all over the body, and I couldn’t grasp it at all.

And my dad struggled desperately, sweating all over his head, hoping to slam his head into the wall to relieve the pain. It wasn’t until a few hours passed and the pain subsided that the suffering of the day was over.

My dad jokingly said that day, If he hadn’t had a pension and kept it for his kids, he would have died.

02, advanced tongue cancer, she wants to climb The top floor of the outpatient clinic jumped down

Xiaohui, who was diagnosed with advanced tongue cancer with lymph node metastasis, just turned 18 years old. She is optimistic and cheerful, and has always been full of enthusiasm for treatment confidence.

But since the cancer pain found her, she used to wonder, would it be a better way to jump off the top floor of liberation. But he seemed to be in such pain that he didn’t even have the strength to die.

Head is like a dizziness from hypoxia, drinking water is swallowed in small sips, every time I go to the toilet , like childbirth, sweating, and exhausting. It was clear that my stomach was empty, but I always felt full and bloated, and I had to spit out some yellow bitter water.

During chemotherapy, when chemotherapy drugs are infused into the body, everywhere the mucous membranes seem to rupture< /strong>, from the mouth, esophagus, stomach to intestines, anus. After chemotherapy, in order to maintain the level of white blood cells, every time the white blood injection needle is given, the bones of the whole body are particularly painful, It hurts wherever it is touched, Can’t sit, can’t lean, can’t walk.

After four times of chemotherapy, Xiaohui underwent more painful radiotherapy. Her entire neck was very itchy, but she couldn’t scratch it. Drinking water is like eating glass scum. The pain every day makes Xiaohui regret the indulgent days of staying up late and eating late-night milk tea. If there is still a chance, she will spend the rest of her life well…

First, just bear with it? Cancer pain and cancer are two different things

Cancer pain is a general term for cancer-related pain, includes pain caused by cancer, pain caused by diagnosis and treatment, as well as pain that is not related to the patient’s own cancer. The medical profession divides the pain level into 10 grades, and the pain is more than 7 grades as severe pain, while cancer pain is divided into the highest 10 grades , even level 10 is not enough to describe.

The main causes of cancer pain are as follows:

1. The tumor directly compresses or invades the surrounding tissue, such as chest pain caused by the pleura being pulled by the lung tumor.
2. After tumor metastasis, it invades or destroys other organs and tissues. For example, tumor metastases to bone will destroy bone and cause bone pain.
3. Tumor therapy is associated with pain, such as bone pain caused by stimulation of bone marrow hematopoiesis after taking Shengbai acupuncture.
4. Tumor complications or related pain caused by complications, as well as pain caused by tumor blocking the lumen causing obstruction or tumor rupture or perforation.

Many people think it is normal to have pain after cancer. As long as the tumor is cured, it will not be too painful, so if you choose not to treat it, you will be able to pass.

But cancer pain is over when it is not patient, the intermittent period of cancer pain Rarely, the pain will get worse as the cancer progresses and the tissue damage increases.

So forbearance will not solve the problem, but will cause a lot of harm. Cancer pain is a disease.The more you delay and miss the best time for treatment, the easier it isIt will cause the disease to repeat or even worsen, and the cost of treatment will also increase.

And about 90% of cancer patients’ cancer pain can be relieved through standardized pain treatment strong>, some patients will be more confident because of the disappearance of pain, thereby improving the quality of life and prolonging their own life.

Second, common misunderstandings of cancer pain medication

There are many Patients do not know much about the concept of pain treatment and the drugs used, which leads to many misunderstandings about it.

1. Fear of addiction after use

Opioids are used in cancer pain treatment Analgesics, many patients are afraid of becoming addicted after long-term use. But in fact, as long as opioids are used scientifically, rationally and regulated, especially oral administration on time, the risk of mental dependence is very low.

2. Use only when there is severe pain

The purpose of pain treatment is to Relieve pain, improve function and improve quality of life. The minimum requirement for pain management is to allow the patient to sleep without pain, and the goal is to strive for pain-free rest and pain-free activity. Prompt and on-time administration of analgesics is a safer and more effective approachbecause lower intensity and doses are often required in the early stages of pain The pain can be suppressed, and if you wait until the pain is severe before taking the medicine, the intensity and dosage of the medicine will be greatly increased.

3. Worry about the need for lifelong medication

After the cancer pain is satisfactorily and stably controlled, since the cause of the cancer pain has been removed, the dosage can be gradually reduced or even stopped according to the patient’s condition. However, during this process, the withdrawal syndrome that may be caused by abruptly stopping the drug should be avoided.

4. Oral painkillers are ineffective, so there is nothing to do

Oral painkillers can be divided There are different types and grades of mild pain relievers for mild pain and severe pain relievers for severe pain. If oral analgesics are ineffective, other pain treatment options, such as nerve block and destruction, patient-controlled analgesia, and radioactive seed implantation, can be used.

3. What can family members do in the face of cancer pain patients?

As a family member, when a patient suffers from cancer pain, we can first use some things that the patient likes as a distractiondistraction . relaxation therapy can also be used to relieve the mental tension of patients through massage, stroking and other methods. Stretch the skeletal muscles so that the patient’s whole body muscles are in a relaxed state.

The patient’s mood will be relatively bad, and family members should also pay attention to the patient’s psychological mood. The > way allows patients to be relieved, so that they can face the disease more actively, and increase their confidence in relieving pain and fighting disease.

“NCCN Guidelines for Adult Cancer Pain” pointed out that pain management should achieve pain optimization, daily life optimization, minimal adverse effects The 4 goals of responding and avoiding inappropriate dosing. Abuse or misuse of drugs can cause serious side effects to patients, so family members should scientifically dispose, store and handle the drugs, and regularly observe and monitor the patient’s pain status and the side effects that occur after taking the drug.

Although cancer pain is very painful, as long as the medicine is prescribed, most cancer pain will be cured. Effective control can be achieved, and reluctance is the absolute and least necessary approach. Cancer pain patients should take analgesic drugs on time and according to the amount, and must not stop or abuse drugs on their own.

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