Palliative care is used to manage a disease or medical condition that is serious or life-limiting. The goal is to ease pain and other physical, emotional, or psychosocial symptoms.
Palliative care also aims to ease other distressing symptoms, like depression, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and shortness of breath. Palliative care provides advanced care planning and a support system to help you live a life that is as active, fulfilling, and pain-free as possible.
Palliative care may last for weeks, months, or years, and the relief of moderate to severe pain during that time can greatly improve quality of life. The biggest problem with palliative care is that many people are referred for care very late in the course of the disease. By starting this type of care early, and by using the right type of pain management, nearly all pain problems can be relieved or reduced.
The first step in managing pain is to do a total pain assessment. You may be asked to choose a number from 0 to 10 to rank your pain, with 0 being very mild pain and 10 being the worst possible pain you could have.
Keep in mind 3 important principles when deciding how to manage pain. First, pain should always be treated right away. A delay allows pain to get worse. Second, you should not be afraid of becoming addicted to pain medicine. If medicines are used in the right way under close supervision of a healthcare provider, this is rarely a problem. Of course, if you believe that you are losing control of how you are using pain medicines, discuss this with your healthcare provider right away. Third, most pain problems can be controlled by using the World Health Organization’s step-care approach:
Opioid medicines work best for moderate to severe pain. A wide range of opioid medicines is available, and they can be taken in a variety of ways. One drawback of these medicines is that, over time, you will likely develop a tolerance to the one you’re taking and need higher doses to get the same effect. One way your healthcare provider may get around this problem is by switching the type, dose, or the way the medicine is given.
These are common ways in which opioid medicines can be given:
These medicines are called adjuvant analgesics. They can help control pain in certain cases. Commonly used adjuvant medicines include:
Surgery is often the last thing a patient or healthcare provider would consider at end of life. But at times, surgery can provide pain relief and increase function. Surgery’s primary goal can be to ease specific symptoms. For instance, a healthcare provider may recommend surgery to stabilize a hip fracture in someone with advanced cancer. The surgery is not going to treat the cancer or lengthen the patient’s life, but it may be the best way to reduce hip pain and improve mobility. Because surgery involves risk, the healthcare provider must clearly define treatment goals for both the patient and the patient’s family. Radiation therapy can also be used to ease pain and control symptoms.
If you or a loved one needs pain control and palliative care, many options are available. Work with your healthcare provider to find the right approach. You can also get help from a pain medicine specialist or a palliative care specialist. Remember: You have a right to be as free of pain as possible. There is no reason to let pain decrease your quality of life.
