Pain Management
The purpose of the site is to inform the public, sufferers and their families about Adhesive Arachnoiditis.
Information kindly supplied by Prof. Raj Sundaraj, Nepean Pain Management
PAIN is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. How you cope with pain is influenced by a number of factors such as past experience of pain and illness, and type of surgery. Other important factors include the family environment, the work environment and the social environment influence how you cope with the pain. Finally, psychological factors such as depression an anxiety also stronly influence how the pain sufferer copes with his or her pain.
Different people feel and react to pain in different ways. It can be difficult for other people including your GP/Health Professionals to understand this. It is important for the health professional caring for you to understand your pain experience and this is why it is important for you to give a detailed description of your pain when you have a consultation.
PAIN is categorised as:
1. Acute Pain
2. Cancer Pain
3. Persistent (chronic) non-malignant pain
ACUTE PAIN is almost due to a painful stimulus such as a cut or a fracture. In other words it is associated with tissue damage. as damaged tissue heal, pain is reduced and eliminated.
CANCER PAIN is similar to acute pain but there is ongoing tissue damage. However it lasts for a longer period of time depending on the type and site of the cancer. There may be nerve damage caused by the cancer or it's treatment.
PERSISTENT (CHRONIC PAIN) NON-MALIGNANT PAIN may be harder to diagnose and treat. In some patients, the source of the pain can be identified with confidence. However in many others the pain may be coming from a number of different sources which may be hard to localise. There may be no cure for this type of pain.
Persistent pain is generally not responsive to just medications only. Persistent pain sufferers require a multidisciplinary treatment because the pain may have altered the sufferers life in many ways. The pain sufferers' physical pain may have been complicated by emotional factors (depression, anxiety, demoralisation, anger loss of self esteem and self-confidence) and by social and occupational factors (problems in family, work relationships, social isolation, loss of employment, financial hardship and litigation.
In many cases where the pain and disability may have lasted for years and the pain sufferer may have had to see many different doctors and other health professionals over these years his or her identity may revolve around being a patient and the sufferer may inadvertently become entrenched in the ïllness roll. This may then lead to further suffering for the pain sufferers and his or her family as he or she becomes trapped in a vicious cycle of help seeking, dependency, demoralisation and unnecessary disability. This cycle may not be appparent to the pain sufferer but may be obvious to his or her family and medical attendants.
This process can continue to spiral out of control so that the patient's activity level is further reduced and in turn, he or she puts on weight, loses muscle bulk and fitness and becomes more disabled. This creates a "vicious cycle" that reinforces the belief that "activity makes my pain condition worse". Nothing could be further from the truth. Increased activity against the background of sustained pain is important.
SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE LIVING WITH YOUR PAIN:
* Adjust your goals. Accept your limitations and focus on the present and not in your past. Set goals that are possible to achieve.
* Keep a diary on your pain pattern, what makes it worse or lessens the pain.
* Certain actions may 'hurt'you but not 'harm'you so continue and do not stop these actions
* Do not use your pain to gain sympathy or attention
* Try new activities and accomplish goals. Do not give excuses.
* Do not run to the medicine cupboard as soon as you experience a pain. Try to relax, take it easy for a few minutes. Learn relaxation exercises, staying relaxed reduces your pain.
* Talk with people. Isolating yourself increases stress and pain. Join a club or socialise. Limit your talk about your pain symptoms. Focus on other subjects and get your mind off your pain and yourself.
* Stay healthy by eating a balanced diet. Reduce weight and carry out plenty of appropriate exercises. Eat and sleep on a regular schedule.
* pay more attention to other people and less attention to yourself. If able volunteer to help others.
* learn to pace yourself. Take breaks and ease off before your pain increases.
* There is no magic pill or operation to cure your pain.
If you have unexplained chronic pain, maybe you have had a myelogram, you are not alone as there are so many out there suffering from chronic pain please feel free to call any of the committee at any time to have a chat, maybe we can help and we are there for you.