Read the Ten Steps below for relief
Many people with chronic pain don't seek pain relief, or even tell their doctors about their pain. Most often, the reasons for keeping pain a secret are based on fears or myths:
- Fear of being labeled as a "bad patient." You won't find relief if you don't talk with your doctor about the pain you feel.
- Fear that increased pain may mean that the disease has worsened. Regardless of the state of your disease,the right treatment for pain may improve daily life for you and your family.
- Fear of addiction to drugs. Research has shown that the chance of people with chronic pain becoming addicted to pain-relieving drugs is extremely small. When taken properly for pain, drugs can relieve pain without addiction. Needing to take medication to control your pain is not addiction.
- Lack of awareness about pain therapy options. Be honest about how your pain feels and how it affects your life. Ask your doctor about the pain therapy options available to you. Often, if one therapy isn't effectively controlling your pain, another therapy can.
- Fear of being perceived as "weak." Some believe that living stoically with pain is a sign of strength, while seeking help often is considered negative or weak. This perception prevents them seeking the best treatment with available therapies.
Don't let fears and misconceptions keep you from talking to your doctor and other members of your health care team about getting adequate pain relief. Help and relief are possible, but only if you discuss your symptoms with your doctor.
Helpful Hint: Consider going to a pain management clinic or a pain management specialist. NCPOA can help provide you with information about where to find these clinics and specialists. However, since we cannot evaluate the qualifications of these clinics and specialists, we can only give information, not recommendations. Our article ""Choosing a Pain Clinic or Specialist"" can help you make an educated choice best suited to your individual needs.
Ten Steps From Patient to Person
Making the journey from patient to person takes time. The isolation and fear that can overwhelm a person with chronic pain grows over time. And the return to a fuller, more rewarding life also takes time. It'’s a journey with many phases. The ACPA describes these phases as Ten Steps. The ACPAÂ’s Ten Steps For Moving From Patient To Person.STEP 1: Accept the Pain Learn all you can about your physical condition. Understand that there may be no current cure and accept that you will need to deal with the fact of pain in your life.STEP 2: Get Involved Take an active role in your own recovery. Follow your doctor's advice and ask what you can do to move from a passive role into one of partnership in your own health care.STEP 3: Learn to Set Priorities Look beyond your pain to the things that are important in your life. List the things that you would like to do. Setting priorities can help you find a starting point to lead you back into a more active life.STEP 4: Set Realistic Goals We all walk before we run. Set goals that are within your power to accomplish or break a larger goal down into manageable steps. And take time to enjoy your successes.STEP 5: Know Your Basic Rights We all have basic rights. Among these are the right to be treated with respect, to say no without guilt, to do less than humanly possible, to make mistakes, and to not need to justify your decisions, with words or pain.STEP 6: Recognize Emotions Our bodies and minds are one. Emotions directly affect physical well being. By acknowledging and dealing with your feelings, you can reduce stress and decrease the pain you feel.STEP 7: Learn to Relax Pain increases in times of stress. Relaxation exercises are one way of reclaiming control of your body. Deep breathing, visualization, and other relaxation techniques can help you to better manage the pain you live with.STEP 8: Exercise Most people with chronic pain fear exercise. But unused muscles feel more pain than toned flexible ones. With your doctor, identify a modest exercise program that you can do safely. As you build strength, your pain can decrease. You'll feel better about yourself, too.STEP 9: See the Total Picture As you learn to set priorities, reach goals, assert your basic rights, deal with your feelings, relax, and regain control of your body, you will see that pain does not need to be the center of your life. You can choose to focus on your abilities, not your disabilities. You will grow stronger in your belief that you can live a normal life in spite of chronic pain.STEP 10: Reach Out It is estimated that one person in three suffers with some form of chronic pain. Once you have begun to find ways to manage your chronic pain problem, reach out and share what you know. Living with chronic pain is an ongoing learning experience. We all support and learn from each other.Helpful Hint: Consider going to a pain management clinic or a pain management specialist. NCPOA can help provide you with information about where to find these clinics and specialists. However, since we cannot evaluate the qualifications of these clinics and specialists, we can only give information, not recommendations. Our article ""Choosing a Pain Clinic or Specialist"" can help you make an educated choice best suited to your individual needs.
