POST SURGERY CANCER PAIN MANAGEMENT - BREAST CANCER TREATED SUCCESSFULLY BUT PAIN PERSISTS...

Among patients with cancer, pain is one of the most feared symptoms. Pain may occur in greater than fifty percent of patients with cancer. Dr Varsha Kurhade is managing cancer pain patients in pune since last decade. She is specialist in cancer pain treatment. She has done specialization in cancer pain management from TMH, Mumbai. This video is the testimonial of cancer pain patient. Physical pain may lead to impaired function, psychological distress, and interruption in daily activities. Pain can occur as a result of the cancer itself or from the cancer treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Strategies for treating cancer pain include medical management, psychological support, palliative care, and procedures. Types of Cancer Pain: Cancer pain may be acute lasting only a few days or chronic lasting weeks to months. Breakthrough pain is a sudden flare-up in pain, which may require special medications to treat. Pain is further divided into neuropathic (related to the nerves) and nociceptive (related to tissue injury). Each pain type requires a unique set of treatments. Accurate diagnosis of the pain is essential for appropriate treatment. Common Causes of Cancer Pain: Pain From the Tumor: Cancer can grow locally to invade structures such as bones, nerves, tissue and organs. Cancer can also metastasize and invade structures remote from the actual cancer. The pain may vary depending on the structure involved. Pain From Treatment: Cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. While these treatments are potentially life-saving, each has its unique set of side effects. For example, chemotherapy can cause muscle pain and neuropathy (damage to the very small nerve fibers). Post-Surgical Pain: Following surgery, pain occurs as a result of tissue injury and subsequent inflammation. In most circumstances, this pain improves as the tissue heals. But few cases it persists beyond expected duration of recovery and becomes chronic pain. This patient was having # breast cancer. She was treated with surgery, chemotherapy & radiotherapy. This all helped her to recover successfully from breast cancer & she was tested negative for breast cancer subsequently. But 6 months later she started developing pain in the healed scar of surgery done for breast cancer. Initially it responded to basic pain killers & few medications. But later on it became non responsive to medicines, started spreading all over chest, radiating to shoulder and hand also. This was giving her sleepless nights, reduced appetite & most importantly fear of cancer recurrence. Her daily chores like self care, dressing up, simple cooking, etc.. was almost impossible due to pain. In spite of successfully curing cancer she was constantly under the fear of recurrence of breast cancer as the pain was spreading. Again she visited multiple consultants for ruling out possibility of cancer and finally referred for pain management. After detailed conversation with her, knowing about her pain and other problems, Dr Varsha Kurhade started her on cancer pain management. She was put on madications which helped her reduce the pain & anxiety. Her diet and sleep started improving. But as pain kept on spreading, medicines proved inadequate in safe dosage to control pain. Giving more medicines or increasing dosage can lead to other side effects. So we decided to offer her interventional pain management by nerve blocks. She was given peripheral nerve blocks, sympathetic nerve blocks & local scar hydrodissection on different occasions which she mentioned in her testimonial. These interventional nerve blocks proved very effective modality for her to get rid from the cancer pain. Patient was very happy and satisfied with the treatment and able to live cancer pain free life. We at Painex clinic offers treatments and services for the following: Palliative (supportive) care with pain management Medicines availability with prescription Epidural Injections and infusions Celiac Plexus Blocks Hypogastric Plexus Blocks Stellate Ganglion Blocks Peripheral Nerve Blocks Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Intrathecal Drug Delivery/ Spinal medication infusions cancer pain specialist Dr Varsha Shrikant Kurhade MBBS, DA, DNB, FIPM Consultant Anaesthesiologist & Pain and Palliative care physician # Web – www.painspecialistpune.com E mail – [email protected] For appointment – 8550996969/8552996966