Managing side effects

Cancer treatment strives to destroy the harmful cells in your body and can cause uncomfortable side effects. The American Cancer Society offers tips on how to cope with some of the common side effects people face during treatment at cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects.html.

HELPING YOU UNDERSTAND Joyce Rubinfeld,

Treatment Nurse/Patient Educator Christus St. Vincent Regional Cancer Center

Pain management

Talk to your doctor about the possibility of pain and available medicines and complementary therapies so you can plan ahead. It’s easier to control pain when it starts rather than waiting until it becomes severe. Discuss any concerns you have about side effects and the possibilities of becoming dependent on pain medication.

Pain-management tips from the International Pain Foundation:

• Keep track of your pain according to a scale of 1 to 10.

• Be specific about where it hurts and what it feels like.

• Incorporate a mindfulness or meditation practice to help breathe

through pain flares.

• Increase your water intake (can ease headaches.)

• Prioritize your time so you have energy for what you want to do.

• Talk to a therapist or spiritual leader about the emotional effects of pain.