Life Choices
COMMUNICATING ABOUT END OF LIFE
Life Choices: Page 9 of 36
pdf 
order
Life sustaining treatments: Pain management
Pain management
You should not have to live in pain, which is the No. 1 reason people seek medical care. Insist on getting the relief you need by talking with family and health care providers.
You are not alone if you are searching for ways to control your pain. Pain management is a major concern for people with serious illnesses or injuries. In a 1999 Gallup survey, nine out of 10 Americans said they suffered pain at least once a month, and 42 percent reported feeling pain every single day.
Unrelieved pain can be crippling: if you are in pain you may become depressed, have trouble sleeping, fall, have trouble thinking clearly, lose your appetite and lose the ability to move around.
Doctors now have the tools to relieve pain for more than 90 percent of patients. Yet, research shows many people do not receive the pain relief they need, especially residents in nursing homes. One study found 26 percent of nursing home residents who have daily pain receive no pain medication.
Some patients refuse narcotic pain relievers because they fear they will become addicted. However, doctors say addiction is rare when pain medication is prescribed and used properly. Fear of addiction should not keep you from using pain relievers.
You may choose to make your wishes known regarding pain management in a written advance directive.
You also can call upon hospice care teams that are specially trained in managing pain and will work on your behalf. You may have to speak up for yourself more than you would like; just remember, pain relief is your goal and it is possible.
page 9 of 36
