There are several non-medical ways that you can manage the level of pain you experience. While some of your pain may be temporary, it is still useful to try these suggestions as it can make your life a little bit easier over the course of treatment and recovery.

Understanding the Pain Cycle

People with pain commonly report that they push themselves until their pain tells them to stop. Then they rest and wait for the pain to ease, after which they will get up and try again only to find that the cycle just keeps repeating. This can lead to frustration. The first step is to recognise this cycle. There are ways that you can increase your activity level without having too much pain.

Pacing Yourself

See Worksheets Trusa de unghii electrica pret noua and Modifying Your Activites.

Distraction Techniques:

If your pain flares up at certain times, or is worse in certain situations (such as when you are receiving chemotherapy), you may find it helpful to use distraction techniques. These can be either used alone or in conjunction with relaxation (see below).

1. Focus your attention away from the pain

   1. Imagery:

      incorporate as many senses as possible (that is, sight, sound, touch, taste, smell). This can help to ‘block’ the pain signals from getting to your brain. This could be through imagining a relaxing, tranquil scene – where is it? What does it look like, are there any smells in the air, can you feel the ground underneath you or the sun/wind/rain? It could be a real place or imaginary. It could be based on a memory, but make sure it isn’t linked to sad feelings. If you’d like to try some guided imagery, click on audiotracks 3 to 6 below for special place, sunlight or beach scene imagery. If you don’t have much time, try the brief imagery exercise.

   2. Create puzzles or games from what is around you:

      for example, if you are in a room of people (such as in waiting rooms), try guessing their ages and occupations. You could also start counting how many people are wearing the colour red, or how many people are wearing sneakers as opposed to high heels. If you have access to a window or are outside, look at the clouds. Can you use your imagination to turn the clouds into animals, people or objects? See how many you can make in your mind’s eye.

2. Imagine scenes which include the pain, but focus on pleasant or exciting aspects of the scene:

   Use your imagined scene from above, but this time factor in your pain and use something in your scene to explain the pain. For example, if your arm is sore, say to yourself you have knocked it on a tree as you passed it.

3. Focus on the pain itself (we recommend you pair this with relaxation exercises):

   Using your imagination again, put yourself at a distance from your pain. Don’t focus on how unpleasant or painful it is, but instead start describing it as though you were describing the view from a window. You could be describing it as though it were happening to somebody else. Is your pain cool or warm, is it heavy or light (try to use words that do not remind you of distress). Is your pain a certain colour or shape or sound? You can then use your relaxation techniques and your imagination to gradually reduce the intensity of the colour, shape and sound.

Relaxation

It may not easy to relax when you are stressed, worried or are experiencing all these side effects. The time after diagnosis of cancer and commencement of a new treatment can be particularly stressful and it may seem that relaxation is low on the priority list. But the skill or relaxation will assist you with many of the challenges you may face – not just the physical side effects but also coping emotionally. The ability to relax and step back from the immediate pressures of the day to day life will allow you to take a balanced account of your needs, priorities and wishes and refocus your mind on the tasks ahead. So, find the time for relaxation – it will clear your mind and reduce tension.

As these skills are referred to throughout the program, we encourage you to start practicing early as you will then be in a better position to adapt the skills to a variety of situations. Survivors and partners we have spoken to report that relaxation is extremely helpful for coping with a number of the side effects of cancer such as pain, difficulty sleeping, nausea and vomiting, and also as a useful means of decreasing stress. Research evidence shows that the practice relaxation can have multiple health benefits. These include lowering levels of stress hormones and pain levels, while improving immune system function.

General Instructions

• When you first begin relaxation you will usually find you get the best results if you do the relaxation exercise at least once per day.
• Choose a specific time of the day to do your relaxation so that it just becomes part of the routine of the day. Different people like to relax at different times of the day, but it is usually best to do it early in the day before you have too many other things on your mind.
• Try to anticipate and reduce any distractions before you start your relaxation. That may mean waiting until the children are at school, taking the telephone off the hook, putting the do not disturb notice on the door, and letting other people in the house know what time you will be relaxing.
• Don’t forget to download the audio-tracks!
• As you begin your relaxation, make sure you are sitting or lying in a comfortable position.
• When the relaxation exercise is finished, do not get up immediately. Take a few more moments before getting up slowly and continuing your usual activities.
• A diary is provided below for you to enter a record of your relaxation routine.

This program contains several audio-tracks that you can download or listen to live. These can be clicked on below. There are 6 relaxation tracks, with two called Progressive Muscle Relaxation, while four guide you through breathing exercises and Imagery-based relaxation:

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Download MP3 – Right Click > Save Target/Link As

Brief Breathing and Passive PMR

Download MP3 – Right Click > Save Target/Link As

Guided Imagery: Favourite place

Download MP3 – Right Click > Save Target/Link As

Brief Guided Imagery: Sunlight

Download MP3 – Right Click > Save Target/Link As

Acceptance of Emotions and Guided Imagery: Beach

Download MP3 – Right Click > Save Target/Link As

Brief Muscle Relaxation and Guided Imagery: Flower

Download MP3 – Right Click > Save Target/Link As

Relaxation skills need to be learned over a period of time and with regular practice, just like learning to ride a bicycle, so don’t worry if you aren’t getting anywhere after just the first sitting! We recommend that you try each of these relaxation exercises separately (do not try to do all of them at the same time) over the course of a week and try and spend about 20 minutes each day doing relaxation. Once you have determined your preference for Progressive Muscle Relaxation, breathing, or guided imagery try to practice your preferred method often. In this way you will start to feel comfortable using these skills across a variety of situations.

Mix and match with any of the above techniques for helping you manage your pain. There is no correct ‘order’ in which to do any of these, so play around and work out what is beneficial for you. However, you will need to invest a realistic amount of time into whichever technique you try; don’t expect too much too soon.