„I had a fair bit of pain after my operation. I don’t know why, just my back was always at it. I’d get these strange pains in my legs. So I went to have acupuncture.”– Martha

Following surgery and during treatment, many people report experiencing pain, ranging from a dull ache (e.g., in your fingers, arms, armpits, shoulder or chest) to discomfort and sometimes severe acute and chronic pain.

Some people report being very stiff and sore, which can be due to the surgery, radiotherapy or subsequent medications. Some men and women also find they are unable to sleep or sit in certain positions (based on the location of their surgery or radiotherapy), which has led to stiffness and pain developing from posture changes. It is important to stretch and exercise to help manage this, you should discuss this with your specialist.

Pain can be either short term (known as acute pain) or long term (known as chronic pain) and there is no fixed point as to when acute pain turns into chronic pain, nor is the pain experience different – both acute and chronic can range from mild to severe. Chronic pain tends to be defined as being present for at least 3 months. The main thing to be aware of is if your pain level is interfering with your life.

If you are experiencing pain, you might like to try some of the suggestions and exercises that follow in the Managing Your Pain Worksheet (click to the next page). Two of the major strategies that have been shown to help manage pain are controlled breathing and relaxation, and are described in detail.