There are quite a few misunderstandings about cancer pain. People often wait (too) long before using painkillers. For example, they are afraid that nothing will help enough when the pain increases. Or they are afraid of becoming addicted. This view is based on a misunderstanding.
The point is to find a pain treatment that suppresses your pain and has as few side effects as possible. With painkillers, it is important to take the prescribed dose at regular times. Painkillers work best when a certain amount is always present in the body. There are painkillers in the form of tablets, capsules, drinks, injections, patches or suppositories. Painkillers can also be administered directly into a blood vessel, into the skin (subcutaneously) or via the spinal canal using a pump. In addition, there are other options for treating pain, including radiation, chemotherapy or a local interruption of the nerve that conducts the pain.

Treatment

Pain from pancreatic cancer can have a major impact on your daily activities. That is why it is important to always discuss pain with your doctor. Talking about pain is absolutely not whining. When treating pain, the first thing to do will be to look at the cause of the pain and whether it can be removed. This is not always possible, but the pain can usually be reduced to a level that is bearable for you.

Acute and chronic pain

Pain is the body’s way of telling the brain that something is wrong. There are two types of pain. Acute pain is usually short-lived and is caused by a wound/trauma and goes away when the wound heals. Chronic pain occurs over a longer period of time and can range from mildly nagging to severe. Cancer pain can be chronic and is caused by the tumor pressing on organs, bones, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and other parts of the body.

Physical pain

In the early stages of the disease, many people do not yet experience pain. If the disease spreads and there are metastases, pain can occur. Pain is a complex phenomenon. A pain stimulus occurs, for example because a tumor presses on a body nerve. This pain stimulus travels via the nerve pathways to the brain. A kind of electrical telephone connection is established between the painful area and the brain.

Symptoms

With pancreatic cancer, the type of pain often depends on the location of the tumor and the location of the metastases. Pain in the upper abdomen or mid-back can be caused by the tumor itself pressing on surrounding organs or growing through tissues and thus affecting the nerves and organs that are near the pancreas. The metastases can also cause pain.

Back pain

Back pain is a common symptom of advanced pancreatic cancer. The pain is caused by the tumor pressing on nearby organs and nerves. The pain can be constant or intermittent. The pain is often worse after eating or when you lie down. But remember that there are many other causes of back pain.

Abdominal/stomach ache

As with back pain, abdominal pain is sometimes caused by advanced pancreatic cancer. This pain is also caused by the tumor growing into other organs and nerves surrounding the pancreas or as a result of metastases.

Emotional and social pain

The diagnosis of cancer is always a shock. In addition to physical aspects, there are also emotional and social aspects to pain. Everyone experiences it in a different way. Pain does not always have to be the result of the disease. Fear, panic or anger can also play a role. Anger about what is happening to you. Fear of becoming dependent on others or fear of death. All kinds of feelings that are evoked by your disease can increase your physical complaints.

And vice versa: when it is possible to remove some of those fears and tensions, the pain can also decrease. Therefore, always talk to your doctor or specialist about the possibilities and the impact that cancer has on you.

Determining pain

It is very important to determine what type of pain you have because this can have consequences for the choice of treatment for your pain. Your pain specialist will determine during your first visit what type of pain or combination of types of pain you have in order to be able to set up a targeted treatment.

To clearly describe what kind of pain you have, you can use the following terms:

• light, sharp, painful, nagging.
• radiant, warm.
• penetrating.
• cold, numb (body parts).
• exhausting, tiring.
• throbbing, pressing, pulsating.

Use a diary to describe the where and when of your pain. You can give a number between 0 and 10 for the severity of your pain.