Caring for Mesothelioma Patients It is very appalling and terrifying to learn that your loved one is suffering from mesothelioma. You may not know what to do, how to console your loved one and fight with circumstances to make everything go back to normal. Being a malignant and fatal cancer, it takes a lot of strength and will to fight and overcome this cancer and live a healthy life. Once mesothelioma develops, it takes a long time and grueling effort both from the patients and their loved ones to maintain their sanity and live a normal life. When stricken with mesothelioma, the patient may become dejected and lose hope. Even simple activities like eating and talking become a tough chore. In such conditions, it is YOU - the family members and loved ones who need to come forward and help them in this difficult time. Caring for Mesothelioma patients can be emotionally and physically draining for you too. However, instead of crying and thinking about the worst that could happen, you need to focus on what you can do to make this period easier for the patients. What your loved ones need from you is understanding, love and patience to help them fight this cancer! Here are some tips on caring for mesothelioma patients: Put a brave face for the patient If you have made up your mind to care for your loved one suffering from mesothelioma, you need to present a brave and courageous face. Even though you are very frightened of what will happen next, you have to ensure the patient that all will be well. You have to build up their confidence and boost their morale. This will give them will to fight this deadly cancer. Get knowledge about the disease You can only take care of the mesothelioma patient if you know well about the disease. Learn about mesothelioma, how it is caused and can be treated. Also learn how you can take care of the patient in the best possible way. There is lots of information available in books and internet websites which provide you ample knowledge about taking care of a mesothelioma patient. Whether it is peritoneal mesothelioma, pericardial or pleural mesothelioma, patients need the best of treatment and care to restore them back to life. You can consult a mesothelioma doctor too for additional knowledge. Armed with proper awareness, you can deal with everything that comes your way. Handle the patient with love and patience Mesothelioma patients become tired very soon and they feel drained off all energy and life. In this time, you can encourage them to go on with their lives and keep them happy. This may not be an easy task as knowing that they might die is a very disturbing thought. They may also face anxiety and depression. You can always talk to them, listen to what they say and share your own feelings with them. During this time, the patients need extra love, care and patience. Ensure regular intake of medicines While treatment for mesothelioma is underway, ensure that the patient takes all of his/her medicine on time and as per schedule. Regular intake of medicines makes a wealth of improvement in the patient’s condition. Sometimes, patients may not take the medicine for the fear of addiction such as morphine and other painkillers. However, your role as a caretaker is to ensure that taking medicines regularly is a vital part of treatment and way to relieve pain. Even when the patient seems well enough to pass the medicine, do not take a chance and continue to take it for as long as the doctor has prescribed. Maintain a progress report of the patient You can talk to the doctor and keep a progress report where you can jot down the patient’s daily condition. This will tell you if the treatment being given is working or not. This way you can tell the doctor about the patient’s progress and improvement. You will see that even though in a minor way, you will see your loved one improving and returning back to normal life. Caring for mesothelioma patients is not an easy chore. However, with your will and love to care for them and support them, you will be able to give them a new lease of life. With medicines and proper care, the patients can almost lead a normal life and avoid pain.

Mesothelioma Pain Management

Mesothelioma is a dreadful disease in which the patient has to go through several painful moments. Especially during the last stages of the disease, the pain gets really excruciating and managing the pain becomes a challenge.

Unfortunately, some part of the pain is caused by the drugs and treatments that are given to treat mesothelioma. These drugs and modes of treatment can cause almost the same level of discomfort and pain as the disease which directly clashes with the pain relieving techniques.

Pain Management while Suffering from Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma pain management depends on certain factors. It may be the location or extent of cancer. In most of the cases of mesothelioma, the pain is felt in the chest, back and abdominal cavity. Pain can also result due to bowel obstruction.

If a patient is suffering from extraordinary mesothelioma pain, it is best to consult the doctor for medicines and help. Apart from chemotherapy, surgery, immune therapy and radiation therapy, you might need some other medications and treatments to relieve the pain. To improve the quality of patient’s life, it is important to manage the pain.

Taking Prescribed Medicines

Victims of mesothelioma can alleviate their pain by taking prescribed medicines. In most of the cases where mesothelioma has not advanced to high levels, over-the-counter pain killers like aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin) and Tylenol are helpful.

Some medications for controlling mesothelioma pain are divided into groups

• Non-opiods are non-narcotic drugs which are used to relieve mild to moderate pain. Some of these non-opiod drugs are Aspirin and Motrin
• Opioids are narcotics given to reduce moderate to severe mesothelioma pain such as morphine fentanyl, vicodin, oxycodone, and hydromorphone
• Rapid-onset opioids are narcotics which are given to treat breakthrough pain

Keeping a Record of Mesothelioma Pain as it Occurs

A patient is the only one who knows best where the pain occurs, when it occurs or how intense it is and what could help him/her during this time of pain. Maintaining a graph or a journal will help in keeping a close eye on the pain and help in better management. Once you notice a pain pattern and document it in your journal, it will become easier for your doctors to treat your pain. The patient can discuss this in detail with the medical team who can come up with an effective plan for pain management. Also inform your doctor if you develop any new kind of pain or problem so it can be promptly looked into and managed.

Pain Management Tools

There are some other mesothelioma pain management tools too apart from pain killers. These tools include the use of anesthesia medications. They can be administered orally, intravenously, as suppositories, patches and shots.

In some cases, epidurals, nerve blocks and implanted pain pumps are given for pain management in mesothelioma patients. However, these medicines are also liable to cause some side effects which can be controlled by proper usage and doctor’s advice.

Neurosurgery

Another option to reduce mesothelioma pain is neurosurgery. With this surgery the nerve paths are altered or interrupted to reduce pain. In some cases, neurosurgery is also used to implant drug delivery devices in the body. In some cases, this method has helped the patients in pain management.

Support Groups

One way to lessen the extent of pain and help the patients and their family members to deal with the associated anxiety and stress is to join support groups. In these groups, patients suffering from mesothelioma are taught coping skills to handle pain and how to ask your loved ones to help you in this time of need. Coping with pain is one step towards treatment.

• Relaxation, meditation, distraction, visualization and hypnosis are some other tools which are practiced in support groups which help the patients in redirecting their energy to something other than pain.
• Music is another such tool which helps in pain management for mesothelioma patients
• Massage and physical and aquatic therapy help you with mobility by stimulating the body muscles and nerves
• Some patients have also been helped with acupuncture

Efforts are underway to find newer and better means to help mesothelioma patients with pain management. A combination of above methods may facilitate you in helping yourself or your loved one. Some of these methods cost nothing but go a long way in assisting the patients.