19 Jun Intrathecal Pump Therapy for Pain
It seems everyone knows someone who has had cancer or has had cancer first hand nowadays. As people begin to live longer and succumb less to communicable diseases, cancer is becoming more prevalent. While many people who develop cancer do not experience a significant amount of pain, some people experience extreme pain associated with cancer.
Cancer is a difficult diagnosis on its own. It affects a patient’s mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. However, when pain is added on top of this trying diagnosis, it becomes even more difficult. Fortunately, some treatments and therapies exist that can help manage cancer pain.
Chronic pain regardless of the cause can have significant adverse effects on a patient. Aside from the obvious discomfort chronic pain causes, patients who suffer from chronic pain also miss workdays, suffer from emotional and mental problems, and have a severely diminished quality of life. This is amplified when the pain is due to cancer. Many people who experience cancer pain accept it as part of a cancer diagnosis. However, you should never accept pain as normal. Some tools exist and are accessible through a pain management specialist that can help reduce, or even eliminate pain caused by cancer.
One of these tools is an intrathecal pump. Intrathecal pump therapy exists to reduce cancer pain by delivering medication directly to the area around the spinal cord. Because the medication is in such close proximity to the spinal cord, a smaller amount of medication is needed compared to taking medication orally or intravenously. Intrathecal pumps do require surgery to be implanted. But, the surgery is quick and takes about 90-120 minutes.
Intrathecal pumps are ideal for patients who have pain associated with cancer and who cannot get relief from normal pain medication or who do not tolerate their pain medication well. The procedure consists of a pump and catheter being surgically implanted beneath the skin. The pump is implanted around the abdomen and a connected catheter is placed at the site of pain.
After the surgery is complete, the pump can deliver pain medication directly to the point of pain. This typically results in better pain relief with less medication needed. This also allows for fewer side effects from pain medication. Intrathecal pumps are important pain management tools that are offered by pain medicine specialists.
Chronic pain can make a person’s life miserable. When chronic pain is due to cancer, the patient often begins to lose hope. Cancer pain is associated with many adverse effects on patients’ health. While some patients respond well to pain medication, there are other patients whose bodies cannot tolerate high doses of pain medication.
In addition, sometimes pain medication given orally is not powerful enough. Fortunately, intrathecal pump therapy exists to help these patients get some relief. Intrathecal pump therapy is a life-changing procedure for many patients suffering from cancer pain. If you or someone you love is suffering from pain associated with cancer, do not accept it. There are therapies available that can give you relief.