When it comes to the pain management of cancers, especially mesothelioma, many doctors try to provide options to patients that will decrease pain and make the symptoms of the cancer go away. Though no pain management technique, as defined by its original intent to decrease pain, can cure the cancerous disease altogether unless it is a treatment for mesothelioma that has the added benefit of decrease pain and symptoms. Mesothelioma patients can have any number of symptoms, including pain resulting from pleural effusion, bowel obstruction, weakness and fatigue, and chest pain among others.
Indeed, resulting mesothelioma symptoms and pain can be debilitating for those who have it and, considering the unfortunate prognosis of anywhere between 1 to 3 or 5 years to live, these cancer patients often have limited opportunities. One option for individuals to manage and decease chronic and acute pain is with a TENS unit.
What is a TENS Unit?
Known as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), the TENS unit looks like a small device that you wear on your hip and attach to your body. Delivered through several small electrodes placed on the skin, pain sensations are reduced by sending electrical impulses through the body. Like others with acute or chronic pain, mesothelioma patients can use a TENS unit to manage pain resulting from the cancer or specific treatments. Of course, any mesothelioma patient should consult a doctor before obtaining one and using it on a regular basis.
After the doctor’s prescription, however, the TENS unit stimulator can be used as a self-medication technique for patients to cope with pain. When using the electrical stimulator, patients can turn a dial to increase the number of impulses sent throughout the body, thereby adjusting it to their own personal pain level. Though you can place the small electrodes virtually anywhere on the skin to decrease pain for your mesothelioma, you should never place them on sensitive areas like the eyes, mouth, temples or neck area below the jaw.
How TENS Units Work to Decrease Pain
Depending on your specific pain level and the pain you are having, a TENS unit may or may not be recommended for your particular case of mesothelioma. In general, though, TENS units work at the same level as other alternative cancer therapies and treatments.
A TENS therapy treatment may decrease acute pain, and it does this through the production of endorphins sent to the brain that results from the electrical impulses. You can also think of the TENS unit as a way to “scramble” pain signals the brain receives. If these signals are interrupted, pain is also interrupted and can be managed better.
Using TENS with Pain Medications
Of course, TENS is not the only pain management technique that mesothelioma patients should avail themselves of to manage their disease. The attending physician will recommend a treatment or care regimen, which the patient uses to manage the symptoms and overall effects of the cancer itself.
For starters, medications are often used to treat symptoms and pain associated with mesothelioma. Mild over-the-counter analgesics, such as acetaminophen, in addition to anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin, can be used in combination with the TENS unit.
Aside from over-the-counter meds and to counteract moderate to severe pain caused by mesothelioma, the doctor may prescribe narcotic pain relievers, such as oral morphine, fentanyl, Oxycodone or codeine.
When prescribing these medications, the doctor will take into account the pain level of the patient in addition to the particular stage at which the mesothelioma is in. Other prescription drugs that may reduce pain, burning and tingling sensitivities, and pain resulting from inflammation include corticosteroids, antidepressants and anticonvulsants like Neurontin.
In some cases, a “pain pump” may be prescribed to the patient. Pain pumps deliver fast-acting, pain-relieving substances that have the ability to cover a wide area of pain. Like a TENS unit, the pain pump can be controlled by the patient according to his specific pain needs with the touch of a button.
Using TENS with other Pain Management Techniques
There are also several alternative pain management techniques that mesothelioma patients can try to cope with the disease. For example, a nerve block can be used to numb areas in which the affected nerve is producing pain sensations. Depending on the specific type of nerve block, mesothelioma patients may experience pain relief with this technique for up to six months at a time before needing another nerve block.
Though you may not think that alternative therapies can be just as effective as a TENS unit, there are several options for mesothelioma that can act as a good complement to electrical stimulation.
Just as the TENS unit increases the production of endorphins sent to the brain to block pain, so too can a few other alternative therapies. For example, biofeedback is a treatment that is used with specialized machines and a trained biofeedback technician. The technician teaches you specific techniques to help you control such things as your heart rate and muscle tension. By learning these techniques, you can help yourself relax in order to control pain sensations during those times when you aren’t wearing the TENS unit.
Doing Whatever is Necessary
Though wearing a TENS unit can help you combat acute pain from mesothelioma or side effects of radiation and chemotherapy, you must not stop there to beat your prognosis as a TENS unit cannot cure the malignant cancer. Many mesothelioma patients are given anywhere between one and five years to live, which means that it is all the more crucial to find a solution that works to both decrease pain and cure the disease.
One step you can take is to learn from mesothelioma survivors and practice–or at least try–the techniques they have found most helpful. For example, Rhio O’Connor was diagnosed with the disease in 2001 and is a survivor. In his book, “They Said Months, I Chose Years: A Mesothelioma Survivor’s Story,” he outlines his battle with mesothelioma and discusses the regimens he has used to combat the cancer. This survivor has not only included vitamins and supplements in his daily life; he practices”mind-body” medicine to combat the negative effects of the cancer.
Indeed, there are many pain management alternatives you can try in addition to a TENS unit. Whether you want to practice meditation, relaxation, try massage therapy, acupuncture or another non-traditional technique not relied upon in Western medicine, all of these can be helpful for blocking pain.
Just as a TENS unit can help your body increase its own natural analgesics to fight symptoms and pain associated with mesothelioma, it is not the only avenue you should explore to help your cause.