The final step in my approach, is to clearly state your expectations and goals for the visit to discuss pain management for pancreatitis. This is the stage when both you and your physician establish the “game plan”.
Again, being specific is the best way to do this. For example, if you believe that more tests should be run to find a possible treatable cause to your pancreatitis pain, then state that. If, on the other hand, you believe that all appropriate tests have been done and all you want is assistance in controlling your pain, state that.
In my case I was up-front with my belief that the pancreatitis pain was not going to “magically” disappear; that I accepted that it was going to be part of my life; but I didn’t accept that there was nothing the medical field could do. I made it very clear that I expected to leave that day with medicine to reduce the pain to more tolerable levels (I felt that an average pain of a 4 wasn’t too much to ask for) and with a treatment plan that acknowledged that I needed long-term medical care.
Like your pain descriptions, your goals will be unique to you. However, what is common to all pain patients is his or her right to have pain treated. For most situations, do not accept the advice that pain treatment should be delayed until a cause can be found or withheld completely because all tests and exams are normal. In my opinion, pancreatitis pain should be treated through pain management for pancreatitis, regardless of why it is there.
The first step when discussing chronic pain for pancreatitis is to be comfortable talking about it. In my case, admitting that I had chronic pain felt like announcing to the world that “I am a wimp and a failure.” I became anxious, and I think my body language conveyed the idea that I didn’t deserve to be taken seriously.
After I learned to accept that pain was not a weakness in my character, I was able to discuss what it felt like, how often it bothered me, and how bad it gets in a more matter-of-fact way. This also conveyed that I expected and deserved to be listened to.
Being comfortable also reduces the chance that your emotions could take over the situation. Emotions are part of the examination, no doubt. Physicians will ask you how the pain impacts your quality of life, but they will also look for signs that suggest you are exaggerating your situation.
“Histrionics” is the term that is often used to describe overly dramatic examinations. Bizarre and unusual descriptions or peculiar behavior can all be seen as dramatic. Avoid focusing on frustrating or failed previous physician care because this can also side-track your doctor from properly treating chronic pain.
Talking to your Doctor about Chronic Pain
When asked about pain management for pancreatitis, I am frequently asked how to talk about it with a doctor. It would seem as if this should be a simple matter. After all, outside of routine visits, pain is probably the most common reason for seeing a doctor. It would seem natural then to assume your doctor would be very proficient in diagnosing and treating chronic pancreatitis pain. However, in my experience, this is not so. I often left a physician’s office believing that my doctor didn’t quite “get it”.
Why is this? Over the years, I have learned that many factors affect diagnosing painful symptoms. The obvious factor is that there are many different kinds of pain. Pain can be either acute or chronic. Acute pain is relatively easy to assess and treatment is usually straight forward and curative. Chronic pain, however, is the opposite: it is difficult to assess and treatment is complex and most likely will not cure. Assessing and treating chronic pain requires time, patience and commitment from both the patient and the physician.
I think that the biggest factor that influences our treatment is that chronic pain often cannot be “proven” by methods that doctors are most comfortable with. Lab tests, radiology procedures (x-rays, CTs, MRIs etc) and physical exams may not show reasons for the pain. Because of this, doctors have to rely mainly on what the patient says or how s/he behaves during the exam. That is why it is very important to learn how to communicate with your doctor. Your words as well as body language will virtually be the physician’s diagnostic tool and you want to provide them with the best tool you can.
The third installment of pain management for pancreatitis is coming soon
We would like to introduce you to our upcoming series of articles on pain management for pancreatitis. We’re really happy that our friend June Henry has agreed to write a series of articles on this most important of issues. June has suffered from pancreatitis for a number of years and has enormous personal experience in dealing with the day-to-day issues sufferers face. She has ‘been through the mill’, so to speak, and has now kindly offered to give you all the benefit of her experiences, to be your friendly guide and to assist you through the ‘maze’ that dealing with pancreatitis can so often be.
As we’ve discovered over recent months, every person’s experiences with pancreatitis and with the medical systems they encounter because of it, are very different. It’s impossible to cover every individual situation. However, we’ve also discovered a remarkable similarity in the nature of treatment and the responses patients have had. With June you will have a reference point – someone who has more than likely been through similar situations as you have been facing. Consequently, we’re sure you will find June’s articles not only to be very, very informative, but also challenging – they will make you think about what your experiences have been, how they may have differed from those of others etc. As a consequence, it is our hope (and June’s) that you will let us know what these differences have been and how you have been able to best manage them. Through this exchange we should then be able to build up a body of knowledge from which everyone can share and benefit.
We’re really excited about this and we hope you are too. The first of June’s series of articles on pain management for pancreatitis will be coming soon.