Cancer Pain

Keeping a Pain Control Diary

The best way to control cancer pain is to tell your doctor exactly how your pain feels, where it is, and what works or does not work to control it. A written pain control diary will help you do this.

Your family and health care team can help you create a pain control diary (What is a PDF document?). This diary will help you keep track of when you use each treatment, how it works, and any side effects that you may have. This written record will track your progress, and will help your health care team know what you need. It will be easier for your doctor to see how well your pain treatment is working.

You can also use your pain control diary to write down questions for your doctor, the answers to your questions, and any changes that you and your doctor have made to your treatment. Be sure to include information such as clear instructions about who and when to call if you have problems or questions.

How will I know if I need to change my pain control treatment?

As your disease continues, your pain treatment may need to change. The list below provides information that may help you decide whether your needs have changed. Call your doctor if:

• New pain develops.
• Your pain treatment no longer works.
• Your pain treatment wears off too soon between each dose.
• You have new symptoms, such as problems walking, eating, or urinating.
• You have more problems with side effects, such as nausea or vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea.
• Your pain starts to get in the way of daily activities such as eating or sleeping.

For more information about what you can do, see:

Cancer: Controlling cancer pain.

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Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH	Last Updated: October 30, 2007
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Michael Seth Rabin, MD - Medical Oncology
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