It is important to understand, however, that the ultimate goal is comfort, which means taking appropriate measures to assure the child is free from pain. There is no evidence of addiction to pain medications in dying children. Pain is a sensation of discomfort, distress, or agony. Because pain is unique to each individual, a person's pain cannot truly be evaluated by anyone else. Pain may be acute or chronic.
Acute pain is severe and lasts a relatively short time.
It is usually a signal that body tissue is being injured in some way, and the pain generally disappears when the injury heals. Chronic pain may range from mild to severe, and is present to some degree for long periods of time. Medicating pain before it becomes too severe is advised. If pain medication is not given for a long period of time, it may not be as helpful. Many people believe that if a person has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, they must be in pain.