You have the right to have pain caused by procedures and treatments prevented or at least minimized. You have a responsibility to help manage your pain. One goal of this book is to help readers know what to expect and what to ask for. Demand adequate pain control. Do not be satisfied with less.
Life is too important to suffer needlessly.
This is true for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers as well as for people with cancer and their family members or friends. An attitude is a frame of mind based on a set of beliefs. What we accept as true about pain and cancer pain comes from what we have felt or seen in our lives. If you see that most people with cancer have pain, then you will come to believe that pain is an unavoidable effect of cancer. If this is your belief, you will be less likely to think that pain control is possible and, therefore, less likely to ask for better pain relief.