For many, effective pain control is key. Pain is a thief. Pain robs a child of good times with a parent or grandparent. Pain makes it hard to get dressed in the morning and to do other things we all take for granted. Fixing meals, eating, or even talking can be a challenge for someone in pain.
Severe pain makes it hard to sleep and impossible to work.
Pain causes some people to withdraw from friends and relatives. So says Ellen Hermanson, a seven-year breast cancer survivor. Ms. Hermanson goes on to say she learned that pain control is a balancing act and that the balance can change almost daily. People with cancer have a right to comfort. Professional organizations like the Oncology Nursing Society, the American Cancer Society, the American Pain Society, and the American Society of Clinical Oncologists agree.