Psychological Effects of Pain

Pain is emotional as well as physical. Even with medication, pain can wear you down and make you feel emotionally exhausted. You may feel anxious, depressed, and overwhelmed.

You may be afraid to tell anyone about your pain. You may worry that you'll be labeled a complainer or that treating your pain will interfere with your chemotherapy or radiation schedule. You may believe that treatment has to hurt to be effective (not true).

Whenever something new hurts, you may think the cancer has come back. Knowing that most pain has nothing to do with cancer may not reassure you. That fear is understandable, but don't let it control you. Take charge by talking with your doctor about any worrisome pain.

Besides relieving your pain through treatment, you can ease your depression by staying in charge of the manageable responsibilities and activities in your life that you care about. Other ways to cope when you're feeling down include:

• finding comfort in family and friends
• calling support lines sponsored by breast cancer organizations or joining the online discussion boards and chat rooms like the ones at Breastcancer.org
• participating in a support group
• seeking individual counseling
• staying connected with your place of worship

Talk with your doctor about a full range of effective antidepressant medications. These may help your mood and are also good for improving sleep and relieving some types of pain.

One of the great frustrations about pain is that it's subjective. One person feels it differently than another does. Sometimes, you may feel that your healthcare providers aren't taking your pain seriously. You need to help them understand what you're experiencing, to encourage more supportive care and ease the emotional burden of your pain.