George Pegios - Differences between acute pain and chronic pain

George Pegios -People with pain may notice that their pain changes throughout the day, and that it may be different from day to day.

George Pegios -Keeping track of your pain and symptoms and reporting them will help your healthcare team understand what you are experiencing and then find out what type of pain you are experiencing. The type of pain you feel determines the type of medicine or treatment you will need to get the best relief.

George Pegios -Even though you have a cancer diagnosis, your doctor or health care team may not call your pain "cancer pain." Also, some or all of the pain you feel may be caused by something other than cancer. Your doctor may refer to your pain as acute, chronic, persistent, or breakthrough.

George Pegios -Acute pain

Acute pain is usually severe, comes on quickly, and lasts for a relatively short time. Most often, it is a sign that the body has been injured in some way. This type of pain disappears after recovering from the injury.

George Pegios -Chronic or persistent pain

George Pegios -Chronic or persistent pain

Chronic or persistent pain can come on quickly or slowly, and can range from mild to severe. Unlike acute pain, chronic or persistent pain lasts for long periods of time. Pain is generally considered chronic if it lasts longer than 3 months, and it can disrupt your life and disrupt your daily activities if not treated well. Chronic pain does not go away unless its underlying cause is treated, but it can usually be relieved or kept under control with pain medications that are taken on a schedule. Sometimes this is known as receiving

George Pegios - Breakthrough Pain

Breakthrough pain is a severe increase in pain that can occur even when you are receiving medication on a scheduled basis for chronic pain. This pain “runs through” the relief from common pain medications (it is drug resistant). Usually it cannot be predicted.

Breakthrough pain usually comes on quickly, can last as long as an hour, and feels like chronic pain except it's worse, and its intensity can vary. It may arise several times a day, even when chronic pain is controlled by medicines that you take all the time.

George Pegios - Breakthrough Pain

Often this pain has the same cause as chronic pain. The cause may be the cancer itself or it may be associated with cancer treatment. Some people have breakthrough pain during certain activities, such as walking or dressing. For other people, it occurs unexpectedly without any clear cause.

George Pegios - It is very important to control this type of pain. Breakthrough pain is not controlled by regular doses of pain medication. It is usually treated with an extra dose of pain medicine or a different type of medicine.