Pain Mgmt. Strategy: The Cold, Hard Facts

To get through a complex procedure of any kind you should always have a strategy to follow from the start.  This is true whether you’re trying to get into law school, having a baby, seeking a promotion or undergoing a stem-cell transplant.  This blog is about the latter, but my strategy may apply to any of these things.  Here’s some important information you need to understand if you’re considering a bone-marrow or stem-cell transplant:

1. The transplant process is a long one:
• It may take a couple of months for you to complete the qualification tests before you’re officially admitted to the program.
• Once qualified and accepted into the program, the actual procedure can take anywhere from six to eight weeks to execute, some under out-patient, and some under in-patient status.
• The recovery time after the transplant is generally considered one year – the time it takes for a new immune system to grow.
• The post-transplant status of your disease is tested by milestones – generally thirty days, three months, six months, one year, two years and five years.
2. The transplant process can be a painful one:
• There are many tests run repetitively throughout the process.  Some of these are relatively benign and some are not.  Some involve simple discomfort such as pressure.  Some involve needle sticks to draw blood and administer meds.  Some are more intrusive.
• The after-effects of the high-dosage radiation and/or chemotherapy administered during this process can be numerous and intense.  These after-effects can take months to dissipate entirely.  Some or all of these months may be filled with varying degrees of discomfort.
• During your transplant procedure you will be very dependent upon the help of both your medical team and your at-home care-givers.  This can leave you feeling emotionally vulnerable.  For many people, especially those used to having absolute control over their lives, this emotional distress can be worse than any physical discomfort they encounter.

In short, a bone-marrow or stem-cell transplant is a full assault on your entire system.

By necessity the very thing that keeps you alive and safe – your immune system – is killed off during the transplant procedure.  This leaves your body intensely vulnerable to attack on numerous levels.  The transplant process can be filled with both physical pain and emotional anxiety.


Is it Worth it?

You bet it is.  A transplant can save your life when nothing else can, and for anyone who values life, that makes it very much worth it.

Knowledge is power.  Knowing exactly what to expect can not only help you to navigate the complex waters of the transplant process, but it can actually help reduce the pain, fear and anxiety you experience.  Your transplant team will be extremely knowledgeable and helpful, but start out by helping yourself and you’ll find yourself far ahead of the curve.


Reduce and Relieve Pain:


There are many different techniques documented in a lot of books about relaxation and pain control, and most of these techniques fall into the two categories of Relax and Distract.  I’m going to discuss several examples of each, but you should realize that the actual variations in pain management techniques are almost limitless, and the success of any given one is usually quite unique to each individual and situation.  You may find other techniques that work best for you and once you do, by all means use them, but remember in the absence of knowledge, any technique can only take you so far.