Bile Duct Cancer Pain Management & Control

Pain Management for Bile Duct Cancer 

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), pain management is an integral part of your overall treatment plan. Our pain management practitioners take as much time as needed to understand your condition. We assess your pain using a variety of tools, including pain management scales and symptom tracking methods. Our goal is not only to help you maintain cancer pain control before, during and after your treatments, but also to help improve your overall sense of well-being and quality of life.

Many patients arrive at CTCA experiencing side effects from previous treatment. Your pain management practitioner will develop a customized cancer pain control plan based on the other medications you are taking, and the medications that have worked in the past, if any. Throughout your care, your pain management practitioner will constantly reassess your pain. We use a pain management scale, which tells us how you function throughout the day. Then, we alter your treatment regimen accordingly.

A Team Approach to Cancer Pain Management

The CTCA pain management team is fully integrated with the other disciplines offered at the hospital. In addition to medication, your pain management regimen may include one or more of our supportive therapies:

• Naturopathic medicine uses natural therapies to help you combat pain.
• Oncology rehabilitation plays a key role in cancer pain management by using a variety of physical therapy and other techniques to improve mobility and trigger the release of endorphins, which are the immune system’s natural defense against pain.
• The mind-body medicine team is available to teach you relaxation tools to help you manage pain, and to reduce the anxiety and fatigue related to cancer or cancer treatment.

For bile duct cancer patients staying at the hospital, “Comfort Rounds” are conducted twice weekly. During these visits, cancer pain management practitioners thoroughly evaluate your current pain level and success of your current treatment approach, and make any necessary modifications. With careful diagnosis and a combination of pain management methods, we strive to control your cancer-related pain while maintaining your quality of life.

Next Topic: Naturopathic Medicine for Bile Duct Cancer