Breakthrough Pain
by Becki Watkins, RN, BSN
It is 11pm at night and your pain
becomes unbearable. What
can you do?
I get this question a lot from
patients, most of who worry
about going to their local
emergency room. Am I
breaking my contract?
What I tell patients is this:
When your pain starts to get out of control, make sure you are taking ALL of the
medications the doctor has
ordered for you. A big mistake
that many patients make is to
only take the “pain pills” and not
the other medications the
doctor has prescribed. Muscle
relaxers, anti-depressants, and
many other types of
medications are used in pain
management, and these medications in combination can help your pain much better than the pain medication alone.
If you have taken all medications
as ordered and you are still having breakthrough pain, consider ice or heat to the painful area.
For ice application place ice in a
zip lock bag. Make sure you place
a towel between the ice and your
skin. Leave the ice on for 20 minutes then off for 20 minutes. The brain recognizes cold before it
does heat, so many patients report relief from cold therapy before they do from heat therapy.
For heat therapy you can use a
heating pad. Always use the
cover over the heating pad. Never
go to sleep with a heating pad.
Apply the heat on for 20 minutes,
off for 20 minutes. The heat can be alternated with the ice. This
often works well for many patients.
A hot shower or tub bath is often
helpful too.
A rice sock can also be used for hot
or cold therapy. See article below for instructions
on how to make your very own rice
sock.
If you still have unbearable pain
after trying these tips, please call KPMS or go to the Emergency Room nearest you.
Ask your pain doctor what over
the counter meds are ok for you
to take. This can often save you
a trip to the ER on those nights or weekends when you have a flare up. Always let the ER know you see KPMS for pain management and take a list of all the medication you take with you.
Rice Sock Instructions
Rice socks are inexpensive
and easy to make. You will
need a bag of rice (not
instant), and a clean sock.
- Take a clean sock and pour half full with dry plain rice—do not use
instant rice.
- Tie the end of the sock
tightly shut.
- Place the sock in the
freezer for 45 min for a
cold pack/the
microwave for 1-2
minutes for a hot pack.
- You can place a
microwave-safe cup of water in the
microwave with the
rice sock.
- Shake the sock to
distribute heat/cold.
- Leave sock on for 20
minutes, then off for 20
minutes.
- Place a towel between
the rice sock and the
skin.
Call KPMS staff if you
have any questions.
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