The Complete Guide to Relieving Cancer Pain and Suffering - Softcover

Patt, Richard B.; Lang, Susan S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195135024 ISBN 13: 9780195135022

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2099

Synopsis

Cancer pain experts assert that the careful application of contemporary techniques can bring relief to an astounding 90 to 99 percent of cancer patients, yet unnecessary, often agonizing pain continues to be under-treated.
Here, Dr. Richard B. Patt and Susan Lang have collaborated to produce an essential handbook for patients, their caregivers, family and friends. Thoroughly revising their widely-praised 1994 book, You Don't Have to Suffer, the authors illuminate the reasons patients are so often under-medicated--including the need to tough it out, time-consuming paperwork for doctors who prescribe drugs, and exaggerated concerns about laws that fail to distinguish between the abuse of drugs and their legitimate use. Patt and Lang demonstrate that when patients are properly medicated they are better able to resume active lives and marshal the courage and strength needed to keep fighting--while those in chronic pain are not only demoralized by suffering, but also jeopardize their potential for recovery. This book helps patients and their families cope with the practical problems of cancer pain and suffering. It describes the full spectrum of today's--and tomorrow's--pain-relieving arsenal--starting with tips on communicating with doctors through a better understanding of drug therapies, high-tech medical procedures and psychological, cognitive, and "mind-body" techniques that can help raise patients' spirits. The authors discuss depression and anxiety, as well as physical symptoms like hunger, nausea and weakness.
This volume will enable people with cancer to make informed decisions about all aspects of their care and will be of enormous value to the growing number of patients, family members, and health-care professionals determined to relieve the needless suffering of cancer.

About this title

About the Author

Richard B. Patt, M.D. directs the medical care of all inpatients at the world-renowned Hospice at the Texas Medical Center and is President and Chief Medical Officer of the Patt Center for Cancer Pain and Wellness (www.cancerpain.org) in Houston. He served as the Deputy Chief of the Pain and Symptom Management Section of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and was the founder of the Cancer Pain Program at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Susan S. Lang has been a senior science writer at Cornell University for almost twenty years and is the author or co-author of eleven books, including Headache Help. She has written hundreds of articles on psychology, health, medicine, and veterinary science for national publications. Their unique collaboration is aimed to help remedy the needless and dehumanizing suffering that our aging population, their care providers and doctors face as we approach one of modern medicine's most important crossroads.

Review

"A well-written and comprehensive handbook for cancer patients and their caregivers. This will be an invaluable resource for people caring for patients with cancer and pain, particularly if they are being managed at home. The information is well set-out and clearly explained, and there is a glossary of medical terms included."--Roger Woodruff, Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia, International Association for Hospice and Pallative Care

"A much-needed resource for patients and caregivers on all aspects of cancer pain. The authors demonstrate methods that can be used to cope with the practical aspects of dealing with cancer suffering, describe all of the pain-relieving options available in the modern medical arsenal, discuss depression and other psychological components that can contribute to suffering, and explain how psychological, cognitive, and mind/body techniques can help relieve the suffering associated with cancer. This volume will help cancer patients make informed decisions about their care and will be of enormous value to the growing number of patients, family members, and health care professionals determined to relieve needless suffering."--Cornell University College of Human Ecology (online review)

"I cannot imagine a more complete treatment of the subject, written in truly accessible language, and with open discussion of contentious issues. The book is aimed at patients and carers, and I would also strongly recommend it to those who support and advise patients. If one could be reassured that each clinician on the cancer pathway has taken in the core messages put forward by the authors, the daunting prospect of pain at the end of life, one of every patient's greatest fears, would be somewhat lessened. This is a book that every informed patient and carer should know about, and which should be on the library shelves of every cancer support group."--R. Wilson, Annals of Oncology

"Cancer patients and their caregivers will find a wealth of information in this thoroughly revised edition of the authors' You Don't Have to Suffer. Patt and science writer Lang cover every aspect of cancer pain management, from pain undermanagement and the quality-of-life benefits of properly managed pain to types and causes of cancer pain, pain assessment, and medications.... Hints on choosing a physician and being an assertive consumer, as well as examples of documents (e.g. living wills) and extensive appendixes, empower patients and caregivers. As the authors point out, it is estimated that some 40 percent of cancer patients receive inadequate pain relief, so this book has a potentially large audience. Highly recommended."--Library Journal

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2099
• ISBN 10: 0195135024
• ISBN 13: 9780195135022
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English