Managing your pain

Important things to know:

• No reason to not treat pain with medicines.
• The goal of treatment is to have your usual pain score <4.
• Pain can usually be well controlled.
• Management of other symptoms can help with pain control.
• Taking strong meds now does not mean they will not work later.
• In an emergency, as when your pain suddenly gets much worse, contact: (Here automatically put in the contact information for the specific doctor who is sending this communication)

Tips for taking pain medicines.

• Regular administration of medicines is important. This means that you should take your pain medicine by a time schedule. Use a chart to write down every time you take the medicines.
• Take your pain medicine after eating with at least a half a glass of water.
• Always take a laxative to avoid constipation if you are taking strong medicines like morphine.
• If your pain is not controlled by taking your pain medicine at usual times, then take a dose of the emergency medicine.
• Tell the doctor when you have to take more than two emergency doses of medicine in one day.