Pancreatic inflammation, the pain of which is cut like a knife. The effective management of pain is a key link in the journey of treatment and rehabilitation for pancreas disease, which is like a light that disperses the shadows of pain for patients and leads them to the shores of comfort and tranquillity.
I. Analysis of the causes of pain: the search for root causes, with a targeted approach
The pain caused by pancreas is mainly due to the inflammation of the pancreas itself, “storms”, and a series of chain reactions resulting therefrom. When pancreas inflammation occurs, the pancreatic tissue is covered with blood, oedema or even death, and these changes stimulate the nerve endings in the pancreas, so that pain signals quickly reach the brain like a “flammation”, so that the patient can feel severe pain. Moreover, inflammation can also affect tissues and organs around pancreas, such as post-peritoneal neurological bushes, gastrointestinal tracts, etc., further increase the degree and extent of pain. For example, when pancreatic inflammation and postperitoneal neurological tracts occur, pain is often emitted to the back of the waist, and patients feel like a “severe painful electric current” piercing their abdomen into their backs. In addition, abnormal incendiary and excretion of pancreas are important “agents” that cause pain. Insulin accumulates within the pancreatic glands, and the pressure rises, like an expanding “suffering balloon”, which causes constant oppression and irritation to pancreatic tissues and surrounding organs, increasing the severity and persistence of the pain.
II. Drug pain reduction strategies: precision application to alleviate acute pain
Non-polymer anti-inflammation drugs: In the initial phase of milder pain, non-polymer anti-inflammation drugs can be used as “foreguards”. Such drugs, such as Broven, aspirin and so on, reduce the inflammation of pancreas by inhibiting inflammation media in the body, thereby reducing pain relief. They’re like a group of “firefighters with inflammation” that quickly extinguishes the “light flames” of inflammation, so that pain can be alleviated. However, caution needs to be exercised in the use of such drugs, which may cause some irritation to gastrointestinal mucous membranes and risk causing complications such as gastrointestinal haemorrhage and ulcer. Therefore, the doctor is careful to weigh the advantages and disadvantages, depending on the patient ‘ s particular circumstances, and closely follows the gastrointestinal reaction of the patient.
Opioid analgesics: for moderate and severe pain, opioid analgesics become the “major force”. Drugs such as morphine and thorium can be closely associated with opioid receptors in the central nervous system, effectively disrupting the transmission of pain signals, such as the establishment of a strong “roadblock” on the “highway” from which pain is transmitted, which prevents the brain from receiving “alerts” of pain, thereby significantly reducing the suffering of patients. But opioids, like “two-edged swords”, have many risks as well as powerful pain relief effects. They can lead to adverse reactions such as respiratory inhibition, constipation, nausea, vomiting and, to some extent, addiction. Doctors therefore strictly monitor the life signs of the patient, such as the frequency of breathing, depth, etc., to ensure the safe use of the drug at the dose and time of use. At the same time, the use of a number of drugs to prevent adverse effects, such as portable drugs, is being combined to mitigate the side effects of opioids.
III. Non-pharmacological methods of pain relief: multiple aids, co-opting pain
fasting and gastrointestinal decompression: During the acute period of pancreas inflammation, fasting and gastrointestinal decompression are as “double-insurance” as essential to the relief of pain. A fasting can reduce food irritation to pancreas and allow them to be adequately “rest” and avoid further incubation. Gastrointestinal decompression reduces the pressure on pancreas by sucking gas and liquids out of the gastrointestinal tract through the gastrointestinal tube. It’s like creating a “low-pressure comfort zone” for pancreas, so that it can repair itself in a relatively relaxed environment and thus alleviate pain. During the fast, the patient can supplement the nutrients necessary for the body by means of an intravenous infusion of nutrients to maintain basic physiological functions.
2. Timing: The right position is also of great benefit for the relief of pain. Patients usually feel abated when they take a bending knee, which relaxes their abdominal muscles, relieves the tension of the pancreas, as if they had found a “comfortful attachment” for the abdomen of pain. Depending on their pain, the patient can try to find the best position to alleviate the pain and keep it as far as possible. For example, in the case of pain, soft pillows can be placed on the waist and lower abdomen, further increasing comfort and alleviating pain.
Psychiatry and relaxation techniques: Insulin pain often plunges patients into “muds” of adverse emotions, such as anxiety, fear, which in turn exacerbate the perception of pain. As a result, psychological guidance and relaxation techniques become indispensable “psychiatric comfort agents” in pain management. The patient can relax his/her body, breathe slowly, fill his/her abdomen with air, feel abdominal swelling, then breathe slowly, and exhale all the air from his/her body for 5 – 10 minutes each, several times a day. Meditation is also an effective way of relaxing, where patients close their eyes, concentrate on their own breath or a particular image, remove cynicism, calm their thoughts, as if they were in a quiet “single lake” and forget pain. In addition, the company and encouragement of family members and health-care providers, whose care and support enable patients to feel warmth and strength and enhance their confidence in overcoming pain, is crucial.
Pain monitoring and follow-up: dynamic tracking, optimal management
In pain management, continuous pain monitoring and regular follow-up are like “navigators” to guide the reorientation of treatment programmes. Patients should learn to self-assess the extent, location, duration and evolution of the pain and to inform doctors in a timely manner. On the basis of the patient ‘ s feedback, the doctor assesses the progress of the condition and the efficacy of the treatment in the light of other screening indicators, such as blood, urine starch levels, pancreas ultrasound, CT etc. If pain is found to be chronically unmitigated or aggravated, it may indicate a deterioration of the condition or an adjustment to the treatment programme, and the doctor will take timely and appropriate measures, such as replacing painkillers, adjusting the dose of treatment or further improving the examination. After the rehabilitation of the pancreas, the patient is also unable to be careless, and regular follow-up visits are still required in order for early detection of possible complications or signs of renewed pain and timely intervention to ensure long-term stability in the health of the pancreas.
The pain management of pancreas patients is a multi-dimensional, comprehensive “suffer resistance war”. Through an in-depth understanding of the root causes of pain, the rational use of medications for pain and non-pharmaceutical methods, and close pain monitoring and follow-up visits, patients are able to gradually take advantage of the fighting with pain, to effectively relieve severe pains, to regain peace and comfort and to move steadily towards health.
