MultiCare Cancer Center provides a range of services to support your cancer journey.
At MultiCare Cancer Center, it is our goal to keep you comfortable during your treatment. Treating and controlling your pain is a primary concern. There are many options available for pain relief. Consult your doctor or nurse about your pain—they will likely be able to explain the cause and prescribe a treatment specifically for you.
When describing pain for your doctor or nurse, be as specific as you can about what you are experiencing. These words may help you describe your pain: nagging, dull ache, stabbing, burning, squeezing, cutting, tingling, shooting, pressing, flickering, itching, sharp, stinging, pricking, rushing, pinching, pulsing, gnawing, boring or cramping.
There are complementary treatments that, when combined with pain medications, may help control your pain. These include heat or cold packs, massage, pressure and vibration, exercise, repositioning, immobilization of painful area, and relaxation, just to name a few.
Learn more by visiting Water's Edge: Memorial's Pain Relief Institute.
Now located at Lakeview.
Our licensed therapists and their highly trained staff specialize in preserving the strength and mobility of patients with cancer and other diseases. They also provide lymphedema therapy to those who have tissue swelling from removal of tumor, lymph nodes or injury. This training is very specialized and helps to restore normal function for those patients. Physical therapists make recommendations for counteracting fatigue through the use of exercise and strength training. MultiCare Cancer Center is pleased to offer one of the most comprehensive physical therapy sites in Central Washington, ensuring that our patients have a supportive and relaxing experience.
For many patients, the side effects of cancer and cancer treatments make it difficult to eat well.
Appetite, taste, smell, and the ability to eat enough food or absorb the nutrients from food may be affected.
Your physician may refer you to a dietitian during your therapy to focus specifically on your individual needs.
A social worker is specially trained to help you find the resources you need in the local community to continue your normal life and routine as much as possible. They can assist our patients in finding resources in many areas:
- Supportive counseling: Assistance with personal and family issues.
- Crisis intervention: Grief counseling and adjustment to illness.
- Community referrals: Assistance in locating cancer support groups, patient financial assistance, transportation, housing, hospice and other supportive agencies.
- Healthcare worker consultation: Psychosocial issues.
- Staff consultation: Community resources.
- Elder abuse and domestic violence screening: All healthcare staff are mandated reporters. Contact us for assistance, or directly report incidents of this nature to your social worker.
For support from our social services team, call 509-574-3497. You can also call 509-574-3568 for assistance with resource coordination, insurance, social security, disability, financial issues, coping, support and support services.
At MultiCare Cancer Center, complementary therapies are used to enhance traditional treatment, giving the body additional ways to promote the healing process.
It's important for our patients to have a sense of well-being and empowerment. To take care of all sides of healing, emotional, psychological and spiritual, The North Star Lodge cancer team incorporates complementary medicine into conventional treatment plans in order to serve our patients more completely.
MultiCare Cancer Center has a number of resources for people in our community who qualify to receive help with transportation. Please contact our social worker at 509-574-3497 to learn about transportation available.
Guided imagery is the conscious use of the imagination to create positive images ("healing visualizations") in order to bring about healthful changes in both the body and the mind.
The following titles are available to listen to while you are receiving treatment:
- A meditation to help ease pain: imagery and affirmations designed to reduce pain by elevating serotonin levels; teaching relaxation skills; refocusing the mind; encouraging feelings of love, gratitude, safety and peace; and marshaling courage and patience.
- A meditation to help with bone marrow and stem cell transplantation: designed to promote feelings of safety and support, help with physical discomfort and fatigue, tolerate the temporary loss of identity, encourage patience with the healing process, and envision a successful procedure and the body's acceptance of healthy new cells.
- A meditation to help you with radiation therapy: designed to help listeners see radiation treatment in a positive light; reduce adverse side effects, such as fatigue and nausea; help immune cells combat trouble spots; and reduce anxiety.
- A meditation to help you with chemotherapy: designed to show chemotherapy in a positive light; reduce adverse side effects, such as fatigue and nausea; help the body's immune cells fight cancer; and encourage hope, safety and calm.
- A meditation to help you with fatigue: guided imagery to help relieve tiredness from chemotherapy and radiation therapy and combat side effects from major cancer-fighting treatments.
To view our complete listing of classes and events, please visit our calendar.
Reviewed 2/21/2023
Sources
- American Chronic Pain Association. "The ACPA and Stanford Resource Guide to Chronic Pain Management." https://www.acpanow.com/acpa-stanford-guide.html.
- American Psychological Association. "Coping With Chronic Pain." http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/chronic-pain.aspx.
Chronic pain: True or false?
Chronic pain is any type of pain that lingers for at least six months. And there's no denying it can interfere with the quality of life and your everyday activities. But many treatments and coping techniques can help. How much do you know about chronic pain?
True or false: Stress can make pain worse.
True. Physical pain can cause stress. And stress, in turn, can make it harder to cope with pain. But reducing your stress may help you manage pain. Exercising regularly, getting plenty of rest and eating a well-balanced diet are some positive stress-busting techniques.
True or false: Positive thinking and self-talk can help make pain more manageable.
True. While good thoughts and optimism won't simply make the pain go away, they can make a difference. That's because, experts say, positive self-talk may help alter your perception of pain. Sometimes it's a matter of reminding yourself that you are moving toward feeling better and regaining a good quality of life.
True or false: Taking powerful narcotic medicines is the only way to treat chronic pain.
False. Other medications—and even nonmedication treatments—can often help people manage their pain. These include things like massage, physical therapy, nerve blocking injections and even surgical procedures. The options available to someone depend on the specific pain condition and other factors.
True or false: Taking part in relaxing pastimes can help you manage pain.
True. A positive distraction, such as a hobby, can help with pain management. Reading or listening to music are other ways to focus away from the pain. Connecting with other people—in person or online—can help too.
True or false: Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and put up with pain.
False. It's important to speak up about your pain. Tell your provider how it feels—and how it affects your life. Does it keep you from sleeping, enjoying activities or doing daily chores? Work together to create a plan to address your pain. You don't have to deal with it in silence.
Chronic pain is a common problem that can pose many challenges. But it is also treatable or manageable. There are many ways to cope with pain—and live your life more fully.
Sources: American Chronic Pain Association; American Psychological Association