| Can Pain Be Physical, Emotional or Spiritual? |
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ARTICLE SUMMARY Pain management for the dying is not just managing physical pain. Your loved one, suffering in physical pain, may begin to experience other types of pain as well. The physical pain may cause irritability, making communication harder. Physical pain may also create anxiety, and depression, causing your loved one to interact less and less with you and your family. This may cause more emotional pain, because their need is greater for your love now than before. Managing different pain
Can pain be physical, emotional or spiritual? FULL ARTICLE Pain management for the dying is not just managing physical pain. Your loved one, suffering in physical pain, may begin to experience other types of pain as well. The physical pain may cause irritability, making communication harder. Physical pain may also create anxiety, and depression, causing your loved one to interact less and less with you and your family. This may cause more emotional pain, because their need is greater for your love now than before. Physical pain can always be managed, but emotional pain may be more difficult. The key to this is to control the physical pain, first. Get your loved one on a pain management program with an experienced pain management physician. Once physical pain is controlled then it will be easier for your loved one to deal with the emotional pain. The spiritual pain that comes can include the sense of hopelessness when faced with dying. This can cause further anxiety, and may cause your loved one to feel more of a burden on you. They may distance themselves not only from you , but God as well. Sleep may become more restless. Physical pain management may bring some immediate comfort, and your loved one may sleep quite a bit at first. Once that passes, spiritual and emotional counseling could be helpful at this time, however you will be the most important person to help your loved one through these other pains. By controlling physical pain through good pain management techniques, you will be in stronger position to handle the spiritual pain and emotional pain that goes along with death and dying. Getting help quickly for the physical pain – trust your loved one – he or she know their pain and feel it. For your loved one this trust will go along way towards healing and comfort. |