Preventing pain and stress
Operations are done under anesthesia, and after surgery we give pain medication. Short procedures and some tests, such as punctures, are done under sedation. We provide pain relief for treatment-related pain, such as inflamed mucous membranes or joint pain. We also treat pain caused by the illness itself, for example when a tumor presses on a bone, nerve, or organ. This can be treated with radiation therapy, surgery, or chemotherapy.
Helping your child feel at ease
It is important that your child feels comfortable. Tension and fear can make pain worse. Show your child that you see their fear and that you are there for them. Give space for emotions and questions and talk about them. You can always ask a child life specialist or psychologist for support. They can help your child feel less anxious, which can also reduce the pain. The child life specialist also prepares your child for tests and procedures so your child knows what will happen. This helps to lower anxiety.
How do we know your child is in pain?
Children do not always say when they are in pain. They may not want to complain, want to be brave, or think the pain will go away on its own. It can also be hard for children to describe exactly what they feel. That is why we use tools to measure pain.
When your child is very young, we look mainly at their facial expression, movements, reactions, and behavior, and we ask what you think as a parent, because you know your child best.
With older children, we ask them to rate their pain on a scale from zero to ten. Zero means no pain at all, ten means very bad pain.
Your child may only have pain when moving or coughing. We want to know that too.
Together with you and your child we assess how much pain there is, so we can give pain medication in time if needed.