About this topic
Pain can be an unpleasant feeling that happens in any part of the body. It is most often a warning that something is wrong inside your childs body. Pain can be mild or very bad. Your child may feel pain always or it may just come and go. It may be dull, sharp, or throbbing. Pain can last for a long time or a short time. It can cause upset stomach and throwing up. Your child may not feel hungry or thirsty. Your child may feel anxious and upset. ‚
Pain can be acute or chronic. Acute pain tells you there may be an injury or illness and you need to take care of your child right away. Chronic pain tells you there is a serious illness or chronic condition and can last for a long period of time. Treatment for pain will depend on the kind and type of pain. The face scale below is used to help your child show the doctor the amount of pain your child is feeling. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child.
- Drugs may be ordered to help the pain. Do not give aspirin to your child unless it was ordered by your childs doctor. Aspirin can cause serious problems to your child.
- Keep a diary of your child's pain. Talk to your child about the pain and record:
- How often the pain happens
- If anything brings it on
- What the pain feels like, such as throbbing, pricking, dull ache, cramping, burning, stabbing
- If the pain spreads and to what part of the body
- Your child's behavior and actions that show your child is in pain
- How your child feels after taking drugs for pain
- Any side effects from the pain drugs
- Share this information with your child's doctor on your follow-up visits.
- Ice and heat may be used to ease pain and help with swelling from muscle pain.
- Place an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel over the painful part. Never put ice right on the skin. Do not leave the ice on more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Use for the first 24 to 48 hours after an injury or workout.
- Heat may be used later but not right away. Do not use heat with sharp pain or right away after an injury. Heat can make swelling worse. If your doctor tells you to use heat, put a heating pad on the painful part for no more than 20 minutes at a time. Never go to sleep with a heating pad on as this can cause burns.
- Keep your child calm. Anxiety makes pain much worse. Hold or hug your child while in pain. It helps to ease the pain when your child knows that you care and love him.
- You may use other ways to ease your child's pain, such as massage or breathing exercises, imaging, and music therapy.
What follow-up care is needed?
- The doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your childs progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If the pain is worse or comes more often, call your child's doctor or take your child to the doctor right away.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain and swelling
Give your child drugs as ordered by the doctor. Some of these drugs can be habit forming and may cause side effects. ‚
Will physical activity be limited?
Physical activities may be limited due to the pain that your child has. Talk to the doctor about the right amount of activity for your child. ‚
What changes to diet are needed?
The food your child can eat may depend on what kind of pain your child has or how much pain your child is having. Talk to the doctor about what kind of food is good for your child. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Lack of interest in activities or going to school
- Irritation
- Sadness
- Anxiety
- Low mood or mood swings
- Loss of appetite
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
The best thing you can do is talk to the doctor about any pain your child has. Your doctor can help you make a plan to lower your childs pain. ‚
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, very bad sore throat, ear or sinus pain, pain or blood with passing urine.
- Very bad upset stomach, throwing up, or belly pain; not able to eat or drink anything
- Back or side pain that lasts
- Not able to move or do daily actions
- Very bad pain that is not helped by drugs
- You are not sure why your child has pain
- Your child is not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or your child is feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you about your child. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can help my child tell about the pain.
- I can tell you what may help ease my childs pain.
- I can tell you what I will do if my child's pain is not helped by drugs.
Where can I learn more?
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/pain.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚