Symbolic wording

Final label

Cooperative relationship

with medical professionals

Patients sometimes experience gaps and differences in their perception of matters from the perceptions of the medical professionals. However, from the compassionate behaviors of the medical professionals such as expressing understanding of the conditions of the pain and answering questions about the analgesic medication, participants felt a relationship with the medical professionals sharing the wishes and ideas of the patients.

Problems originating from cancer pain

Patients had trouble in movement, housework, family’s care, in working―due to the pain, and they suffered from impediments in their daily life due to constipation and drowsiness which are side effects of opioid analgesics.

Self-regulation of analgesic medications based on the interactions with medical professionals

Patients told the medical professionals of their pain conditions by trying to express the felt pain effectively and also keeping a pain diary, and accepted the explanations and advice on opioid analgesics from the medical professionals. Following the advice, patients had taken measures against side effects by regulating the dose and time of the analgesic medication in conformity to their daily activities at home or at the workplace.

Self-regulation of the analgesic medications based on the physical perceptions of the effects

Patients tried to avoid taking analgesics aimlessly and increasing the dose because they had concerns about the resistance to opioid analgesics, and the idea that the medicine itself is not good for their health. From these reasons, they regulated the dose administering it sparingly according to their tolerance to pain and depending on their physical perceptions.

Self-regulation to maintain a balanced and calm mind

Due to the experiences that the mental state affects how pain is perceived, patients tried to maintain calm by sharing the hardship with people suffering from the same disease, switching their thoughts to positive, and finding the purpose to live.

Fulfilling life by the pain alleviation and liberation from the restrictions imposed by the cancer

Patients had thought that ordinary life and meaningful time will return, and the perception that they are restricted by cancer if pain is alleviated.

Efforts to maintain their lives by themselves

Because patients do not want to impose a burden on their families and people around them, they are prepared to put up with the progress of the cancer condition and the increase in the pain by acting courageously, trying to do their best in what they can do, entrusting housework and work to others, booking hospices, and renovating house.