3/4: Pain Control without Drugs:

How you can help your child cope

These methods work best for mild pain, or around a short event like an injection, and rely to a large degree on involvement by parents, nurses and play specialists. Comfort and support them - pain is much worse when children are scared, tense and tired. Stroking and cuddling may make them feel a little better - sometimes they want to squeeze someone's hand while the pain lasts. Just being there helps, especially during tests and treatment that may be painful. So, ask if you can stay if your child wants you to, and you can cope.

Handy tips for dealing with Pain

• let your child know it doesn't matter if he shows they are upset when they are in pain - even adults do this
  
• They should have the choice whether they want to watch a needle go in or not
  
• They may feel better if they give their teddy lots of injections, or makes a toy crocodile bite all the toy doctors and nurses
  
• make sure that you are calm and confident - it is not a good time to show that you are upset too

Explain as much as possible

Fear increases pain. The worst pain is fear of the unknown. So children need to know what to expect, and to be given choices and some control. They feel less upset if they are told honestly:

• When something is going to hurt
  
• Why they are having something painful done to them
  
• That it is meant to help them, not to punish them

Do not tell them that it is not going to hurt, if it is.

Quite often you can find out what your child needs to know, if you get him to talk about his pain, and to visualise how he feels by drawing or painting. Puppets, toys and hospital play sets are useful tools'.

Distractions

Stories, videos, cassettes and games, puppets or pop-up books, telling jokes or riddles may help children to feel less pain. The more you get a child to tell the story or work the puppets, the better. If your child has to have a needle, you could rub the other arm. Deep breathing, slowly counting 4 breaths in and 4 breaths out, or blowing bubbles can soothe a child. It can also help to calm you, which can have a positive effect on your child.

Use your child's imagination

Many hospital staff are teaching children and parents mind-over-body methods which help them deal with their pain. (These methods are used either on their own or with drugs.) There may be someone in your hospital who can help you begin. Here are a few useful examples:

• before a blood test encourage your child to imagine putting on a special long glove that blocks the pain
  
• if your child is feeling sick, he could think of swallowing a cooling drink which soothes his mouth right down to his stomach o if your child has eczema, he can imagine rolling in special snow
  
• if your child has long-term pain, he might think of slowly reducing the volume control on his TV or computer game down to a level that makes the pain bearable
  
• to help your child relax, get him to shut his eyes and sleepily imagine walking slowly down ten steps to a door which opens into a secret place. This could be any place where he feels safe and happy, and he particularly enjoys, like a fun air, swimming or his bedroom at home. Then lead him back through the door and slowly back up the stairs again. By this time the pain may not have gone away, but it may not seem so bad

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