Home treatment for
sickle cell disease includes steps you can take to
control pain symptoms. You and your health professional can develop a plan for
home treatment of symptoms, which you can refer to when pain begins.
Treatment of pain at home is a way of life for most people with
sickle cell disease. Sickle cell pain varies from person to person, from mild
to severe, and from occasional to constant. Some people experience numerous
painful events a year, while others experience none.
In many cases, you can treat mild to severe sickle cell pain at home
with a combination of pain medications, plenty of fluids, and comfort measures
such as heating pads.1 However, painful events can
become severe and last for days to weeks. Such extreme pain requires aggressive
pain medication that must be monitored in the hospital. If pain is increasing
and is not relieved by treatment at home, call your doctor and seek emergency
medical care.
Mild to moderate body pain and some painful events can be treated at
home by:
- Drinking a lot of water and other
fluids.
- Getting plenty of bed rest.
- Keeping warm. Cold
temperatures worsen pain.
- Practicing pain management skills, such
as distraction,
guided imagery,
deep breathing,
relaxation, and self-talk. These skills can help you
and/or your child focus away from the pain. A pain specialist can teach you
pain management skills.
- Treating the pain with medication.
- For mild pain, use
ibuprofen (such as Advil) and/or
acetaminophen (such as Tylenol).
- Children
and teens younger than 20 should not be given aspirin,
which can cause
Reye's syndrome.
- For more severe pain,
take regular doses of pain medication prescribed by your doctor.
- Use the pain management plan you developed with your doctor to
help decide what type of pain medication to use. You are probably the best
judge of when it's necessary to use a stronger prescription painkiller.
Citations
Committee on Genetics, American Academy of Pediatrics (2002). Health supervision for children with sickle cell disease. Pediatrics, 109(3): 526-535.
Committee on Genetics, American Academy of Pediatrics (2002). Health supervision for children with sickle cell disease. Pediatrics, 109(3): 526-535.
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