The most common symptom of sickle cell disease is pain. Many of those who suffer from Sickle Cell diseases deal with a great deal of pain, which many times leads to emergency room visits. Not all patients with Sickle Cell diseases experience pain, though.

During painful crises, pain may emanate from the bones, usually in the arms, hands, legs, feet, or back. There may also be pain in the stomach or abdomen, or in the chest.

Other than pain, there are additional health problems that those with sickle cell disease may experience.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for sickle cell disease. There are treatments and precautions, however, which can help treat the disease, prevent painful sickle cell crises, and relieve pain.

Some sickle cell crises can be prevented by avoiding situations that bring on the crises. This includes avoiding exposure to cold weather, getting plenty of sleep and rest, being careful not to exercise too hard, and drinking plenty of fluids.

Treating the Pain of Sickle Cell Diseases
Emergency room visits are common to treat the pain of a sickle cell crisis. Some sickle cell patients have had bad experiences in emergency rooms and hospitals because health care professionals have questioned their pain and their desire for pain medications. Some may even have been accused of being addicted to pain medications. Health care professionals need to understand that wanting medications to help the pain of a sickle cell crisis does not make a patient a drug addict. Bad experiences with medical professionals lead many sickle cell patients to distrust health care professionals. It is important for patients with this affliction to find doctors who understand their disease and are sympathetic to their distress.

For many patients, taking opioid medications daily can be extremely helpful during painful crisis, along with additional pain medications. The daily opioids can help reduce the number of crises and make the pain less severe. This may cause patients and their family members to worry about addiction.

Other medications that may be prescribed by a doctor for relief from sickle cell pain are:

Not all treatments involve drugs
There are non-drug treatments that can ease the pain of Sickle Cell diseases, or prevent the pain from happening in the first place. Physical therapy can be used to incorporate gentle exercises and heat and cold treatments to help with sickle cell disease pain.

Some patients also find that seeing a psychologist helps cope with the illness or in learning new techniques to help control the pain.

Doctors Allan Platt, Lewis Hsu and Silvia Brandalise are working on a new version of their best-selling Hope & Destiny, written specifically for adolescents with Sickle Cell Diseases. The book will be out early 2013, along with a coloring book for younger children afflicted by the diseases.

Sickle Cell disease occurs in one out of every 500 African American births. Sickle Cell Trait occurs in approximately one in every 12 African Americans. An estimated 100,000 Americans live with sickle cell disease and millions of individuals are affected worldwide.

Sickle cell disease and trait can be very painful and can cause organ damage. It is a disease in which your body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells. The cells are shaped like a crescent or sickle, hence the name. These blood cells don’t last as long as normal blood cells, which leads to anemia.

People with sickle cell disease are born with two sickle cell genes, one from each parent. Those with only one sickle cell gene, have sickle cell trait. A simple blood test can show if you have either.

How Is Sickle Cell Anemia Treated?

The goal of treating the disease is to relieve pain, prevent infections, organ damage and stroke, and to control other complications. Sickle cell anemia has no cure, but treatments can help relieve symptoms and treat complications.

People who have sickle cell anemia need regular medical care and hematologists specialize in treating those who have the disease.

Caring for someone with sickle cell disease is challenging and can be stressful for the whole family. Often, others in the family worry about becoming ill with the disease. Sickle cell disease is inherited and cannot be “caught” or spread from person to person in the air or by blood transfusions. Parents who learn about the disease are more likely to be able to help their children deal with the disease in the best ways possible.

Learning more about sickle cell disease can help individuals feel more comfortable when taking care of loved ones with the disease. It can be difficult to learn about a disease when you do not know where to start. You should read as much as possible and ask medical experts about the disease, and find medical practitioners who understand the disease. There are many wonderful resources on the web, starting with the Sickle Cell Association of America http://www.scdaastore.org/books.