ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of Pat, who is a 36-year-old woman, married, with two sons aged 12 and 9 years. She had problems with her bowels for several months before some rectal bleeding made her see her general practitioner. Investigations revealed a carcinoma of the sigmoid colon with liver metastases. She copes by maintaining a level of denial and refuses to tell her sons. She tends not to complain of pain, but grimaces whenever she sits down. She looks anxious. There is no single treatment that treats all pains. Some treatments are better for some pains than for others. Consequently, it is essential to attempt to diagnose the cause of the pain. Pain can cause a variety of behaviours and signs. The key issue is a change in behaviour and/or signs.
