GENERAL INFORMATION:
PAIN MANAGEMENT
Pain Management After Surgery
Most surgery is associated with some degree of post-operative discomfort.
Your Anaesthesiologist is most suitably qualified to advise you on the various methods available to control any pain you may have.
Most surgery is associated with some degree of post-operative discomfort.
Your Anaesthesiologist is most suitably qualified to advise you on the various methods available to control any pain you may have.
How Much Pain Will I have?
Please feel free to discuss this important issue with him / her during the re-operative visit.
The amount of pain is affected by numerous factors.
These include:
Patients are often led to believe that taking "herbal" or "natural" preparations will decrease the level of post-operative pain. Do not heed this advice. Many of these preparations, including Arnica, St. John's Wort and preparations containing garlic and ginger may greatly increase the risk of post-operative bleeding and should be discontinued 10-14 days prior to surgery. Even though you may not regard them as "medicines", it is extremely important to let your Anaesthesiologist know if you have been taking any of these remedies.
With currently available technology and pharmacological advances, there is no reason why any patient should suffer unnecessary pain following surgery.
Please feel free to discuss this important issue with him / her during the re-operative visit.
The amount of pain is affected by numerous factors.
These include:
- The size of the surgical incision (the "cut")
- The extent of tissue trauma or “injury on the inside”
- The individual patient's personal pain threshold
- The area and nature of the surgery
Patients are often led to believe that taking "herbal" or "natural" preparations will decrease the level of post-operative pain. Do not heed this advice. Many of these preparations, including Arnica, St. John's Wort and preparations containing garlic and ginger may greatly increase the risk of post-operative bleeding and should be discontinued 10-14 days prior to surgery. Even though you may not regard them as "medicines", it is extremely important to let your Anaesthesiologist know if you have been taking any of these remedies.
With currently available technology and pharmacological advances, there is no reason why any patient should suffer unnecessary pain following surgery.
Different ways to treat pain
The Anaesthesiologist is armed with a vast array of methods to control post-operative pain. These range from the administration of systemic (oral or injected) analgesics (painkillers) to the performance of various forms of regional anaesthesia.
The Anaesthesiologist is armed with a vast array of methods to control post-operative pain. These range from the administration of systemic (oral or injected) analgesics (painkillers) to the performance of various forms of regional anaesthesia.
Is Addiction an Issue?
In the past, many patients have been hesitant to accept pain killers because of a fear of "addiction". The good news is that numerous well-conducted international studies have proved that without any doubt, the use of pain killers in the acute post-operative phase does not lead to addiction. Post-operative pain should normally disappear after approximately 8 weeks.
If you find that you are still suffering from pain 3 months after surgery, the possibility exists that you are suffering from what is referred to as chronic pain.
In this situation, you should not still be using normal pain killers. You should then contact a unit that specializes in the management of chronic pain.
In the past, many patients have been hesitant to accept pain killers because of a fear of "addiction". The good news is that numerous well-conducted international studies have proved that without any doubt, the use of pain killers in the acute post-operative phase does not lead to addiction. Post-operative pain should normally disappear after approximately 8 weeks.
If you find that you are still suffering from pain 3 months after surgery, the possibility exists that you are suffering from what is referred to as chronic pain.
In this situation, you should not still be using normal pain killers. You should then contact a unit that specializes in the management of chronic pain.
This information was reproduced from the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists (SASA) website Patient Corner page with permission from the webmaster (http://www.sasaweb.com)