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BACK COVER FOLD FOLD PAGE 5 FRONT COVER NOTES If there is anything about your pain management that you do not understand please ask a member of nursing or medical staff or write your questions here PAIN MANAGEMENT AFTER SURGERY Beacon Hospital Sandyford Dublin 18 D18 AK68 PATIENT INFORMATION Tel 01 293 6600 www beaconhospital ie FOLD FOLD THIS IS MODERN MEDICINE
PAGE 3 FOLD FOLD PAGE 2 PAGE 4 PAIN MANAGEMENT AFTER SURGERY PATIENT INFORMATION What sort of pain will I experience after surgery Pain due to surgery is called acute pain This type of pain resolves as your body heals after your surgery It is very important that your pain is well controlled after surgery and following your discharge from hospital If your pain is well controlled you will be more able to complete any prescribed exercises as well as general day to day activity and maintain good levels of sleep How will the staff know how much pain I have Medical and nursing staff will ask you frequently about pain You will be asked to rate your pain intensity on a scale of 0 10 A score of 0 represents no pain and a score of 10 represents the worst possible pain In addition to medications methods such as distraction heat and cold and sleep are also important in managing your pain after surgery Methods such as listening to music reading controlled breathing and Alternatively you can describe your pain as mild moderate or severe You will also be asked to describe what your pain feels like For example some pain is dull and aching and some pain is sharp Who will manage my pain after surgery Managing your pain is a team effort The medical and nursing staff will work with you to manage your pain It is very important that you tell the nursing staff if you are experiencing pain both while you are resting and during movement meditation have a scientific basis can be very effective and can reduce the amount of medications you need Some people will be given patient controlled analgesia PCA after surgery This is a special pump that delivers painkillers into a vein in your hand or arm when you press a button Only you are allowed to press this button not the staff or your visitors What methods will be used to manage my pain Some people will be given epidural analgesia after surgery An epidural pump delivers painkillers via a very small plastic catheter tube at your back You may also be given a button to press which gives you additional painkillers when you have pain Only you are allowed to press this button not the staff or your visitors An epidural catheter tube is inserted in theatre by your anaesthetist This is done before your surgery begins You will be encouraged to ring your call bell in order to alert a member of staff if you are FOLD experiencing pain FOLD A combination of strategies are used to manage your pain during recovery You will usually receive a variety of painkilling medications These may be tablets liquids suppositories patches on your skin or injections It is important that you tell the nursing and medical staff if you are allergic or sensitive to any particular medications or if you experience any side effects during your recovery The type of medications and amount will be tailored to your pain reports If you are given a prescription for painkillers going home your discharging nurse will go through this with you