Pain After Surgery - How To Subdue It?

The word 'surgery' is often dreaded by patients. Be it an invasive surgery or a keyhole gallbladder surgery, it does not evoke a ready "yes" in most patients. There are too many patients who are ready to be on long-term medications if they could avoid the surgery and its complications. While there could be a scar. The one feared by most is the postoperative pain. After the effect of the anesthetic wears off patients fear pain and discomfort. The trick is to prepare oneself - not just for the surgery but for the after effects.

Before the surgery, a detailed discussion with the surgeon on the following issues may be helpless:

• Type and severity of the pain and complete list of medications to reduce pain. 
• Pain tolerance/threshold - Letting your doctor know your tolerance levels can help him prescribe an appropriate pain killer.

After the surgery, the following are some ways to cope with the pain:

1. Pain killers - Don't wait for the anesthesia effect to completely wear out. Take the pain killer much before the pain starts so that the onset of pain is delayed or nullified. For severe cases, opioids may be used to manage immediate postoperative pain. However, in most cases, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen are used. They may also be used for a few days after surgery to reduce the pain and inflammation, depending on the type of surgery.
2. Topical injections - In cases involving skin incisions, these help reduce the pain in the skin along the incision. Epidural injections continuously help to reduce pain remarkably in abdominal & pelvic operations.
3. Compression stockings - In addition to reducing blood clot, they also reduce pain in the legs.
4. Physiotherapy - If there is a joint involved, doing physiotherapy after surgery is extremely beneficial. In addition to reducing pain, they also help improve mobility.
5. Sleep - Sleeping pills, sedatives or sleep inducing drugs promote comfort and help to cope with pain.
6. Reduce Stress - This will help you cope better with the pain and heal faster.

A given patient and a given surgery are a unique combination. No two patients will react the same way to a particular surgery. Postsurgical pain can be managed very effectively with a little planning.