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Questions
to Ask about Post-Surgical Pain and Pain Relief
It is
very important to control your post-surgical pain, not only
because you will feel better, but because your recovery could
be shorter and smoother, and some of the common complications
associated with surgery can be avoided. Uncontrolled pain,
however, can keep you relatively immobile, interfering with
the key elements of your post-surgical regimen in the following
ways:
-
It will be harder to do the breathing exercises your physician
has ordered
- You will find it hard to cough. Coughing is very important
to keeping your lungs and airways free of fluid, thus preventing
pneumonia from developing
- Your digestion will be slower in returning to normal
- If you can't get out of bed because of pain, you will
be more prone to forming blood clots
- You will be more likely to become depressed and feel
stressed
Before you enter the hospital
for surgery, plan to talk with your health care professional
about your post-surgical pain expectations. Here are some
suggested questions to ask:
How
much pain will I be in after I awake from surgery, and how
long do you expect that pain to last? -
What
types of pain medications will be appropriate for me,
and what exactly will you prescribe for me?
-
What
are the side effects of the medication you will prescribe
for me? I have heard that narcotics can have serious and
potentially life-threatening side effects?
-
Are
there safer and more effective alternatives to narcotics
to treat pain following surgery?
-
What
if the medication you prescribe for me doesn't control
my pain, or I can't tolerate its side effects?
-
What
if the pain is so bad that I can't move or get out of
bed?
Write
additional questions to ask here.
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