Pain Relief after Surgery

Pain Relief After Surgery
Good pain relief is important and some people need more than others, it depends very much on the individual.  It is much easier to relieve pain if it is dealt with before it gets too bad.  Pain relief can be increased, given more often or given in different combinations.
 

Some different ways of giving pain relief:

Pills, tablets or liquid to swallow
These are used for all types of pain.  They take at least an hour to work.  You need to be able to eat, drink and not feel sick for these drugs to work.

Injections
These are often needed and are given either into a vein for immediate effect or into your leg or buttock muscle.  When injected into a muscle they take about 20 minutes to work.

Suppositories
If you cannot swallow or if you might vomit suppositories which are waxy pellets are useful, as they are inserted into your back passage (rectum).  The pellet dissolves and passes into your body.

Patient Controlled Pain Relief
This is a method using a machine which allows you to control of your own pain relief medication. 

Local Anaesthesia and Regional Blocks
These types of anaesthetic can be very useful for relieving pain after surgery.