Good pain relief is important after surgery. It prevents suffering and it helps you recover more quickly. The amount of pain you experience will depend on the type of surgery you have had and your mood. Anxiety is known to worsen pain.
Following your operation, the nurses may ask you to score your pain using a zero to 10 scale. At first you may be asked to score your pain quite regularly, for example, every two hours. Your pain scores will be recorded on a chart to help your clinical team know whether your pain treatments are working.
Analgesics (painkillers) are specific drugs which are used to relieve pain. After you have had your operation, you will be given analgesics for as long as you need them. Pain should be treated early, rather than allowing it to become worse. If at any time you find it difficult to move or breathe deeply because of pain, you must tell the nurses so that they can review your pain control.
Many people fear that they may become addicted to analgesics. This is very rare and usually linked to previous drug abuse. Some people also feel that pain is the body’s way of stopping them doing too much before the healing process is complete. Taking analgesics will not interfere with the healing process. If you are worried or feel you need more information, your doctors and nurses will be able to answer your questions.
There are many different types of analgesics and your doctors and nurses will choose the best ones to control your pain after talking to you about it.
Some are suited for tackling mild to moderate pain, while others are best for reducing inflammation around wound sites. Anti-inflammatory drugs are often given with other analgesics such as co-proxamol and morphine. This is because they increase the pain relieving effects of these drugs. Anti-inflammatory drugs can cause some stomach irritation, such as indigestion. To prevent this, they should be taken with food. If you have had any stomach problems in the past, such as an ulcer, tell your doctor. You may not be able to take these drugs. People with asthma must also use these drugs carefully.
Stronger analgesics are often used in the first few days following some types of surgery. Pain is expected to be more intense then. Commonly used strong analgesics are morphine, diamorphine and fentanyl. Occasionally some side effects occur with stronger analgesics. A few people feel sick, although this may be due to other factors such as the anaesthetic. Sickness can usually be prevented with regular anti-sickness drugs. If you feel sick, or have felt sick after a previous operation, tell your doctor or nurse. Sometimes strong analgesics cause other side effects, such as drowsiness, itching and constipation. Usually these aren’t too troublesome, but if they are you can be given other medicines to prevent them. Occasionally you may need to change to another drug to control your pain.
How are analgesics given?
- As tablets or liquid which you swallow or dissolve under your
tongue
- As a suppository which is put into your rectum (back passage)
- By injection into the tissues just under the skin or into a muscle
- By a constant slow infusion into a vein or the tissues under the
skin
- As patient controlled analgesia (PCA) – which allows you to press a button on a handset to infuse a set dose of analgesic into a vein
- As a special infusion through a small tube into your back – this
is known as an epidural.
Your doctors and nurses will explain the different ways pain relief is given and suggest one that is appropriate for you.
Non-drug treatments to control pain
Non-drug treatments include some complementary therapies which can be effective for mild to moderate pain and boost the painrelieving effects of drugs. Simple relaxation techniques such as abdominal breathing, visualisation exercises, listening to relaxing music and massage can help.
Other techniques include supporting your wound when coughing, deep breathing or moving after surgery. You can discuss these with your nurse before your operation. If you are having a major operation, a physiotherapist will visit you before and afterwards. The physiotherapist will teach you breathing exercises and how to support your wound when moving.