There are several choices for pain relief after surgery and are tailored to your needs. Prescribing pain medications is generally part of your surgeon’s role and you should discuss with him or her the post-operative plan. After major or unusually painful procedures, anesthesiologists are often asked to prevent and treat pain. Depending on the operation and your state of general health, we commonly use indwelling epidural catheters, single-shots of micro-dose morphine in the spinal fluid, nerve blocks, intra-venous patient-controlled pumps, etc., to greatly reduce, and in some cases, completely eliminate post-operative pain. Feel free to ask your anesthesiologist if one of these methods might be advisable for you. Your anesthesiologist may recommend certain pain procedures for you to improve your comfort after surgery.
