A Patient's Guide to Pain Control after Surgery

Working with your Doctors and Nurses for Maximum Pain Control

Our intentions with discussing pain control pre-operatively is not to scare you, but to prepare you; therefore minimizing pain postoperatively.

  • Talk with your nurses and doctors about pain control methods and what has worked for you in the past. Tell them your concerns about medications. Tell them about any allergies you have to food and medicine. Ask about side-effects of medications.
  • Talk (or ask for) pain medication when pain first begins. It’s harder to ease pain once it has taken hold.
  • Help the doctor and nurses “measure” the pain. They will ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 0-10.
    O – No pain1-3 Mild pain
    4-6 Moderate7-10 Severe
    They will ask you the quality of the pain, is it: Dull, pressure, burning, nagging, sharp, stabbing, tender, sore, severe, unbearable.
  • Tell the doctor or nurse about any pain that won’t go away. Your doctors and nurses can change your pain control methods if your pain is not under control.