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Pain Management after Hysterectomy

From the Hysterectomy Recovery Articles List

What choices are there for post-op pain management?


It is important to know and understand which medications your body does and doesn't tolerate. If you know of any allergies to medications, be sure and tell your nurses during your pre-op appointment and to your nursing staff and anesthesiologist once you check in at the hospital.

There are some newer procedures and/or products that might make post-op pain management a bit easier.

Pain Management in the hospital

ON-Q

The ON-Q Pain Management System provides a continuous drip of a local anesthetic (like lidocaine) directly into the patient’s surgical site for post-operative pain management.

The ON-Q Pain Management System is a tiny tube that is inserted into the incision site while you are sleeping which delivers the medication that numbs the area continually. The tube is attached to a little pouch with a long strap that can be carried over your shoulder when you get up. It stays in your incision for about two days until all the medicine is gone. Removing it is not painful.

Morphine Pump

The morphine pump is attached to your IV. The patient has control over the delivery of the medication as the patient "clicks" the mechanism providing a dosage as needed. The morphine pump is set to deliver a limited amount of pain medication to the patient so that overdosing should not be possible.

Many patients who report Demoral or Morphine made them ill found that Toradol was an excellent alternative.

Pain Management at Home

Patients are usually sent home from the hospital with a prescription for pain medication and instructions to take the medication as directed (usually every four hours). It is important to take the medication as directed for the first few days in order to "stay on top" of the pain. Once pain controls the patient's body, it is difficult to find a level of comfort easily.

Write down your medication schedule, and post it on your refrigerator or near your prescription bottle. It is easy to forget if you took your pills. Mark it down and check it off.

Examples of these medications for home pain management post-op hysterectomy:

Tylenol 3
Toradol
Demoral
Motrin

Rarely is a refill required; most hysterectomy patients report pain easing within the first few weeks.

If you are experiencing ongoing pain after the first month post-op that can not be handled by Tylenol or Motrin, discuss this with your surgeon; this pain is not typical.

If you find that you require a pain medication refill, discuss it with your doctor. Your personal physician is the best person to help you manage your pain.



This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support.



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