pain relief book feb NGV

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					                                                                                ANAESTHETICS & CRITICAL CARE
   Help yourself feel more comfortable
Try to relax your body. Think about lying on the beach or listening to
your favourite music, reading or any other distracting therapy. Enjoy a
pleasant daydream. It may sound silly but this will help to ease the
tension in your muscles which can make your pain worse.
Ask a relative or friend to massage your hands and feet with baby lotion.
This can be very relaxing.
                                                                                      Patient Information

                      Pain relief teams
Most hospitals have a team of nurses and anaesthetists who specialise
in pain relief after surgery.
                                                                                      Pain Relief

                               Finally                                     FT
For the benefit of our patients, visitors and staff, Northampton General
Hospital operates a smoke-free policy. This means that smoking is not
allowed on the trust site, including all buildings, grounds and car parks.
Leaflets, information, friendly advice and support on giving up smoking
and on nicotine replacement therapy are available from the local Stop
Smoking helpline on 0845 601 3116, the free national helpline on 0800
169069, e-mail: and local pharmacies.
Car parking spaces at Northampton General Hospital are extremely
limited and it is essential to arrive early, allowing ample time for parking.
Alternatively, you may find it more convenient to arrange to be dropped
off and collected.
This information can be provided in other languages and formats upon
request including Braille, audio cassette and CD, please contact (01604)
544516 or the Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) on (01604) 545784.
 Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, Cliftonville, Northampton NN1 5BD.
        Telephone (01604) 544382.
                  Desktop Publishing by Corporate Affairs.
NGV699                   Updated February 2008
                                                                                           Suppositories - These waxy pellets are placed in your back passage
                            Pain relief                                                    (rectum). The pellet dissolves and the drug passes easily into the body.
Good pain relief is important. It prevents suffering and it helps you recover              are often used to supplement other methods of pain control.
more quickly. Your anaesthetist will probably discuss different pain relief
                                                                                           Patient controlled analgesia (PCA) - This is a method using a machine
methods with you before your surgery so you can make an informed
decision about which you would prefer.
Some people need more pain relief than others. Worry increases the                         button. When you press the button, you receive a small dose of the
pain people feel.                                                                          drug painlessly into your blood stream. The machine is set so that you
                                                                                           cannot give yourself an overdose.
Pain relief can be increased, given more often or given in different
combinations.                                                                              Local anaesthetics (regional blocks and epidurals) - This type of
                                                                                           analgesia can be very useful for relieving pain after surgery. More details
Occasionally, pain is a warning sign that all is not well, so the nursing                  are in the leaflet 'Post operative epidural pain relief'
staff should be told about it.

Good pain relief helps prevent complications.
                                                                                          T            Drugs you may receive
If you can breathe deeply and cough easily after your operation, you are                AOpiates - These are the drugs often used for severe pain. They include
less likely to develop a chest infection.                                              R
                                                                                      D morphine, diamorphine, codeine and pethidine. They may be given by
If you can move around freely, you are less likely to get blood clots                      tablets, injections or patient controlled analgesia. They may also be
(deep vein thrombosis or DVT).                                                             added to a spinal or epidural to give longer and better pain relief.

It is much easier to relieve pain if it is dealt with before it gets bad. So,              Some people have side-effects, the most common include feeling sick,
you should ask for help as soon as you feel pain, and continue the                         vomiting, constipation, and drowsiness. Larger doses can produce
treatment regularly.                                                                       breathing problems and low blood pressure (hypotension).

                                                                                           The nursing staff will watch you closely for side-effects, they can be
             Ways of giving pain relief                                                    treated with other drugs. Your reaction to opiates will affect you
Pills, tablets or liquids to swallow - These are used for all types of                     you feel very sick, controlling your pain may be more difficult.
regularly. You need to be able to eat, drink and not feel sick for these                   Constipation can be a problem. If it is something you are concerned
drugs to work.                                                                             about, ask the nurses who will be able to help you.

Injections - These are often needed, and are given either into a vein                      Some other pain relievers - Drugs such as diclofencac, ibuprofen or
for immediate effect, or into your leg or buttock muscle. Drugs given                      paracetamol may be given during an anaesthetic as a suppository or
into a muscle may take up to 20 minutes to work.                                           afterwards as tablets. They must be used carefully by people with
                                                                                           asthma, kidney disease, heartburn or stomach ulcers.
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