For short periods of time, prescription medications (such as narcotic pain medications or muscle relaxants) may be helpful to alleviate pain or related complications.
It can take anywhere from 4-10 hrs. now if your head gasket is warped you will have to take it to have it milled that takes from 1 day to several days. if not you can just buy a completely new one that fits perfectly for about $150.
Additional repairs may be needed after the inspection. This can add several hundred dollars to the repair and are not included in the RepairPal estimate. Cylinder head gasket replacement often occurs when the engine has high mileage; several additional parts may be needed during the repair. These may include cooling system components (hoses, water pump, radiator, thermostat, etc.) vacuum lines, timing belt, ignition wires, and more.