The surgeon will prescribe medication for acute pain related to the surgery or injury you are being treated for. If you have a pain treatment contract with another team (PCP, pain treatment, etc.). In addition, by reducing the amount of opioids you take early in the recovery period, bupivacaine-based local anesthetics can help reduce some of the unpleasant side effects of opioids, such as constipation, urinary retention and nausea. By combining the use of long-acting bupivacaine-based local anesthetics in breast and body surgery with non-narcotic analgesics and preoperative muscle relaxants, current postoperative protocols have been able to significantly decrease the amount of narcotic pain relievers that patients use after surgery. Pain relievers for non-surgical treatments depend on the type of treatment you are undergoing.
Most are done with local anesthesia, while some may not require any anesthesia. If necessary, localized injections, topical applications, or oral pain relievers may be used. Before surgery, a thin plastic tube (catheter) may be inserted into a vein in your hand or arm to give you fluids, sedatives, anesthetics, antibiotics or pain relievers. The type, administration, and dosage of medications that are right for you depends on the type of surgery and the expected recovery, as well as your own needs.
Part of the preoperative process involves informing patients about the medications they will be taking after surgery and clearly defining the role of each drug in the recovery process. Choose a board-certified plastic surgeon and rest assured that you are under the care of a highly trained surgeon you can trust. For many patients undergoing breast and body surgery, long-acting local anesthetics, such as bupivacaine or Exparel, have significant benefits in relieving immediate postoperative pain and reducing amount of opioids consumed. During your preoperative consultation, your plastic surgeon will review your medication history and advise you on medications to avoid in the weeks before and after cosmetic surgery.
One of the main goals of treating pain after major surgery is for you to wake up relatively comfortable and to experience an uninterrupted transition to pain control, but it's common for you to feel some discomfort after surgery. There are several initial complications, such as hematomas caused by blood samples, which cause pain that is disproportionate to the nature of the procedure, so it is important that you contact the surgical team to organize the evaluation. Although the use of opioids after surgery is intended as a short-term strategy to alleviate pain while the body heals, the risk of misuse remains a reason for concern. It's important to discuss this with your surgeon if you react to anesthesia or to any medication they prescribe for pain.
Contact Jefferson Plastic Surgery for more information on safety precautions for plastic surgery patients. Jefferson Plastic Surgery is located at the corner of 9th and Walnut Streets in Center City, Philadelphia, on the 15th floor of the Wills Eye Hospital building. Some surgeries can be performed with spinal anesthesia, which involves injecting medications directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. Knowing this, the surgeon will do his best to prescribe the most effective combination of treatments for pain relief.
Advances in techniques and products have added to the pain management options that the surgeon can offer to control pain after surgery.
