Managing And Treating PostOp Spine Pain: FAQS With Dr Tony Mork

The end of surgery has come and you are about to be discharged, but are you aware of the medication you should carry home with you? Well, if you thought that by opting for surgery you were through with your days relying on drugs, then you need to review your resolve. They will still be necessary until you are fully healed. Dr Tony Mork advises patients to ask their physicians about the drugs and to make sure that they are given sufficient supply for the first 2 weeks after surgery. Remember you will not be moving around to look for the drugs and carrying enough of them from the hospital will be a real blessing. If you carried some medications to the hospital, make sure to collect them before you are discharged.

The most basic drugs that you should be given before discharge are painkillers. The amount and type of pain-relievers that you will need depends on the nature of surgical operation and the existence and extent of post-surgical pain, if any. Most importantly, your first line painkiller will be paracetamol, a drug that has least side effects than all the other pain relievers. You are not allowed to take more than 8 tablets in 24 hours. Codeine or tramadol is an important opioid pain-reliever, but you may have to prepare for the adverse effects of constipation and drowsiness.

Ibuprofen and diclofenac are useful pain relievers which may also help to alleviate swelling (they are anti-inflammatory). However, Dr Tony Mork advises that these drugs must be taken together with food and for relatively shorter times. Patients should not take these drugs if they have suffered from stomach ulcers previously, in which case they should ask their physicians to change the drugs. For patients taking drugs that are likely to cause constipation, doctors may also prescribe laxatives, such as senna and lactulose to reduce the chances of constipation.