September’s National Pain Awareness Month is a good time to address a topic that families don’t always discuss. Chronic pain affects 50 million Americans. Plus, you have even more people dealing with temporary pain after surgeries and injuries.
Your dad fell down the stairs and broke his leg in multiple places. He needs surgery to pin some of the bones together, and his doctors tell you he’s going to have a long recovery ahead of him. It’s a good time to address the realities of pain relief post-surgery.
People React Differently to Pain
Your dad may worry that he’ll be in a lot of pain after the surgery, but then he’s not and he wonders why it’s not as bad as people were telling him. Or he might experience a lot more pain than his doctor said to expect.
People have different pain tolerance levels. What matters is that he’s monitoring his incisions for signs of infection, following his surgeon’s instructions, and asking questions if he’s unsure about anything.
Pain Management Helps Prevent Blood Clots
After surgery, blood clots are a risk. To prevent this, you need to get up and walk around regularly. If your dad is in a lot of pain, he’s going to be hesitant to walk around his home. Instead of dealing with pain, he should manage it so that he can be as active as his leg allows.
Use Medications as Prescribed to Avoid Overuse
When someone tries to tough through the pain, they’re more likely to end up overusing pain medications than someone who follows their doctor’s recommendations and uses pain medications immediately after surgery, alternating doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen as instructed, and for the suggested number of days.
He Should Speak Up
If your dad is following his surgeon’s recommendations and he’s still in a lot of pain, he needs to speak up. His surgeon may offer a different medication or even have a post-hospital care nurse set up an IV line for patient-controlled medications. With this, your dad pushes a button when he’s in pain and the medication is administered at a safe dose to prevent overuse.
Help your dad keep track of pain relief measures after bone repair surgery when he broke his leg in multiple places. Post-hospital care nurses can remind him when to take another dose of his recommended pain medications and keep him from taking too much.
Post-hospital care nurses can also make sure he’s walking around as recommended and checking his blood pressure and pulse to record for his medical team to view. Talk to your dad’s surgeon to ask what his care needs will be once he’s home and make the necessary arrangements.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Post-Hospital Care in Redlands, CA please contact the caring staff at Calvary Senior Care today. (866) 710-8767
- Symptoms of Deep Vein Thrombosis Seniors Should Watch Out For - February 21, 2024
- Tips to Help Seniors Manage Incontinence - February 5, 2024
- Helping Seniors Manage Agoraphobia - January 22, 2024
