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mens that don't interfere with surgical
healing, bleeding or any other medications.
During surgery, I inject local anesthet-
ic before making any incision.
This has been proven to be
beneficial regardless of the
type of anesthesia (gener-
al or local with sedation).
Every patient gets an ice
pack from me. Placing an ice
pack directly on your wound for
the first 1-2 days after surgery helps reduce pain, swelling and bruis-
ing. One French study even recommended starting the ice pack on the
wound an hour before surgery. Most of my patients get a dose of an IV
anti-inflammatory (Toradol) at the end of their operation. In addition
to ice, my choice for post-operative anti-inflammatory regimen
includes naproxen, arnica, bromelain, alpha lipoic acid, ginger,
turmeric and Super B complex.
My non-narcotic regimen works for most, but not for all. About 15%
of my patients suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain from their
hernia or hernia-related complication. They often have their own pain
management specialist who has been managing their pain. About half
the time, my patients with chronic pain follow my non-narcotic regi-
men in addition to their baseline treatment, and they feel the differ-
ence. For the non-believers: I don't get many calls for pain control
issues. And my patients are super satisfied with their pain control.
Shirin Towfigh, MD, FACS
Beverly Hills (Calif.) Hernia Center
drtowfigh@beverlyhillsherniacenter.com
