Discharge advice and information following your pain procedure: The Kent Centre for Pain Medicine and Neuromodulation
Information for patients
For the first 24 hours
Eat and drink normally.
Take all your medication as prescribed.
Do not drive (unless your consultant has told you differently).
Be prepared to take the next day off work, depending on how you feel.
If you have had sedation (for the first 24 hours)
Do not operate machinery, drink alcohol, or sign legally binding documents.
Arrange for a responsible adult to be with you. Or arrange that you can contact someone who lives nearby, if needed.
What should I expect after my procedure?
It may take two to three weeks for you to feel any benefit.
You may find that your pain gets a little worse, but this should begin to reduce in a week or so.
You should continue to take your prescribed pain-relieving medication. If you are not currently taking anything for your pain, you could take pain-relieving tablets such as paracetamol.
It is normal to have some bruising and tenderness around the injection site for a few days.
Will I need a follow-up appointment?
We routinely follow everyone up after a procedure. A telephone appointment will be made for a nurse to call you. You will be sent a letter after your procedure, with the date and time for this appointment.
At this appointment, you will need to tell the nurse how much your pain has reduced:
Pain has gone 100% - 75% - 50% - 25% - 0% Pain not changed
The nurse will also need to know how long any pain relief from this procedure lasted, for example:
no pain relief
12 hours of pain relief
three days of pain relief
two weeks of pain relief
four weeks of pain relief
pain relief continues.
The nurse will ask if your stiffness or mobility has improved, and if your medication use has changed in any way.
During your telephone appointment, the nurse will review the outcome of your procedure. They will discuss a plan for what happens concerning any future treatment.
Post Injection Pain Diary
Below is a Pain Diary that you may find helpful to complete in the time following your procedure. It will help you when answering the nurse’s questions.
What if I have any concerns or problems when I return home?
Please contact the Day Surgery Unit, Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm if you have unusual symptoms within the first 72 hours after your procedure. These symptoms may include:
fever
bad headache
new pins and needles, or
new arm or leg weakness.
You can also contact the Day Surgery Unit if you are very worried about how you feel after your procedure.
If you have any concerns after the first 72 hours, please contact the Pain Clinic. Clinic staff are available Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm.
Outside of the above hours, contact your GP or NHS 111.
Contact details
Day Surgery (direct lines)
Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury
Telephone: 01227 783115Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital, Margate
Telephone: 01843 234499
Telephone: 07887 651162
Kent Centre for Pain Medicine and Neuromodulation (admin office direct lines)
Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury
Telephone: 01227 783049Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital, Margate
Telephone: 01843 235094William Harvey Hospital, Ashford
Telephone: 01233 616691