The Kent Centre for Pain Medicine and Neuromodulation: Discharge advice and information following your pain procedure
Information for patients
For the next 24 hours you should:
eat and drink normally
take all your medication as prescribed
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 you should:
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 close by, 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 pain relief 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 do not routinely follow everyone up after a procedure. However, if your consultant considers you need a follow-up telephone call, a telephone appointment will be made for a nurse to call you approximately six to eight weeks after your procedure. You will be told by letter of the date and time for the appointment after your procedure.
The nurse will need to know how much your pain has been reduced, for example:
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 and discuss a plan for what happens next in regard to 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. If you are sent an appointment for a follow-up telephone call it will help you in answering the nurse’s questions.
What if I have any concerns or problems when I return home?
If you have unusual symptoms within the first 72 hours after your procedure, such as fever, severe headache, new symptoms of pins and needles, new muscle weakness in your arms and legs, or you are very concerned about how you feel after your procedure, please contact the Day Surgery Unit, Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm. Outside of these hours, you should contact your GP or NHS 111.
Day Surgery (direct lines)
Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury
Telephone: 01227 783115 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital, Margate
Telephone: 01843 234499 (8am to 8pm weekdays)
Telephone: 07887 651162 (8pm to 8am weekdays; 24 hours weekends and Bank Holidays)William Harvey Hospital, Ashford
Telephone: 01233 616263 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Kent Centre for Pain Medicine and Neuromodulation (admin office direct lines)
Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury
Telephone: 01227 783049Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEM) Hospital, Margate
Telephone: 01843 235094William Harvey Hospital, Ashford
Telephone: 01233 616691