Dear Patient

Acute Surgical Pain - Non medical Managment

Dear Patient, Hello, This episode is aimed to help explain that there are many ways that we can help with pain that are not just increasing medications! most notably, REHAB is a huge part of recovery, and you need to be able to engage with rehabilitation to fully recover.  Beyond rehabilitation there are multiple ways to engage with and treat pain. hot and cold packs can be highly effective for some people, but even beyond this, it's important to get back to things you enjoy. be active, go for a walk, if possible, find some sunshine to brighten up your day, talk to friends and family, and eat and drink things that you can have and you enjoy. It's true that after surgery we are going to have to work with you to fully control your pain, but these actions can hopefully help you further improve your pain, and enable you to have the best outcome and experience possible. Here is wishing you a speedy path on the road to recovery! and remember, you are not alone.

Acute Surgical Pain - Simple Pain Relief

Dear Patient, Hello, This episode is aimed to help explain why we use Paracetamol and NSAIDs as a first line pain medication to establish a baseline of pain relief before moving on to stronger medications. These medications are generally very safe and well tolerated. Almost everyone should get Paracetamol (acetaminophen) as needed, and NSAID should be available unless you fall into one of the following 5 categories: 1. pregnant, 2. heart disease, 3. kidney disease, 4. prior bleeding from your stomach or intestines, and 5. if you're over the age of 65 (this last one is a much looser criteria). These medications are highly effective and if you are in pain you should inquire with your health care provider about whether you should be on these REGULARLY to get the best possible outcome! Here is wishing you a speedy path on the road to recovery! and remember, you are not alone.

Acute surgical pain - Opioids

Dear Patient, This episode in the mini-series of acute surgical pain is to talk about how and why we use opioids after an operation. I hope to educate you surrounding these drugs to enable you to engage as a key part of your care team to get the best possible outcome! My goal remains to give you the education you need to help yourself and help you have a speedy ride down the road to recovery! If there are any questions remember your health care team is always there for you! And always remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! Dr. John Keenan Fanning

Acute surgical Pain - Introduction

Dear Patient, Hello, This is the introduction to a mini-series on how we manage post-surgical pain in a hospital. While this topic can get very complex, at its core its simple, our goal is to get you the best pain management strategy possible. To do this we need your help! to enable this I am providing you with an overviews of pain management. This is important, because you are a key member of your health care team! My goal is to give you the education you need to help yourself and help you down that the road to recovery! If there are any questions remember your health care team is always there for you! And remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, Dr. John Keenan Fanning

How to respond to an opioid overdose

Dear Patient, In this episode I hope to cover a very basic approach to managing an opioid overdose. I wrote this as a bonus episode with the goal helping anyone who finds themselves in a position where they need to respond to an opioid overdose with no other resources. This is not a replacement for seeking medical help and not a replacement for first aid training. I hope you never need this but I recorded this if someone finds themselves in this position. Remember, we are stronger together, the medical community is here for you, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Dr. John Keenan Fanning P.S. I need to thank Dr. Landon Berger for his contributions to this podcast. Without his amazing guidance and suggestions this podcast would not have been possible!