Bouncing Back After Surgery WomenTurning To Pain Relief Ball For Quicker Recovery (NAPSA)—American women are more concerned about getting back to normal quickly after surgery (55 percent) than about pain (47 percent) or even death (49 percent), according to the results of a recent Harris Interactive survey of 1,024 women nationwide. “Women can’t afford to be ‘out of commission’ after surgery,” said Vanessa Givens, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. “Even though most women work outside of the home, they are still the family managers.” The same survey found that 90 percent of women are aware of the side effects of narcotics, which are traditionally used for pain relief after surgery. In addition, nearly nine out of 10 womensurveyedsaid that if they were aware of an option they would ask their doctors for an alternative to narcotics. Narcotics, such as morphine or Demerol, can slow recovery time and have side effects such as drowsiness, nausea, constipation, difficulty breathing and potential addiction. “Now we’re using the ‘painrelief ball,’ a balloon-like device called ON-Q that relieves pain directly at the site of the incision, speeds up recovery time and may eliminate the need for narcotics altogether,” said Givens. A simple pump about the size of a tennis ball worn on a patient’s clothing or taped to the skin, the device provides targeted pain relief after surgery only where the body needs it. It automatically delivers a local anesthetic, or nonnarcotic numbing medication, directly into an incisionsite. ON-Q is marketed and manu- factured by I-Flow Corporation of LakeForest, Calif. Dr. Givens andhercolleaguesat the University of Tennessee Health Science Center conducted a study of women whogave birth by C-section and used ON-Q for pain relief after the procedure. The study, published in the June issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AJOG), showed q TH Doctors say recovery from surgery is often slowed by the side effects of the narcotics taken afterwards, but new technology can help patients feel better faster. that the device reduced traditional narcotic use by 40 percent and delivered the samelevel of pain relief. A similar study conducted among women undergoing hysterectomies at Cleveland Clinic Florida showed that ON-Q eliminated the need for narcotics in 43 percent of patients, resulting in shorter hospital stays, quicker recovery times and lowercosts. “In a lot of cases, it’s not the surgery that most impacts the patient—it’s the side effects of the narcotics taken afterwards,” said Givens. “Patients who have used ON-Q after surgery are extremely satisfied and don’t understand why everyone wouldn’t useit.” ON-Q can be used for a variety of surgeries. For more information, visit www.AskYourSurgeon.com, call 800-448-3569 or ask your doctor. Five Questions To Ask Your Surgeon About Pain 1. Whattypeof incision will | have? 2. Howwill my pain be relievedin the first weekafter surgery? 3.Will | experience anyside effects with my pain treatment? 4, How long will | be in the hopsital? 5. Is ON-Q right for me? @
