by The Oregon Fibromyalgia Team
ImmuneSupport.com
09-27-2006
If you are having a major surgical procedure there are some issues that you may wish to discuss with your surgeon and anesthesiologist that could reduce the fibro-flare that often occurs after surgery in Fibromyalgia patients.
1. Request that you wear a soft neck collar and minimize neck hyperextension (if an endotracheal tube is anticipated).
2. Request that your arm with the intravenous line be kept near your body, not away from your body or over your head.
3. Request that you be given a pre-operative opioid pain medication about 90 minutes prior to surgery. Opioids are morphine or morphine related drugs. The rationale for the pre-operative use of opioids is to minimize central sensitization as this inevitably worsens the widespread body pain that you are already experiencing.
4. Ask to have a long-acting local anesthetic infiltrated into your incision even though you will be asleep during the procedure. The rationale for this is to minimize pain impulses reaching the spinal cord and brain, which in turn drive central sensitization.
5. As a Fibromyalgia patient you will need more, a usually longer duration, of post-operative pain medication. In most cases opioids should be regularly administered or self administered with a PCA pump (patient controlled analgesia).
6. Most Fibromyalgia patients require a longer duration of post-operative convalescence, including physical therapy in many cases.
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