I went and did my initial consultation with my PS. He's great and took the time to answer every question. I got the estimate on my way out the door. One thing I noticed was $1000 for a pain pump. My question is, do I really need this? Would oral pain medicine be just as effective and save me $1000? What are the pros and cons?
Answer: Ask your surgeon for an alternative The pain pump is preference of the surgeon. It is not absolutely necessary, but can certainly help some patients deal with the discomfort. You should ask your surgeon about the pain pump and if there is a sufficient alternative. My patients discomfort is adequately controlled with anti-inflammtories and other oral pain medications.
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Answer: Ask your surgeon for an alternative The pain pump is preference of the surgeon. It is not absolutely necessary, but can certainly help some patients deal with the discomfort. You should ask your surgeon about the pain pump and if there is a sufficient alternative. My patients discomfort is adequately controlled with anti-inflammtories and other oral pain medications.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
July 17, 2018
Answer: Pain pumps are not necessary Pain pumps are not necessary. But they can slightly improve the post operative pain. 95% of my patients do not use pain pumps or long acting local anesthetics and do just fine. The pain after a tummy tuck is not quite as bad as most people tend to think it will be. You certainly will be sore for a week or so. And you will likely need narcotic pain medication for the first 3-5 days. But it is completely tolerable. Pain pumps should not be that expensive either. An average pain pump will cost the physician between $200-400. Increasing that cost to the patient $1000 seems a bit aggressive. Another option would be to use the relatively new long acting local anesthetic Exparel. It is also a bit costly. The cost to the surgeon is about $300. Most surgeons are not trying to make a profit on the Exparel, but certainly could be justified in charging a little bit more than the actual cost.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
July 17, 2018
Answer: Pain pumps are not necessary Pain pumps are not necessary. But they can slightly improve the post operative pain. 95% of my patients do not use pain pumps or long acting local anesthetics and do just fine. The pain after a tummy tuck is not quite as bad as most people tend to think it will be. You certainly will be sore for a week or so. And you will likely need narcotic pain medication for the first 3-5 days. But it is completely tolerable. Pain pumps should not be that expensive either. An average pain pump will cost the physician between $200-400. Increasing that cost to the patient $1000 seems a bit aggressive. Another option would be to use the relatively new long acting local anesthetic Exparel. It is also a bit costly. The cost to the surgeon is about $300. Most surgeons are not trying to make a profit on the Exparel, but certainly could be justified in charging a little bit more than the actual cost.
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July 14, 2015
Answer: No! I never use them and my patients do extremely well with the pain medicine I prescribe for them. I think it is completely unnecessary !
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July 14, 2015
Answer: No! I never use them and my patients do extremely well with the pain medicine I prescribe for them. I think it is completely unnecessary !
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January 31, 2014
Answer: Is a pain pump really necessary? At my clinic I use the pain pump with all my tummy tuck surgeries. It is
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January 31, 2014
Answer: Is a pain pump really necessary? At my clinic I use the pain pump with all my tummy tuck surgeries. It is
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January 30, 2014
Answer: Better recovery after tummy tuck with Exparel Pain pumps work by slowly infusing a numbing medication into the surgical site but a newer option called Exparel accomplishes the same thing without the need for catheters and an external reservoir. By blocking some of the pain with numbing, the need for narcotic medication is diminished. Narcotic medications are associated with significant side-effects including nausea, constipation, and mental effects. However, this should cost around $300-400, as would an On-Q pain pump. Perhaps the facility your surgeon uses determines the fees.
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January 30, 2014
Answer: Better recovery after tummy tuck with Exparel Pain pumps work by slowly infusing a numbing medication into the surgical site but a newer option called Exparel accomplishes the same thing without the need for catheters and an external reservoir. By blocking some of the pain with numbing, the need for narcotic medication is diminished. Narcotic medications are associated with significant side-effects including nausea, constipation, and mental effects. However, this should cost around $300-400, as would an On-Q pain pump. Perhaps the facility your surgeon uses determines the fees.
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