About The Pain Management Center
The Pain Management Center at The Surgery Center of Huntsville is a state-of-the-art facility designed to promote excellence in patient care. Pain management is a key component in recovering from injury and disease. When cancer, accident or spine and joint disease are involved, however, pain management may not be as simple as taking a pill to feel better, which is why we have created The Pain Management Center, located in the east wing of The Surgery Center.

In our pain management procedure suite, physicians have the latest in tools and technology at their disposal to provide fast, sterile and effective treatments for a wide range of pain sources. Our registered nurses (RNs) — we have over 100 on staff — are Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and IV Conscious Sedation Certified. We will have a Registered Nurse (RN) in the procedure suite with you at all times, as well as a surgical technologist to support your physician.We also have a team of anesthesiologists who are dedicated to The Surgery Center and know our facilities, staff, equipment and procedures.

We have other state-of-the-art facilities at The Surgery Center. In addition to The Pain Management Center, we have sixteen general operating rooms, a Breast Center procedure suite, four Endoscopy Center colonoscopy special procedure rooms and four Eye Center procedure suites. There are also two spacious waiting rooms for family and friends and an Extended Care Center for those patients who need up to 23-hours to stabilize before going home. Our staff and facilities were designed with your complete care and comfort in mind.

About Pain Management
The most common procedure for relieving chronic or acute pain that does not respond to physical therapy or medication is the injection of cortisone directly into
the spine, joint or soft tissue. Once delivered to the site of swelling and irritation, cortisone can help the area to heal and relieve pain for a number of weeks or
months. If patients are going through rehabilitation or physical therapy, these injections may help them participate more easily and heal more effectively. When large joints are involved, steroids may be injected under sterile conditions by highly skilled orthopedists who have learned by experience and touch where to leave the medication. When more detail is required, such as injections placed between vertebrae or joints in the spine, these injections may be guided by fluoroscopy (a type of guided x-ray) that ensures exact placement of the medication and the highest therapeutic benefit.

About Your Procedure
Once you have checked in and completed any financial paper work, one of our registered nurses will escort you to a procedure room and prepare you for your procedure.You can expect the following things to happen:

• We will review your medical history.

• We will give you instructions about your procedure.

• We will ask you to sign your Operative Permit.

• We will start an IV. Fluids will not only help you stay hydrated during your procedure, but will also give your medical team a line for administering anesthesia or other medications you may require.

• You will meet with your anesthesiologist, who can answer any questions you may have about your anesthesia.

We do everything we can to get you in and out as fast as possible, but once you are in our care, you will be there for the full amount of time required to ensure an excellent outcome. Please be considerate of how circumstances may impact schedules.

You may have a wait in Pre-Op as it is not possible to predict exactly how long a procedure will take. So even though we try to run the schedule as tightly as possible, patient care remains our first priority. If the first patient of the morning requires more time in the procedure suite, then that will bump the schedule back and may delay the time that you go in. Just remember that you will be given that same consideration.

Inform your Anesthesiologist about any Dental Appliances such as crowns, bridges or dentures.

Once you are prepared and we are ready to begin your procedure, you will be moved into the pain management suite. This room is designed for ease of use by
the medical team. You may find it to be cool. The suite is temperature controlled to establish ideal conditions for medical procedures.

We will respect your dignity as we work to ensure that your procedure is conducted promptly, accurately and safely. When the procedure is complete, you will be moved into a post-op area. An attending nurse will monitor you until your vital signs are stable and your doctor says you are ready to leave — at least an hour.

Immediately following your procedure, your physician will most likely go to The Pain Management waiting room to update your family. The family is responsible
for being in the area when the surgeon comes out totalk. Your surgeon is probably scheduled to attend another patient, so if he or she does not find your family or agent in the area, they will have to wait for your nurse to get an update. It is your family’s responsibility to be available for this conference.

Following Your Procedure
Remember that you have had an invasive procedure and follow your discharge orders faithfully. Be sure to follow any specific instructions given to you by your physician, as well as the following general guidelines, upon your release The Pain Management Center:

• You must have someone drive you home from The Pain Management Center.

• Avoid strenuous exercise or activities for at least 24 hours after your procedure.

• If you are experiencing discomfort, take Tylenol®,
Aleve® or ibuprofen as directed, or whatever your physician has prescribed for pain.

• Do not take aspirin for 48-hours following your procedure to minimize the risk of bleeding.

• If you have excessive pain, bleeding or fever, contact your physician immediately.

If you have any questions after you have left The Pain Management Center, you must call your physician for answers. If you have any serious complications, call 911 or go to the emergency room at the hospital of your choice immediately. Do not call or return to The Pain Management Center because we do not have staff physicians, nor are we equipped to provide additional treatment or medical care.

Your family should be available for the Post-Op conference.