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Patient Information For Pre, During and After Procedures

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On the day of your procedure

  • Have a light snack at least 2-3 hours before admission.

  • Take your normal medications on the day of your procedure except anything you have been instructed not to take e.g. blood thinners.

  • Bring a list of all your current medications with you to the hospital.

  • If you are diabetic, please take your usual diabetic medication and eat and drink as normal.

  • Average length of stay is 1-2 hours (but can be up to 4 hours) Ensure whoever is collecting you is aware of this and available to collect you, as required, within this time frame.

 

At the hospital

  • Check in at the Hospital reception 

  • A nurse will take your medical history and record your blood pressure, temperature etc. You may be asked to provide a urine sample. You will be asked to put on a gown.                

  • Dr. Lan will explain the procedure to you and give you the opportunity to ask any questions. If you agree to have the procedure done, you will be asked to sign a consent form. By signing this form, you are stating that you have been made aware of what the procedure involves and any possible risks or complications.

  • An intravenous cannula (IV Line/Drip) may be placed in your hand or arm before the procedure.

 

Can I have sedation?

  • Sedation means using a drug to make you sleepy during the procedure. If possible, sedation is avoided during procedures for 2 reasons:

  1. If sedated, you will not be able to respond to questions asked during the procedure which could help with targeting your pain more effectively.

  2. Sedation also means it will take longer for you to recover and you will have to be monitored closely for a longer period of time.

  • If, however, you do require sedation, this needs to be discussed with Dr. Wei Lan before your admission and organized in advance so that it can be factored into your hospital admission.

  • Also, if you do have sedation, you must organize for someone to collect you and stay with you overnight.

  • Please note that sedation is never given for certain procedures. Please discuss this with Dr. Lan.

 

During the procedure

  • The procedure will take place in a room with specialized equipment.

  • Procedures generally take from 10-30 minutes.

  • You will most likely be asked to lie on your stomach for the duration of the procedure (This will vary depending on the nature of the procedure and/or your ability to tolerate it).

  • The doctor will clean the skin around the injection site with an antiseptic solution. This may feel cold.

  • An injection of local anaesthetic may be given to numb the area where the needle will be inserted.

  • A steroid injection or a combination of local anaesthetic and steroid is then given.

  • X-Rays are taken during the procedure to assist needle placement.

  • Contrast Dye may also be used.

  • Once the needles are removed, a sterile dressing will be applied to the injection site.

 

After the procedure

  • You will return to the room in which you were before the procedure.

  • Depending on the procedure, you may be asked to lie flat on your back or on your side for 15-20 minutes.

  • Your vital signs (blood pressure etc.) will be recorded

  • You will be given a light snack. If you have any special dietary requirements, please bring suitable food etc. with you.

  • If your observations are stable, you feel well and can mobilize safely; you will be allowed to go home.

  • A discharge information sheet will be given to you.

 

At home

  • Your dressing can be removed the day after the procedure and you can shower/bathe as normal. You do not need to re-apply a fresh dressing.

  • Discomfort may be experienced in the area of the injection for a number of days- it is ok to take your regular pain relieving medications.

  • Although side effects are rare, all procedures carry a risk of complications or side effects. In the event of feeling acutely unwell, contact your GP or, if necessary, an A&E Department.

  • Each person responds differently to the injections and how effective a particular injection will be for you, cannot be determined in advance. Generally, it takes between 1-2 weeks for the injection/injections to begin to work.

 

Follow-Up

  • A follow up appointment will be made for you. At this, you will be able to discuss how you responded to the procedure and what the next steps in your pain management will be.

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