After undergoing a serious surgical procedure, some sort of bodily pain and discomfort is considered quite normal. This is because surgery inherently involves trauma to the body. What’s more, depending on the type of surgery you have undergone, it may take a while to regain comfortable mobility and strength in the operated body part. However, if these feelings of aches and distress persist for several months, and there is no indication of improvement, you may be experiencing chronic pain. That said, please continue reading to learn what to do if you experience chronic pain after surgery and how an experienced New York City surgical errors attorney at Mark L. Bodner, P.C., can help you explore pain management and relief options.
What are the possible causes of chronic pain post-surgery?
Unfortunately, undergoing any type of surgery with pre-existing health conditions may be considered risky. Specifically, though, if you have fibromyalgia or arthritis, you may be more susceptible to chronic pain post-surgery. This is because surgical activities may cause an inflammatory response to the operated body part and subsequently exacerbate your arthritis symptoms in that area.
But other times, a surgeon may act carelessly during the operation and increase the likelihood of chronic pain afterwards. For example, a surgeon may improperly use a surgical instrument and directly damage your nerves. With this, nerve damage is associated with prolonged discomfort. Or, a surgeon may fail to maintain a sterile environment during the procedure and cause a surgical site infection. Then, they may fail to identify and address the formation of the infection during the post-operative appointments. Overall, this infection may manifest into chronic pain through, again, nerve damage, persistent inflammation, or even neuropathic pain.
What should I do if I experience chronic pain after my surgical procedure?
You should inform your surgeon about your chronic pain as soon as you begin experiencing its symptoms. If you are not too comfortable returning to that surgeon, as you suspect they may have been negligent, you may seek a pain specialist. After hearing your case, a pain specialist may recommend certain management strategies, such as pain-relief medications, nerve block injections, physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, etc.
With that, if you indeed believe negligence was involved, you may consider pursuing a medical malpractice claim against your surgeon. With a successful claim, you may earn monetary compensation for your necessary pain management program and other associated medical bills. What’s more, you may recover your non-economic damages, such as your emotional distress, diminished quality of life, and loss of enjoyment of life. After all, you may have a solid argument for how your chronic pain has negatively affected your daily life.
Of note, you should still contemplate a lawsuit even if your chronic pain has subsided or been allieviated, as you still may have endured unnecessary discomfort for an unreasonable amount of time. If you have made it this far, please do not hesitate to seek further information from a skilled New York City hospital negligence attorney. The team at Mark L. Bodner, P.C., is willing and able to guide you through your future legal processes.