Expert: Dr Ian Jackson - please note UK based - 1/5/2008

Question
am suppose to have  a very minor hernia surgery and i had it before when i was a kid and the anesthesia was very painful i never had surgery in america so i was wondering how fast is the pain? or is there any pain at all?

Answer
Chris
Anaesthesia itself should not be painful. Are you talking about local anaesthesia? This being injected can be a bit uncomfortable but this soon settles.
After anaesthesia the operation site is usually comfortable as we give you pain killers to help with any discomfort. As these wear off you will be aware of more discomfort and will need to take further doses of the pain killers. Usually by the second day the level of discomfort is such that you can start to reduce the number of pain killers you need.
Best of luck with your op.
Dr Ian Jackson