FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 39
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Fidelis Care unveils new program brings health insurance enrollment to local nabes
Fidelis Care unveiled the expansion and
re-branding of its fl eet of mobile vehicles
at Terrace on the Park on Nov. 4.
Th e new vehicles will feature a bold
new design and the tagline representing
Fidelis Care’s commitment to bringing
ease and convenience to the health insurance
enrollment and renewal process for
New Yorkers. More than 9,000 individuals
have already enrolled at the plan’s RV
locations this year.
With the annual election period for
Medicare and Open Enrollment for
Qualifi ed Health Plans through New York
State of Health now underway, the new
program and expanded fl eet will make it
easier for individuals to apply for health
insurance, learn about benefi ts, and have
all their questions answered.
8 important questions to ask your doctor about surgical pain management
If you or a loved one has an upcoming
surgery, pain management is probably
a top concern. Depending on the type
of surgery, doctors will recommend different
methods to manage your pain so
you can heal properly. It’s important to
understand what to expect, your options
for controlling pain as well as any risks
associated with them, particularly when it
comes to opioids.
An estimated 50 million surgeries are
performed each year and the majority of
these patients are prescribed opioids to
manage their pain, according to Dr. Roy
Soto, director of the anesthesiology residency
program for the Beaumont Health
System in Michigan. He says to expect
surgery to result in short-term pain, but
know that you can work with your physician
to manage this pain while also minimizing
the potential of becoming dependent
on opioid pain medications.
“Historically physicians have treated
surgical pain with opioids due to their
ease of use and relatively cheap cost,” says
Dr. Soto. “Patients, however, can become
dependent on these medications very
quickly and become addicted, especially if
large quantities are given aft er surgery or
if prescriptions are refi lled.”
He explains that opioids are a class
of drugs that bind to receptors in the
brain, spinal cord and other parts of the
body. When that binding occurs and the
receptors are stimulated by the opioid
drug, pain is reduced, relaxation occurs,
breathing rate decreases and bowel activity
slows. While some of these eff ects can
be good (pain reduction), others can be
dangerous or even deadly (slowed breathing,
for instance).
“Although patients become tolerant to
the pain-relieving eff ects of opioids, they
do not avoid the respiratory depressant
eff ects. Over time, patients will use more
and more drugs to control their pain, putting
themselves at greater and greater risk
of a serious respiratory compromise; that
is, they may stop breathing.”
Having left over opioid medication at
home can also be a concern for other
members of the family.
“Most patients having surgery in the
United States receive opioid prescriptions.
However, most of the prescribed pills
remain unused. Most of the unused pills
stay in the home in unsecure locations,”
says Dr. Soto. “Th is means that children,
teenagers, other adults, visitors or others
can readily access addictive and potentially
dangerous medications without a prescription.
A signifi cant portion of people
who are addicted to opioids report that
their fi rst exposure was to someone else’s
left over pills. Just to put this in context
there are roughly 1 billion unused opioid
pills left over every year.”
Dr. Soto suggests having a candid conversation
with your doctor about pain
management before surgery. Important
questions to ask include:
1) What type of pain will I have (burning,
throbbing, cramping, etc.)?
2) How severe will my pain be?
3) How long will the pain last?
4) When will the pain be at its worst?
5) At what point should I call you if I am
concerned about my pain?
6) What medications can I/should I take
for my pain?
7) Can I avoid using opioids? If so, what
non-opioid options are available to help
manage my pain caused by surgery?
8) What are the side eff ects of the pain
medications you will be giving me?
He also notes that there are many potential
advances in the health care fi eld under
development to help minimize or eliminate
the need for opioids.
One example is Heron Th erapeutics’
investigational agent HTX-011, a
long-acting, extended-release formulation
of the local anesthetic bupivacaine in a
fi xed-dose combination with the anti-infl
ammatory meloxicam. Heron is seeking
an indication for application into the surgical
site to reduce postoperative pain for
72 hours and the need for opioids.
In addition to these types of advances,
it’s important to consider other opioid
alternatives that can be part of a non-opioid
multimodal analgesic regimen.
“Th e simplest medications to use are acetaminophen
and non-steroidal anti-infl ammatory
drugs,” says Dr. Soto. “Both have
been safely used and sold over the counter
at your drug store, can be used together,
are inexpensive and have no addiction
potential. Other options include medications
that quiet nerve-related pain (such
as Gabapentin) and anti-depressants that
decrease long-term pain. Non-medication
alternatives also work, and you should ask
your doctor about the utility of relaxation,
ice, physical therapy, acupuncture and
other holistic treatments,” Dr. Soto says.
Above all else, he stresses it’s important
to realize that pain aft er surgery is normal.
“Many patients expect zero pain, and
many expect opioids and opioids alone to
treat any pain that might arise,” he says.
“Asking your surgeon appropriate questions
before surgery is an important way
of setting the right expectations so that
realistic goals can be set and achieved.”
Courtesy BPT
Photos by Dean Moses
/WWW.QNS.COM
