We have lots of different options for pain relief following surgery. All patients are prescribed a range of pain relieving medications which can be taken by mouth or given directly into the drip. Every patient will have a pain management plan formulated which may be as simple as taking regular paracetamol for a few days, or as complicated as specialised pain management pumps where you press a button to give yourself a dose of pain medicine - and you can press as often as you need to. Some patients who have had operations involving a larger cut into the tummy may have some very small tubes inserted at the end of the operation into the muscle layer, through which we give local anaesthetic. This is called a PainBuster system and stays in place for up to 5 days after surgery.