After the Procedure

After the occipital nerve block is performed, we will continue to monitor you in the recovery room for 30 to 40 minutes. If there are no signs of any problems, you will be ready to leave. If you have any questions after your procedure, the medical staff of the Pain Management Center is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During normal business hours, you can reach either the nurse or physician by calling 650-723-6238. After hours, the physician on call can be reached by calling the Stanford University Hospital page operator at 650-723-6661.

Postprocedure instructions

These will be provided for you, in further detail, by the recovery room nurse, prior to your discharge from the Ambulatory Surgery Center. These instructions should include; no driving or operating heavy machinery for 24 hours after the procedure. This is recommended secondary to the fact that you have received intravenous medication during a procedure which may impair your ability to perform these tasks.

What are some possible side effects?

As stated above, after the local anesthetic that was injected as part of your occipital nerve block wears off, your headache may return for roughly 24 to 36 hours. After this time, you should receive some pain relief from the medication that was also injected during the time of your occipital nerve block. You may also experience some slight soreness at the sight of the injection. This is very normal, and should go away within a couple of days.

What should I do if any problems develop after I leave the hospital?

If you have any questions after the procedure, the medical staff of the Pain Management Center is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During normal business hours, you can reach either the nurse or physician by calling 650-723-6238. After hours, the physician on call can be reached by calling the Stanford University Hospital page operator at 650-723-6661.