Definately do a block before... and take plenty of neurontin/lyrica and tramadol for 3 days before and for about 2-3 weeks after! After the surgery, I would take as much pain medicine as you need to keep you at bay. I wouldnt even mess with vicodin, because thats like candy to us... just take diladid that did the best for me. Also, I had fetanyl suckers for me for breakthrough surgical pain. The biggest thing is to keep your mind calm with calm music, and to take care of your body as much as you can, not overdo anything and take as much time as you need to rest after surgery, but make sure to do some walking just to keep your body moving. The biggest help for me was blocks before surgery, high doses of meds for a few days before surgery to keep the cns at bay... hope I helped a little. Let me know how it goes!