If you haven't already, get pain meds for him right away. The problem with pain is that once it sets-in, it gets harder to manage than if it is managed well from the start.

They might try something like Roxicet first and work up to the patch. I never needed the patch and just used the Roxicet to manage my pain. The only caution about the patch is that a lot of people get constipated from it, so that is something else to watch so it doesn't get to be a big problem.