The purpose of this study is to establish an alternative method of postoperative pain control to the current standard of practice, patient-controlled analgesia with intravenous opioids, for patients undergoing a major major abdominal surgery at the University of Alberta Hospital. The primary objective is to determine whether a continuous transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, run until the third postoperative day, will reduce the amount of intravenous morphine required. Additionally, the investigators propose to measure the amount of local anesthetic (lidocaine) in the blood during this time frame to provide patient safety data for this procedure. This will be a prospective controlled randomized double-blind clinical trial. The patients, anesthesiologists and staff providing post operative care will be blinded to group assignment. Patients will be randomized by sealed envelopes.