3 Tips for Staying Calm Before Outpatient Surgery
Having surgery can be an anxiety inducer for many people. The unease usually stems from the uncertainty of not having control, anxiety over anesthesia, sharp instruments, and more. On the day of your surgery, you will sign waivers. Any fear stemming from those forms is virtually undue stress. What you should focus on are ways to calm your mind and body before your scheduled procedure.
1. Consider trying out Yoga-based breathing exercises that you can use the days before and the morning of surgery. This will help you focus on your breathing and not on any disquieting thoughts. Imagine your life after surgery and an enhanced lifestyle, be it able to run again after spinal issues are corrected or less pain in general following injections.
Yoga is a great way to attain mind over the body when it comes to calming your nerves. Yoga offers many different levels of difficulty or strenuosity. Before surgery opts for low impact gentle yoga and easy stretching so as not to agitate your body and muscles. Additionally, after physician approval following surgery, yoga can be used to help make you more flexible, strong, and safer when practicing more intense workouts. Yoga will help alleviate stress on your bones and joints.
To practice yoga you don't need to leave the comfort of home. YouTube channels like Yoga with Adriene are free and can be practiced in your own living room.
2. Research. For more assurance and confidence in your physician that will be performing surgery, be sure to look up past patient testimonials. Many patients are happy to share their honest experiences whether on your physician's Facebook page, Vitals.com, Healthgrades, Yelp, and more. Do your due diligence to give yourself extra peace of mind and speak up if you have any questions or concerns.
Prior to choosing a scheduled date for your surgery, be your best advocate, and ask your physician important questions. John Hopkins Medicine online shares questions you should be asking your doctor prior to surgery that include:
What are the costs?
What are the benefits?
What are the complications?
How often has the surgeon performed this surgery?
Is the hospital or surgery center facility the physician is affiliated with accredited?
By asking these types of questions you are giving yourself a very well-rounded outlook on all facets of your surgery. After receiving this information and deciding to go forth with the surgery, you should have confidence in your decision (tip: be sure to bring a pen and notebook or tablet and write your physician's answers down so you do not forget at a later time. The last thing you'll want is to not recall important bits of information, which will only lead to confusion and possible apprehension about surgery).
3. Healthier Diet. Eating healthy and establishing a healthy lifestyle weeks before your scheduled surgery is likely a must. Prior to many surgeries, your healthcare provider may tell you that certain foods and beverages high in sugar content, as well as alcohol, are off-limits.
To make sure the patient is healthy enough for surgery, medical clearances are required before surgeries. The types of clearances vary by the procedure. However, most clearances test for CBC (complete blood count), A1C (sugar, glucose levels), and some will require a full comprehensive panel and EKG. If your test results are out of the set range then you will be denied medical clearance, which means the surgery will not be performed.
Establishing a better lifestyle with food and exercise prior to surgery may also help in faster recovery by reducing inflammation and wound infection. A healthier diet will also help to boost your immune system. In short, a healthy lifestyle should always be one's goal but is particularly important prior to surgery.
The MSC team hopes the above tips will help you prepare for your surgery and stay calm by putting you in the best mental and physical position.
