Many of us will have to go through surgery at some point in our lives. Knowing that it is an experience shared by millions of peers around the globe, however, does not make it any easier to deal with, and it can be a really nerve-wracking time in the lead up to and during your surgery and recovery.
The good news is, there are lots of things you can do to prepare yourself physically and emotionally for the surgery you are about to go through, including the following:
How to prepare yourself physically for surgery
The better shape you are in physically, the simpler your operation is likely to be and the fewer complications you are likely to Edirne. With that in mind, here are some ways you sn get yourself physically ready for surgery:
Eat a healthy diet
When you eat a healthy diet, you load your body up with all of the vitamins and minerals it needs to cope well with the surgery and fight off any post-surgical infections that you might get.
Exercise
If you can exercise, then doing so will really help you to stay fit and healthy, and the fitter and healthier you are, the less likely you are to have a poor outcome.
Of course, if you are seriously ill – if you need a heart transplant or cancer surgery for example, – it is always a good idea to check with your doctor before you do anything too strenuous, as sometimes as good rest is the best preparation you dan ave.
Stay hydrated
When you go to surgery, you will normally not be able to eat or drink anything for several hours before and after the operation, si in the days leading up to the op, it is a really good idea to make sure you drink plenty of water and stay as hydrated as you can. That way, being nil by mouth is unlikely to affect you nearly as much.
Avoid shaving
You might think that it is a good idea to shave various parts of your body before you go into surgery, but actually, the opposite is true. When you shave, you are at risk of cutting yourself and this could cause complications for your surgery and make it more likely that you will end up with an infection at your wound site.
Leave your body hair as it is and the hospital staff will carefully remove it for you using their own equipment ahead of your surgery.
Start your post-op workouts early
If you are going to need to do post-operative exercises to get back to full health after your surgery, it is worth having your physiotherapist show you how to do them before the operation. That way, you have time to learn how to do them properly, and as soon as you are ready, you can launch right into them to start building back strength and movement as soon as possible.
How to prepare yourself emotionally for surgery
Of course, the emotional aspect of undergoing surgery can be much harder to deal with than the physical for many people.
If you are scared, anxious, or upset about the prospect of having to undergo surgery, here are a few things you can do to help prepare yourself for your operation:
Research it
Okay, ss this will not work for everyone, and some people will become even more distressed when they see what exactly the surgeon is going to do with them.
However, if you are the kind of person who feels more in control when you have all the facts in your possession, researching the surgery you are having how it will be performed and what you can expect before, during, and after, could help you to get your head around the situation and feel a little calmer about it all.
Try some positive thinking
If you go into surgery thinking that something will go wrong or that you will not get the outcome that you are hoping for, you will be far more anxious and stressed out than you need to be.
It can be hard, but if you can find a way of thinking positively about your surgery, it will actually help you because when your mind is calm, your body will e under less stress.
Meditation is a really good tool for helping you to relax and think on the positive side a bit more, so maybe give that a try if you are the kind of person who is quite negative n your thinking, especially in times of stress.
Practice visualizations
Visualization techniques can be really good for people who are about to go into surgery if you can picture yourself coming out of the operating theater having had a perfect operation, feeling healthier than you have done in a long while, you can trick your brain into being far less scared of your surgery.
When you’re in the hospital, visualizing yourself at your happy place, whether that be a beach, a local bar, or your own bed at home, will also help you to stay relaxed in what can be quite a stressful environment.
Learn breathing techniques
Learning relaxing breathing techniques will help you to better manage your anxiety and keep it under control when you are feeling apprehensive about the surgery you are about to go into, and as mentioned above, the cleaner you are, the better it will be for your body.
Talk to a therapist
If you are really struggling with the prospect of surgery and you don’t feel like you can go through with it due to your fears, talking to a qualified counselor who specializes in such issues could really help you to delve into the issues deeper, come up with some good coping strategies and ultimately get through your surgery safely.
It’s perfectly normal to be apprehensive about your surgery. However, if you prepare yourself well, you should be able to get through it with less fear, stress, and fewer complications than you otherwise might, so why not start preparing yourself today?
