5 Ways to Calm Pre-Surgery Fear and Anxiety for First Timers (+ What to Expect before the Surgery)
Are you going under the knife for the first time? Read on dear one, there are valuable tips waiting to help you through this process.
I recently underwent a hallux vagus surgery to finally manage the chronic bunion pain I was experiencing. I’d never received full-body anesthesia before, and my fear and anxiety were front and center before the surgery. The fear crept up day by day leading up to it. If you’re about to embark on surgery soon, and if you’re feeling the pre-surgery jitters, I completely understand! Feeling anxious and fearful before surgery is completely normal, you’re only human, love.
I want to share my process and help others prepare better for this process.
Thoughts that might appear:
Why Me / Why do I have to go through this surgery
Trying to suppress or ignore the fear
How I managed Anxiety before the Surgery (Useful Tips!)
Speak with your anaesthesiologist & find a calm and caring one if possible
Managing fear of needles - As I needed to be hooked up to an IV drip, I knew at least one needle was inevitable. A good doctor will be able to find the vein more effortlessly. I thought of it as a minimal pain that leads to greater comfort because I wouldn’t have to be awake and could just sleep throughout the surgery.
Researching more about going under general anesthesia for women - my doctor said the longer you’re under anesthesia, the higher chances of feeling nauseous are common for women. It was useful to know that the anesthesia would be introduced through a tube down my throat, the more I knew, the easier it was to release the anxiety of the unknown.
Practice mindful breathing, especially being present in my body was a saving grace from the looming anxiety
Have something to look forward to after your surgery:
For me, it was getting some luxurious chocolate!
5 Ways to Manage Pre-Surgery Fear and Anxiety
Research the procedure - the unknown can be scarier than the known sometimes, personally, I found it helpful to know more about my hallux vagus surgery procedure, so I have more clarity about what is going to happen. I found it really helpful because it allowed me to set up expectations for the surgery and afterward, especially learning what I need to do to manage the inconveniences of not being able to use my foot to walk for a few months
Practicing acceptance - this one took me a while to do as well, and as a result, I made travel my priority. Namely, because I knew I would be undergoing surgery and unable to walk for the next couple of months, and while I’m so thankful and blessed to have been able to travel, I also know a part of me was running away from the reality of the surgery - but I had planned it three months ahead, and I knew that undergoing short term pain would bring me to the long term benefits of just committing now than allowing the chronic pain to persist
Looking at other examples/ people who’ve done the surgery - when I felt anxious, I actually went online to google celebrities who have undergone hallux vagus surgery as well. And also reading stories from other patients who have shared their journeys gave me so much confidence. Hearing their success stories, and seeing how they’ve managed to overcome the pain and also committed to the procedure was really inspiring and comforting, and ultimately it let me know that I’m not alone. It can feel difficult especially since people in your immediate circle are probably not going through the same thing, and won’t know exactly how it feels - so being able to find other examples helps to calm the trope of “belonging and love” as explained by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. If they can overcome, there’s a high chance you will too.
Speaking with a trained professional - Being able to check in with my therapist, and share my fears and anxiety beforehand was incredibly helpful. We worked on managing the emotions at hand, which helped me to prepare better for the experience. Therapy truly is such a blessing.
Deep Relaxation for Transforming Fear and Stress - I clutched Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Fear very tightly all the way to the hospital. He explains that “Fear can cumulate in our body, causing stress and tension. Rest is a precondition for healing. When animals get wounded, they find a place to lie down, and they rest completely for many days. They don’t think about food or anything else. They just rest, and they are able to heal themselves quite naturally” I love this quote because there is so much wisdom to learn from animals and natural cycles, and the profundity of recognizing the needs of the body to heal and regenerate.
Benefits of completing the surgery:
You’ve built resilience! Congratulations you did it! Just committing and undergoing this process itself is a feat. It’s not easy to undergo a surgery you know will cause inconveniences for a couple of months afterward but will lead to long-term benefits for your health. Furthermore, you’re stepping up as the identity of someone who is resilient. Being resilient will prepare you better for all of life’s challenges, and you start to ease into a state of effortlessness where even the hardest things become familiar and approachable because of the resilient experiences you’ve built.
IV Drip Good good good Feels - I’ve never done an IV drip before, and seeing photos of needles attached to a hand always freaked me out, but I really have to say, the moment I woke up from the surgery was one of the best physiological experiences ever. I was singing, I revealed to my family how I want to seriously be a singer - which is something I was always fearful to say. If you’re feeling afraid right now, I totally understand, but also you have the IV drip to look forward to. There’s some good stuff in there.
Carving out unapologetic Deep Rest and Time for yourself - you get to do what you want - you get to say unapologetically say no to people who you don’t want to see. And if they can’t get past your boundaries as someone who is resting after surgery, then it says a lot about them and not you. It has been around a month since my surgery and I’m still recovering, and while this time hasn’t been completely easy, I’ve also been able to use this time to up-leveling my mindset, and commit to habits that I previously had difficulty with. When you physically are unable to carry out your days like you normally would, the mind becomes the forefront of attention. When I emotionally or mentally couldn’t deal with something, it was easy to just escape it, especially when our bodies are mobile and we can indulge in addictive behaviors. Yet, after my surgery, there was only so much TV I could watch or window shopping online I could do. So I had to ask myself: will you control your mind or allow your mind to control you? This time has been so precious to me because it has given me the groundedness and focuses to befriend my mind and make my habits and dreams come true.