Going Into The Hospital For An Operation Can Be A Stressful Experience

Online, April 8, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Stress will eventually cause physical illnesses if not managed properly.

But how do you handle stressful situations in life like preparing to go into the hospital for surgery? To many the thought of an operation is causing more anxiety and in fact making them sicker.

We all know that stress can effect us on a physical level like making us feel tired, causing tension in muscles and can giving us an stomach upset. And it can also effect us on a mental level as well, by causing anxiety, depression and general feelings of loss of control, but have you ever stopped to think about how your body copes with all of these side effects and what the long term results are?

Well, lately I've been feeling most of the side effects I mentioned at some point over the last few months because I've been trying to physic myself up for a minor (but still not loving the idea of being cut open) operation. For me, having to go into the hospital for any procedure, whether major or minor reeks havoc on me. I was able to postpone the operation for about six months, but the time has come to bite the bullet and get it done.

I've been looking for some easy ways to try to reduce my feelings of stress and have really found that learning to control my breathing through practicing yoga has had a great calming effect for me. Interestingly enough, during my search for some other methods, I found this article that kind of rocked my world and made me really think about how I was letting my stress over the operation actually do me harm. I've included the specific part of the article that was a real eye opener for me - you should really take a look.

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Want to heal quickly? Relax before your op By Roger Dobson

Giving patients stress-relief advice and ­relaxation classes before surgery could speed recovery and boost long-term survival.

In a new study of 160 men undergoing surgery for prostate cancer, those given stress-management had more active immune systems 48 hours after the procedure - important for tackling inflammation and infection.

They also had higher levels of compounds that boost wound healing. Furthermore, doctors say this increase in immune system activity could lower the risk of the cancer spreading, and, ultimately, boost chances of full recovery.

Zen: A study found that prostate cancer patients who were given stress-management classes before surgery had more active immune systems 48 hours after the procedure.

They suggest stress-­management techniques, such as deep breathing exercises and focusing on relaxing mental images, could help with all types of surgery.

Recent studies have shown that men who receive stress-­management advice before surgery have a better quality of life one year later, but until now no research has investigated the biological changes triggered by this therapy.

Stress is thought to lower the activity of the immune system, though scientists are unclear why.
man relaxing with headphones Having An Operation Can Be Stressful Is Your Worrying Making You Sicker?
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One theory is that the 'fight or flight' response to frightening events triggers the body to divert all resources to the major organs and the muscles. This means less support for non-essential functions.

The new study from the University of Texas, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, saw men with early-stage cancer who were having their prostates removed divided into three groups.

One group had stress-management therapy, a second were given two sessions of supportive care, and the third had standard care with no stress-relief advice. The stress-management therapy involved two 60 to 90-minute ­individual sessions with a clinical psychologist, covering relaxation and coping skills.

These were conducted one to two weeks before surgery, and the patients were also given information about prostate cancer and radical prostatectomy, including management of side effects.

Around 60 per cent of the time was focused on relaxation skills, including breathing techniques and guided imagery. Patients were encouraged to focus on scenes or scenarios that they found relaxing.

Relax: The men were also given audio CDs of the stress-management techniques, to practise on their own at home.

The men were also given audio CDs of the techniques, to practise on their own at home. During the second session, they were taught to ­imagine the day of surgery, to ­prepare them for what to expect during their time in hospital.

Therapists also encouraged them to discuss their concerns or fears about the cancer and surgery. They were also given a 'booster chat' on the morning of the operation, and 48 hours after it.

The second group - those given supportive care - were also given two sessions with a psychologist one to two weeks before surgery, to ­discuss any concerns or worries. But unlike the second group they were not offered stress-management techniques.

Blood levels of various immune system compounds were taken a month before surgery and 48 hours after the operation.

Results show that two days after surgery, men who had the stress management had significantly higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines. These proteins encourage healing.

The patients also had greater activity of natural killer cells, which help protect the body from infection - natural killer cells have a role, too, in detecting and destroying rogue cancer cells.

The men in the other two groups had no change in their immune systems. The doctors also assessed the mood of the patients on the morning of surgery, and found that those in the first group were most positive.

Doctors in the UK say this study, together with further work, could influence treatment of surgical patients across the country.
Commenting on the U.S. research, Raj Persad, consultant urologist from Spire Bristol Hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary, said:

'As surgeons we have suspected for a long time that stress management for patients undergoing surgery leads to improved outcomes.

'This is one of the first studies to show evidence of the benefit of this type of support.

'Not only might the "positive mental attitude" that results from stress management motivate patients to get back to normal sooner, but now we have evidence that it may improve the immune system response. We know that for diseases such as cancer the immune system is instrumental in combating cancer behaviour, and is important in the body's defences for limiting the spread of disease.

'I am sure this study will spur on more work in this area. And I am sure the same kind of effect would be seen in other types of surgery. There is no reason why it should only apply to prostate surgery.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1354603/Want-heal-quickly-Relax-op.html#ixzz1DPMPmJgq

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I was pretty shocked at the results from their tests that showed participating in some stress reducing activities like positive visualization could have such a huge impact on how quickly a person can recover after surgery. The article also got me thinking about how the role my doctor's bed side manner affects my readiness and recovery process.

Most times, you figure you get what you get as far as the personality of your doctor, as long as he's good at the actual surgery part or his job. What does if matter if he's got the personality of a wet sock? Well, based on this article, it matters a whole lot. I want to make sure I find a doctor who is going to take the time to go through my surgery and explain to me the procedure in a way that I can understand and who is also willing to listen to any of my fears and help me through them. The mention of the "booster chat" before and after surgery was also a brilliant idea.

I decided to try some of the relaxation techniques that Dr. Roger Dobson mentioned in his article to help me begin to get prepared for my surgery. I started with finding a yoga class that focused on some simple breathing techniques.

When I get nervous I tended to begin to hyperventilate and I had a hard time catching my breath and slowing down my breathing. As soon as I began to practice the breathing exercises, I discovered something really interesting about myself - I was a reverse breather. What the heck does that mean? - Sounds odd I know, and I didn't know what the instructor meant, but what would happen was when I took a breath in, I was actually sucking in my stomach and by doing this, I was limiting the amount of air I could take into my lungs.

My instructor advised me that when I take a breath, I want to push out my belly as I take my breath and this will allow me to take a much larger amount of air into my lungs. This is really crucial when you're trying to avoid hyperventilating. She said that a great way to remember to extend my stomach was picture Budda and his belly and take a deep "Budda breath".

The imagery helps. Truthfully, I never really paid that much attention to how I breathed simply because I never new there were different ways. I just figured everyone breathed the same way. I can actually say that it made a huge difference in my ability to calm myself down during times when I was feeling stressed and recognizing that I was in the beginning stages of hyperventilating.

By taking control of my fears about my surgery and facing them head on, I feel so much more in control. By preparing myself with some very useful skills that can help me deal with my anxiety about going into the hospital and then being able to help myself actually recover faster and stronger, I am feeling way more optimistic about my prognosis.

If you find yourself sharing any of the emotions mentioned in this article or simply want to try some of the relaxation techniques to improve your health, I highly recommend that you give it a try and go for it!