Prioritizing Mental Health Before and After Surgery

For most patients, surgery is a major life event. Whether it is a simple operation or a more invasive procedure, surgery requires a great deal of preparation and can take anywhere from days to months of recovery. Due to the seriousness of surgery, it can have quite an impact on your mental health – both before and after the procedure. As we observe Suicide Awareness Month this September, it is important to prioritize your mental health before and after surgery.

Impact on Mental Health

It is important to know that you are not alone in your feelings when preparing for and recovering from surgery. Surgery can impact mental health in several ways, including depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD. Some surgeries, like spine and cardiac, are even shown to have a higher risk of causing depression due to their long recovery and physical trauma. Surgery can cause anxiety and depression for many reasons including the lack of a support system, financial stress, physical pain, anesthesia, complications, and recovery times. To improve your well-being when it comes time for surgery, it is essential to practice self-care both before and after.

Preparing for Surgery

Preparing for surgery, both mentally and physically, is crucial. While surgery has been determined as the best option to resolve an ailment, it is normal to feel stress and anxiety ahead of operation day. We suggest following these steps to ensure mental preparedness ahead of your surgery:

  1. Maintain open communication with your healthcare team.
  2. Have a support system set up to lean on before and after surgery.
  3. Practice meditation or yoga to help relax and ease stress.
  4. Do things that bring you joy like watching a favorite movie, listening to music, getting outside, or spending time with loved ones.

During Recovery

Post-surgery feelings vary from patient to patient; however, anywhere from 13% to 47% of patients experience depression after surgery. Any procedure could lead to postsurgical blues and coping with these feelings will look different for each person. After your procedure, take care of your mental health by doing the following:

  • Talk with a family member, someone you trust, or a therapist.
  • Follow through with physical therapy to ensure proper recovery.
  • Maintain a healthy diet and get plenty of rest.
  • Consult your healthcare team if the pain remains unbearable and is impacting your mental health.

How Our Team Supports You

Let our team at Wyoming Surgical Associates be a resource for a successful surgery before, during, and after. We care about you as a whole patient and don’t want your mental well-being to suffer due to surgery. As our patient, we help ensure you are well prepared for surgery and our team will follow up with you post-surgery to discuss how your recovery is going. Maintaining communication with our team is essential so we know how you are doing and what needs to be done for your best recovery.

We understand the financial strain surgery poses which is why we strive to educate our patients on their insurance benefits prior to surgery so that they know what to expect when it comes to the cost of their procedure. This eases stress and anxiety and provides more reassurance come surgery day. We also help patients contact the facility where their surgery will take place so they can discuss and prepare for potential costs there as well.

Prioritizing your mental health for surgery is essential for your overall well-being and recovery. If you’re feeling depression, stress, or anxiety just know you are not alone and there are resources to help. Reaching out for support is critical and our team is here to be a resource for you every step of the way.