Surgery consumes your mind from the day it is scheduled until days after you’ve healed. Surgery isn’t only taxing on the body; it is taxing on the soul.
Physically healing isn’t hard. Your body will do so long you take care of it. If you follow the doctor’s instructions, almost always, you will recover physically. Your body wants to heal itself and will do all that it can.
However, healing your mind is a completely different story. There is no instruction manual for healing mentally. Patients have all different surgeries, health issues, support systems, and backgrounds. Thus, it is hard for a doctor to predict the implications a surgery might have upon a person.
One must navigate foreign waters alone (or with the very best loved ones).
Your mind is burdened with worry the day the surgery was scheduled. Upon arrival, or as the day approaches, your mentally might alter. Checking in at the front desk and awaiting the almighty beckoning from a nurse to walk to the back, the nerves officially kick-in. While you are trying to keep yo’ zen on, getting poked and prodded by nurses and doctors doesn’t help. Then they ask you your birthday about one million times to confirm that you are the right person (okay, understandable), if you have any medical history (duh you do), then about your allergies with emphasis on the latex allergies (at this point you want to give in, say you are allergic and make them use the non-latex gloves, because please you have asked over 10 times). It is a roller coaster of emotions before the surgery, and then they roll you back and chat with you in the operating room pretending that you're going to remember their names even though they are knocking you out in about 30 seconds.
Afterward, obviously it varies per surgery, but you could be as chipper as a squirrel or as tired as a sloth and just want to curl up in your bed. Regardless of how you physically feel in the recovery room, mentally you have an uphill battle.
It’s a battle of perseverance. The perseverance to stay positive as each day slowly approaches and passes, and as you slowly heal. Frustration towards your surgery and the sluggish healing is probably in the front of your mind. Your daily routine is interrupted and life is put on hold.
Thus, comes the grit and perseverance. The worry lingers regarding recovery. Your soul takes a toll-- mentally recovering from a surgery is hardly ever a concern and easily pushed to the side. If you pause and reflect on your well-being after surgery, your mind actually takes just as hard of a hit as your body.
Give your mind and soul a chance to catch up.
