Pre-Surgery Blues and Jitters

Surgeries come in two flavors, elective and non-elective, and both can be the source of significant worry and, at times, depressive thoughts and feelings. Regardless of the type of surgery (elective or non-) the reality is that there is almost always something wrong with our body or the promise of something that might go wrong in the future if something isn’t done now.

Depending on the site of the surgery, the impact on our daily functioning, and the prognosis for recovery, a surgical procedure can be viewed as anything ranging from just an inconvenience to a life threatening but necessary risk. 

The site of the surgery itself has huge significance emotionally depending on its meaning to us. Surgeries can be cosmetic and involve aesthetic changes in outward appearance or involve vital organ systems that are essential for survival. They can target joints and mobility or destructive tumors that threaten our lives if not removed.

Where the surgery site is and our sense of its seriousness will determine just how anxious and worried we become. Some people anticipating surgery are often concerned about anesthesia as well as the surgical procedure itself. Fears of not waking up from the anesthesia as well as fears of waking up during the procedure are not uncommon and may be spawned by stories we have heard from others.

We are also highly affected by the impact that we anticipate on our ability to perform our usual duties or engage in our favorite activities. If we think or know from what we have been told by doctors that we will have to be out of work or refrain from pleasurable activities this is where more depressive thoughts and feelings can emerge.

When we lose something important to us or sometimes even if the loss is simply threatened we may begin to feel sad or depressed. Fortunately, since many surgical procedures result in improvement of functioning and general health, those depressive feelings do not have to escalate to a full blown major depression. As long as we have hope for a return to better health and functioning those blues are usually fleeting.

It is the prognosis of the surgery and our condition that carry the greatest weight in determining whether depression may become a problem prior to the surgery itself. If we have been told that the odds of improvement are low the sense of helplessness or hopelessness that follows for some people may be the precipitant for depression.

Maintaining hope is the real vaccine against the start of depression. Those of us who can imagine the future and can see ourselves making an adjustment to whatever changes are to be faced almost always fare better than those of us who can’t imagine how we’ll ever make do. This is where getting support from others who have undergone the same procedure and have done well can be a real help. Learning from the experiences of others and seeing with our own eyes that a positive adjustment is possible is very powerful medicine.