Your Elective Surgery Just Got Rescheduled. Here are 4 Ways to Cope.
COVID-19 has upended life in myriad ways, but for patients who are scheduled to have elective surgeries, the pandemic is literally painful. Worldwide, tens of millions of elective surgeries have been postponed because of the coronavirus. As a result, patients have been forced to endure chronic pain and emotional distress — often with no end in sight.
Most people assume “elective” surgeries are cosmetic procedures. In reality, calling a procedure “elective” doesn’t make it any less serious or necessary. That’s just a term that hospitals use to refer to surgery that can be scheduled, rather than an emergency room procedure. Knee replacements, cancer surgeries, and life-saving organ transplants are all classified as elective procedures.
One of the most challenging things about a delayed elective procedure is the uncertainty. When will the procedure take place? A patient has often waited months, or even years, to have their procedure approved, dealing with pain the entire time. Elective surgeries are the last resort for many conditions, following rehab, injections, stretching, and other forms of pain management. When the procedure gets delayed, it can feel to patients like the sky is falling.
The decision to delay elective surgery is never taken lightly. The pandemic has made it difficult — and sometimes dangerous — for patients to get the treatment they need. There’s a very real danger of potentially immune-compromised individuals being exposed to the virus in a hospital setting. Plus many hospitals are stretched to the limit with COVID-19 patients.
If you’re in this situation, it’s easy to despair — but there’s no need to be alone with those feelings. Nor do you need to suffer from chronic pain in silence. These four proven techniques below provide an alternative to overusing opioid pills, helping you cope with pain and mental anguish while you wait.
Practice mindfulness and meditation
Studies have shown that mindfulness can actually reduce chronic pain. Mindfulness-based therapy, sometimes called mind-body therapy, can not only reduce chronic pain; it’s also proven to have a significant positive impact on depression and quality of life issues.
Mindfulness is all about focusing on the present moment. One study describes mindfulness as the “non-judgmental acceptance of physical pain or psychological distress, thereby reducing the tendency to ruminate over and catastrophize these experiences.”
There are a couple of ways to practice mindfulness. Meditation is perhaps the most well-known (try an app like Calm or Headspace to get started). Mindful movement is an option for patients who are mobile — and includes options like yoga or walking in nature. There’s also an entire therapeutic practice known as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy that incorporates cognitive therapy with meditation and other mindfulness practices. Mindfulness and meditation can help patients waiting for elective surgery stay grounded, manage pain, and avoid reliance on more damaging coping mechanisms like overusing opioids and risking dependency.
Try cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a therapy practice that is proven to be effective at treating anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. CBT involves changing unhelpful ways of thinking or harmful learned patterns of behavior through a collaborative approach with a therapist.
“Through exercises in the session as well as ‘homework’ exercises outside of sessions, patients/clients are helped to develop coping skills, whereby they can learn to change their own thinking, problematic emotions and behavior,” explains the American Psychological Association.
If you’re feeling depressed or stressed because of a postponed procedure, talking to a professional can make a huge difference.
Ask about nerve-blocking injections
For some patients, living with pain for even a minute longer can feel overwhelming. This is particularly true for patients waiting for orthopedic surgery for total joint cases, abdominal surgeries or rib fracture surgeries. While prescribed opioids can bridge these patients to surgery, any delay dramatically increases the odds that patients taking these medications will become dependent long-term.
For acute pain, ask your doctor if a nerve-blocking injection could be an alternative to opioids. “Nerve blocks reduce pain by blocking signals between nerve cells and the brain,” explains Medical News Today. “Nerve blocks are an effective and immediate way of preventing pain. They are useful for a range of situations, including both short- and long-term pain management.”
Nerve blocks won’t treat every condition, but they are a great alternative to opioids as there’s little risk of dependency.
Sign up for free coaching or a free support group
If you’re feeling abandoned while waiting for your surgery to be rescheduled: you aren’t alone. Patients like you are going through that same uncertainty, anxiety, and stress every day. Skyler Health is here to help.
We can guide you in ways to constructively bridge that time while you’re waiting. Our telehealth platform connects you with licensed counselors who can help you anticipate what you’ll need during and after surgery, give you techniques to manage pain and emotions, and hold your hand during this journey. Therapy happens over messaging, video, or over the phone with our own counselors. Your first one-on-one session is free — get started today.
Whether you’re looking to share and process thoughts and emotions, self-reflect, or practice accountability, there’s a place for you here.
