Preparing for Surgery's Second Phase
~ The Surgical Procedure ~

In today's hectic and often impersonal healthcare system, we frequently are left with feelings of being alone and confused throughout the process of preparing for surgery.

Doctors and surgeons often treat having surgery as one medical event when in fact it can be broken down into three distinct stages.  These stages or phases of surgery begin with the preparatory process before the surgery even takes place, then moves on into the second phase which is the actual surgery itself.  Finally, the last phase of surgery is the recovery and healing process.

Breaking down the surgical process into individual stages, then giving each specific stage of surgery its due attention can dramatically increase our chances of having a positive healing surgical experience.

Often overlooked when preparing for surgery, is the second phase.  We do not like to think too much about this phase because it causes so much anxiety.  We suppose what more can we do anyway other than show up at the hospital and patiently wait to be put to sleep.  We just quietly hope everything will go smoothly with our surgery and when we wake up from the procedure, we can then move quickly onto the final phase where we can actively participate in our own recovery.

However, we do not have to go through the actual surgical procedure as a passive participant.  Not only can we participate during our surgery, we can do so in a big way that can help to relieve anxiety, reduce the amount of sedation required during surgery, help to maintain our own vital signs, and even help ourselves heal quicker.  Now that is a lot of participation, don't you think? 

Lying there on the gurney just before going into the operating room, watching and waiting while the medical staff scurries about making sure everything is all set to go for the procedure, no one anticipates the sounds or conversations that occur in the operation room.  After all, we'll be asleep - right?

It is inevitable that noises are going to be present in the operating room during surgery and research suggests that these noises may not be good to hear and can even affect your body's vital signs.  Not only are the sounds from the surgical procedure and equipment unpleasant, add to that the medical staff's non-stop conversations.  Neither of which are conducive to a calm tranquil environment! 

This leads to the question; do we really hear what's happening in the O.R. while we're under anesthesia?

A study conducted at The Center for the Advancement of Preoperative Health® and the Departments of Anesthesiology, Pediatrics, and Child Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT and the Department of Anesthesiology, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon ~ has shown that by controlling noise within the operating room during surgery with the use of music ~ anesthesiologist can reduce the amount of sedation requirements for the patients.

Studies have also shown that startling noises in the operating room can make our blood pressure spike and our heart rate and breathing increase, indicating that we do hear and process operating room noises and chatter to some degree.  After all, our ears don't stop working while we're under the effects of anesthesia.

The startling and sometimes jarring sounds in the operating room come from all kinds of different sources.  Sounds that come from the clanging of surgical instruments as they're tossed into stainless steel bowls, the equipment used in the O.R. for sustaining life and registering your body's vital signs to the very unpleasant sounds of cracking, sawing or drilling through bone.  Any of these distressing sounds could negatively affect one's blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory readings.

What can we do about the unhealthy ~ un-healing noise in the operating room during surgery?

Unless you take a proactive role in your surgery, you will hear and experience all of these noises and conversations from the medical staff while under anesthesia. And, all of these non-stop noisy messages, comments and conversations will quietly whisper to you. Your subconscious mind, without bias, will let them all in.

Being an active participant especially in this phase of surgery can greatly affect your recovery and healing.  Simply shutting out the noise as much as possible during surgery can help tremendously.  Listening to healing affirmations, guided visualizations and soothing music or a combination of these can greatly improve your surgical experience.  You could require less sedation, less pain medication and healing may happen at a quicker pace when you become an active and positive participate in your own surgery.

Today, more and more patients, doctors and surgeons are realizing the benefits of listening to music and positive affirmations on your health and healing during a surgical procedure.

Your ears don't stop working while you're under anesthesia so to stop the noises in the operating room, use your ears!  Put those headphones on and create the right frame of mind.  Tell your doctors and surgeons that you will be taking a small tape player, CD or Mp3 player to listen to something other than the operating room noises and their conversations.

You will greatly reduce your stress while lying there on that gurney waiting for your procedure to begin.

Mary Edison has been helping people prepare for surgery and recovery for over 25 years. She knows all the ins and outs of getting prepared for surgery and creating a successful and speedy recovery.  She has also created her "Heartfelt Gift Pick" get well list that will help you find that special and unique get well gift, something that's totally out of the ordinary ~ for your loved one or friend who is ill.

For more information about Mary, please visit Prepare For Surgery Now .  You can also download her free copy of "Your Guide to Less Stressful Surgery" so you can be completely prepared when you need to have surgery.