Being in pain and waiting for surgery is challenging at the best of times, let alone in the middle of a pandemic.
Covid-19 has had a direct impact on the NHS as we know it, and we are still living in the consequences of the pandemic. The queues and waiting lists for surgery are at an all-time high, and this can have a direct impact on both your physical and mental health.
A recent BBC panorama program NHS: Wait or Pay recently highlighted the catastrophic physical and emotional Impact waiting was having on the lives of those patients while on these lists.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, many surgeries and treatments have had to be delayed, hip and knee replacements, back surgery, gynaecological and digestive disorders and even cancer surgeries have seen long delays. NHS England released stats which showed patients waiting for treatment hit an all-time high of 4.46 million in November 2020.
Sadly the impact of these delays is far reaching, not just for the patient’s condition, but for the quality of all areas of their life.
The wider consequences
If you are one of what is now estimated to be over 4 million people in the UK currently waiting for non-urgent hospital treatment – though I use the term non-urgent loosely as when you are in pain and your life is on hold it feels very urgent – then the following recognised emotional health implications and subsequent lifestyle challenges will no doubt resonate with you:
- Depression
- anxiety
- lack of sleep
- poor concentration
- loss of confidence
- feelings of isolation and helplessness
These are very natural and understandable responses as there can be nothing worse that the not knowing for the mind to spiral into unhelpful and unhealthful thought patterns.
Yet even when the situation feels unmanageable, there are many aspects that you can change that will make this time pass more comfortably.
Practical solutions:
Today, we are going to look at a few simple strategies for surviving the surgery queue, even when you are in chronic pain.
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Do what you can do
When things get too much, it can be easy to want to stay in your pyjamas and watch TV all day to hide away from it all. However, doing this will impact negatively on your emotional and physical health, making things worse in the long run.
Try to maintain as normal of a routine as you can. Make sure you go to sleep and wake up at the times that your body feels good doing.
It may take a little more motivation but getting dressed, putting on a little make up on and keeping up with your hobbies and interests will give a sense of satisfaction and purpose. Try and make some time to do the small things that you enjoy the most.
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Keep in touch
Contact your loved ones, friends, and family.
Turning to those close to you for conversation can help ease your worries. Saying them out loud to a close friend who will listen can have a beneficial effect but sometimes talking to a professional will not only give you a safe space to express your frustrations it will free you to talk about other things with your friends.
This may sound like something that can be brushed aside, but it can really be helpful to know how you’re actually feeling to begin processing things.
Talking with friends and family about other subjects will stop your health becoming all consuming. These connections will help you keep in contact with your healthier self, keep things in perspective and boost your mood too.
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Stay active
Don’t outdo yourself, but try and maintain movement of some sort, as it can really help when it comes down to recovering post-op.
Not only does physical activity boost your natural pain relieving endorphins it also maintains strength and muscle tone.
Stiff weak muscles make more pain, maintaining gentle physical activity such as cooking, housework, light gardening, walking the dog etc. will boost mood and confidence in addition to the physical benefits.
It doesn’t have to be “exercise”, try to incorporate it with something that you enjoy doing. Or even try and ensure there’s a reward at the end that can motivate you to get a bit more movement into your day.
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See a positive outcome
It is easy to lose yourself in negative outcomes when there is a lot of uncertainty. Seeing your future as positive will prevent you spiralling into worst case scenarios.
Keeping a positivity journal, making a small daily or weekly plans, as well as having plans for when you believe your surgery will be way behind you.
Just giving you something to look forward to will help you see things in a more positive perspective. It doesn’t have to be a big event, just something that gives you pleasure.
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Learn more coping strategies
Anxiety is a very normal side effect of waiting, and it can be another difficult symptom on top of what you’re already going through. Whilst it may not completely disappear, there are a few things that you can be doing to make it a lot more manageable to deal with. .
Health anxiety is a term coined that explains the anxiety particularly associated with having physical health problems or fearing having them. It can surface as unhelpful catastrophic thoughts that will increase your fears and discomforts.
From relaxation to happiness training there are many ways to boost emotional and physical health, whatever your situation.
Happiness has been shown to be an effective way to both lessen the intensity and impact of chronic pain!
Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Hypnotherapy, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and IEMT (Integral Eye Movement Techniques) are all effective techniques for breaking the negative cycles, lessening discomfort and boosting optimism.
A simple place to start is to reframe a thought, for Instance if you find yourself thinking “I can’t bear this wait”, try and respond with “There a lots of things I can do to make this time more bearable”.
Help is at hand
The Healthful Mind Clinic is an award winning practice specializing in therapies and techniques that support clients struggling with their emotional or physical health, from anxiety and depression to chronic pain and illness.
We offer one to one consultations, groups courses, support groups and workplace wellbeing training both in Wimborne Dorset and online, so we serve clients from all over the country.
Did that sound familiar?
Then now is the perfect time to take the next step and find out how I can help you take back control of your body and life, even when the pain feels unbearable. You can contact the clinic on 0333 772 6233 or send me an email at alexa.warner@healthfulmindclinic.co.uk and we can arrange a time to talk.
By Alexa Warner – Healthful Mind Clinic
Alexa has a number of chronic health conditions that had left her registered disabled and unable to work from her teens to early 40’s. Now at 56 after first experiencing the benefits of NLP and hypnosis over 12 years ago, she has spent 10 years learning the science and helping others regain control of their health and their lives from chronic pain, illness and anxiety.