Today I read a blog post from CarrumHealth entitled “How To Get Back to Your Life After Surgery”. The post went something like this: “After spending time thinking about whether you really needed surgery, going through the qualification process, choosing a surgeon, and, finally, having the surgery, you are ready for recovery. You have care instructions from your doctor and an idea of about how long you may need to physically recover. But what about the rest of your life? All too often, patients do not discuss information about how to deal with work, relationships, and life in general after surgery”.
The blog post ‘spoke’ to me. I am a medical doctor and I served as a general practitioner for 25 years. During this tenure I witnessed many a patient go through the recovery processes after surgery. None of the processes “touched ” me emotionally as my own experience of life after surgery. I have not had surgery but my son and my wife have. At age 13, my son had surgery for intestinal obstruction. The surgical scar on his belly torments him to this day. My wife has had two surgeries in a span of 3 years, one, most recently for a toxic thyroid. She worries about a scar in the neck. I worry about her mood! Her daughters worry about what will come out of the histology tests.
Being in recovery after surgery can be, very challenging. You may feel anxious to get back to doing the things you love, with the people you love. You may even feel frustrated at the restrictions you need to follow to make sure your recovery goes well. Have you or your loved one had surgery? What has been the most challenging ‘thing’ for you or your loved one after surgery?. What are you doing to cope with the challenge?. Please share your experiences post surgery here.
Dr. Ismail Ndifuna
Coach & Trainer-The Life Challenge Coaching Program