Surgery is the final contingency. When all other avenues of correction and defense against illnesses or harm are exhausted, direct surgical intervention becomes more than warranted. Of all types of surgery, neurosurgery appears to be particularly troublesome for anxious patients, and the reasons for such feeling are completely reasonable. This is, after all, a part of your body that is not only responsible for regulating everything else, but this is also where your proverbial soul and intellect rests. If this type of intervention is soon pending, you must be plagued by numerous questions, so without further ado, here?s how to prepare for a neurosurgical operation.
Keep a tight grip on your immediate reality
There are two distinct types of neurosurgical operations that may befall you ? an emergency procedure and a scheduled procedure. The former is required when the discovered issues poses an immediate threat to individual?s life, so you will probably not have enough time on your hands to get involved with thorough preparation, but even if your surgery is about to take place suddenly ? in two or three days after diagnosis ? the first and the most important piece of advice you can adopt is to keep a tight grip on your immediate reality.
Well, what does this mean exactly? There is a certain type of life you have lead before diagnosis ? accept that none of the important things from before have changed. You are almost certainly surrounded with friends and family who are about to stick with you through thick and thin. Keep your inner circle in your life through this ordeal and keep talking about topics you have talked about before. If you have previous plans, keep developing them as if they are about to transpire (since they possibly will) and don?t stop socializing no matter what ? this is crucial if you want to keep your head above water.
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Do exhaustive research
Your mind may recoil at the idea of neurosurgery, and there is a sense of irony that the exact aspect of your biology which requires help will show absolute resistance towards the idea. Yet, you have to do everything in your power to make your mind accept this fate, which does not only aid in reducing stress levels before surgery, but it also increases the chances of a faster recovery. The keyword when it comes to this is ?demystification? of the term ? and the only way to do this is to confront the issue of neurosurgery directly ? by doing exhaustive research.
Watching clear and comprehensive videos of operations that are at least similar to the one you are about to have, can actually put your mind to rest, despite what your instincts may tell you. In the day and age of the overwhelming proliferation of visual media, we can easily access such material, as evident by the option to watch HD videos by Dr Timothy Steel clinic. These crisp logs of the neurosurgical procedures will show you that only those who had absolutely mastered operating with surgical tools can engage with the ailing patient.
Consider the recovery period
Every surgery necessitates downtime. Even if we are discussing the most successful neurosurgical undertaking imaginable, you will have to spend at least several months fully committed to recuperation, and total recovery may even take more than six months. One of the most important steps in your preparation for surgery may be the one that puts you on edge the most, but it has to be done ? logistical and financial preparation for recovery. You will need to rely on friends and/or family to help you out with certain everyday things, most importantly meal preparation. A good solution that can take pressure off everyone is to cook and freeze meals.
A smart thing would be to situate your resting bed on the equal distance between the kitchen and the bathroom to make your life easier. Don?t bother worrying about the layout of furniture since there is a different set of priorities you need to adopt. Take some money off your credit card and prepare it accordingly. Liquid cash will come in handy, but don?t underestimate the power of plastic, especially if you are bothering someone to do some shopping errands for you. Since you have just been through neurosurgery, your employers need to be made aware of your condition and the importance of solid recovery. Paint a vivid picture for them and talk to the human resources and administrative department about your sick leave and insurance. The upside of this is that such matters can be arranged fairly quickly, even if your operation is pending in a few days, but they need to be dealt with without skipping.
Do preoperative testing
However, if there is a reasonable time window between the appointment and the surgery, you?ll want to begin with the necessary tests at least a week before. Since we are discussing neurosurgery, your designated medical professional will want to have an exhaustive set of data prepared before the procedure for several reasons. Reason number one is to check whether your condition is stable enough so the surgery can be confidently done, and the second reason is to see whether some sort of course correction is needed, depending on the changes of your diagnostic results. The results of your blood work, EKG, x-rays and/or your cognitive state will keep an entire medical team well informed about your state.
Conclusion
The crucial conclusion you should draw from this experience is that you are far from alone when it comes to trepidation about this kind of surgery. Countless people are faced with neurosurgical intervention on a daily basis, and the statistical analysis shows that the sophistication of such operations is steadily increasing, as well as the survivability rate of patients worldwide. In other words, this is the best of all times to have such an operation, and in the day and age when patient comfort comes first, your recovery is bound to go by smoothly.
