United Kingdom
Post op blues is feeling depressed, weepy, nervy, shaky, fearful of the future, anxious, overwhelmed by what is happening to you, convinced it's never going to get any better and finally, uttering that most intense of all cries "I wish I never had this done!"
It arises out of a variety of things that have happened and are still happening to you including
~ the shock of learning you need major surgery and getting acclimatised to it
~ the anxiety in the lead up to pre-op and then the surgery itself
~ physical shock of the 'assault' of surgery (think of what it's like to be mugged!!)
~ intense attention in hospital, people all around you, able to call on anyone at a moment's notice, strong support structure
~ the pain, swelling and everything else that comes with it
~ loss of privacy and independence
~ medications which actually cause a lot of chemical, emotional and physiological changes in your body
~ on discharge from hospital, loss of the supportive infrastructure upon which you had subtly become dependent
~ the loss of your normal way of life, inability to fend for yourself, shop, clean, prepare meals, etc., etc.
~ loss of confidence in normal daily activities like walking around your own home, even going to the bathroom or taking a shower
~ feeling confined, even trapped because you can't go out or even get around the house as freely as you used to
~ loss of interaction with your usual sphere of society
~ anxiety about how long all this will last
So if you find yourself suddenly bursting into tears for no real reason, feeling frustrated by the inactivity, having 'cabin-fever' or feeling like the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head - it's just part of the process and like everything else, it will pass. You have my word on it!
It arises out of a variety of things that have happened and are still happening to you including
~ the shock of learning you need major surgery and getting acclimatised to it
~ the anxiety in the lead up to pre-op and then the surgery itself
~ physical shock of the 'assault' of surgery (think of what it's like to be mugged!!)
~ intense attention in hospital, people all around you, able to call on anyone at a moment's notice, strong support structure
~ the pain, swelling and everything else that comes with it
~ loss of privacy and independence
~ medications which actually cause a lot of chemical, emotional and physiological changes in your body
~ on discharge from hospital, loss of the supportive infrastructure upon which you had subtly become dependent
~ the loss of your normal way of life, inability to fend for yourself, shop, clean, prepare meals, etc., etc.
~ loss of confidence in normal daily activities like walking around your own home, even going to the bathroom or taking a shower
~ feeling confined, even trapped because you can't go out or even get around the house as freely as you used to
~ loss of interaction with your usual sphere of society
~ anxiety about how long all this will last
So if you find yourself suddenly bursting into tears for no real reason, feeling frustrated by the inactivity, having 'cabin-fever' or feeling like the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head - it's just part of the process and like everything else, it will pass. You have my word on it!
