Moderate Pain | Common Fears About Joint Replacement Surgery

Introduction

Organizing your life before total joint replacement surgery is essential to reducing your stress before and after surgery. After you've set up your home, arranged for a caregiver and chosen a qualified surgeon you feel comfortable with, why do you still have fears and doubts about the outcome of your joint replacement surgery?

Fears and Joint Replacement Surgery

It's very common to experience these nagging fears. In fact, what you're feeling is more the rule than the exception. "People tend to have certain fears about any major surgery," says William Deardorff, Ph.D., a clinical health psychologist in Beverly Hills, California. "One is fear of the surgery process itself and the possibility that something might go wrong during the operation. Another is fear of pain, and of not being able to do all the things you want to do after the joint replacement surgery. Whether a person acknowledges having such fears or not, I'd say virtually everyone thinks about these things going into surgery."

In his book Preparing for Surgery: A Mind-Body Approach to Enhance Healing and Recovery, Deardorff lists some other common concerns:

  • How long after joint replacement surgery will it take for your life to get back to normal
  • Being away from home
  • How your spouse and/or children will cope with the recovery process
  • Dying during the surgery
  • Being unconscious during the operation
  • Waking up during the surgery
  • Surgeon competency
Calming Your Fears About Total Joint Replacement

One of the best ways to calm your fears is becoming an active player in your own health care program. Here are some suggestions:

Take your joint replacement surgery seriously

You wouldn't embark on a new career or buy a new house without educating yourself about the process. The decision to have a total joint replacement should be treated with similar respect. Learn not only about what to expect from the surgery itself, but also about your options for anesthesia, blood transfusion, pain medication, relaxation techniques, and rehabilitation.

Develop a mental strategy

Don't wait until you're on the way to the operating room or waking up from anesthesia to try using relaxation techniques. Instead, practice in advance using deep breathing, imagery, self-hypnosis, music, or some other means to bring on the relaxation response. This will make you skilled and confident in your ability to relax when faced with the actual stress and pain of joint replacement surgery. Click here for more information on relaxation techniques

Learn to be assertive

This is a communication style that involves expressing what you feel, want, or need without stepping on the feelings of others. It's the best way to be heard without making those around you uncomfortable or defensive. In the context of doctor-patient communication, it often means asking questions and making requests that are simple and specific. Deardorff says, "For example, you might start a visit with your doctor by stating that you have five questions that you would like answers to." Then ask your questions, waiting attentively for a response to each before moving on to the next.

Facing Your Fears About Joint Replacement Surgery

It's important to face your fears realistically and acknowledge your concerns about joint replacement surgery. Keep in mind that your decision to have total joint replacement was an educated, well thought out one. Focusing on the benefits of the surgery will help you overcome some of your fears and hesitations.
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