How To Calm Anxiety Before Scoliosis Surgery

Finding out you need spinal fusion surgery can be a very stressful situation. When I found out I needed surgery, I had so many questions running through my head. What are the risks? What will the recovery be like? How bad will the pain be? Will I still be able to live a normal life after? This was my first surgery so I had so many questions. But I learned how to calm my anxiety and turned this journey into something positive. Here are five ways that can help you too.

Educate yourself

Doing some research before hand can help you overcome the fear of surgery, being in the hospital, or the condition itself. This really helped me calm my nerves since I like to know everything that is going on or seeing how patients can still live a happy life after surgery. But beware that for some, doing too much research can increase anxiety. I would recommend researching advice and tips that will help you prepare for scoliosis surgery and staying away from researching what could possibly scare you. I think a great way to prepare yourself is to watch YouTube videos of scoliosis surgery hospital vlogs so you can get an idea of what your recovery may be like. Throughout my recovery, I created YouTube videos to better prepare patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery.

Click the link below to check out my scoliosis videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmQV5Yq8hSKbigHReokdlRw?view_as=subscriber

Trust your medical team

I absolutely loved the hospital where I had my surgery because the team made me feel so comfortable. My surgeon was so positive and energetic. He taught me about scoliosis and how he was going to treat it. I reminded myself that scoliosis surgery is what he specialized in and trusted that everything would be okay. The morning of surgery, I got to meet with my surgeon, anesthesiologists, the nurses and child life specialists. There was an amazing medical team taking care of me at CHOC Children’s Hospital in Orange Country, California. I am so thankful for them.

Distract Yourself

Distracting yourself from what is going on can be a simple trick to calm your nerves. I had to be at the hospital two hours before my surgery, so I brought my phone and video camera to keep me entertained. I was vlogging myself so I could remember what my journey was like and to be able to share with others. It was a fun distraction and helped me stay strong and positive. So whether it’s listening to music, reading a book, playing on your laptop or phone, bring something to help you relax.

Join a support group

Being able to relate to people that are going through the same thing as you can make you feel so much better about the situation. If you don’t know anyone that has scoliosis as severe as you do, don't worry! There are so many support groups you can search for online. If you can, join a scoliosis support group near you. Or if you prefer virtual friends, there is a whole scoliosis community on Instagram. If you look under the hashtags #scoliosis, #scoliosissurgeryrecovery #scoliosiswarrior, #scoliosisstory, or #spinalfusion you will find so many scoliosis accounts that are open to sharing their stories. Some even have scoliosis group messages on Instagram where you can chat with other patients that are just like you. Through my YouTube channel and Instagram account, I’ve been able to connect with thousands of patients around the world! I have my Instagram messages open to anyone that needs advice about scoliosis surgery, so you are more than welcome to reach out to me as well!

My personal Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/jessica.rangel/

I also just created a new Instagram account dedicated to my scoliosis surgery advice: https://www.instagram.com/jessscoliosis/

The power of prayer

My favorite way to handle my stress, fear, and worries is to lift everything up to God. If you are a believer, hand all you fears over to him. I always reminded myself to “Let go and let God”. I prayed for strength and healing. This gave me so much peace. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I trusted God’s plan. I am thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn't have discovered my strength. Now I mentor scoliosis patients at the CHOC Children’s Hospital and I’m able to help them relieve their nerves by sharing my journey and being their for them throughout their recovery.

It’s completely normal to have some fear about having spine surgery, but don’t forget that you are not alone! There’s other scoliosis patients out there that have the same questions you do, and many patients that have already had surgery that are willing to help you and give you advice. It’s amazing how much better scoliosis surgery is now compared to what it was like years ago. The patients I mentor at the hospital are already sitting up and walking the day of surgery. That is so amazing to me and it’s actually helped them recover faster. We have amazing doctors with great knowledge and experience that have learned what works best for patients now. If you are about to have your surgery, I’m sending my best wishes to you. You are stronger than you know, braver than you think, and you got this! I believe in you.