General:  Meditation

One of the things that I believe has greatly assisted me in pre and post op recovery has been meditation.  I am no expert and have no formal training, but here's what has worked for me.  (This has worked for me other times as well, whether in trying to reduce stress, or just easing my way into falling asleep; I've also used it with my kids on occassion.)  I truly think that teaching yourself this kind of relaxation technique can go very far in pain management.

My own meditation process is very simple.  I close my eyes and visualize one of my favorite places.  Not only how it looks, but I visualize myself at that place in time.  For example, I visualize my favorite beach.  I picture myself walking out of the house, and 'see' all that is around me as I walk toward the beach - such as the other houses, 'feel' the bright sunshine on my face and the pebbles beneath my feet.  I see the seagulls flying overhead, kites swooping, smell the beach air, feel the breeze on my skin, the sand on my feet and the waves on my toes.  I hear the airplanes flying overhead, kids laughing, and waves crashing.  All during this time, I am taking deep, measured, and relaxing breaths.  If I am feeling pain, I try to 'put it away' and focus on another aspect of the 'location' I am imagining such as the water around my legs or the sun on my back.  After doing this for some time, I have now become practiced at it and am able to get into this meditative state quickly and easily.

I used this technique pre-op in the hospital while getting ready for the procedure, and I feel that it helped me keep my stress level down and worry at a minimum - again, I am not an expert, but I feel sure that going into a procedure with less stress on the body provides for a better recovery.

Post-op, I have been listening to 'Body Scan - Guided mindfulness meditation' on MP3.... there are two different meditations on this MP3, one is Sona and one is Vidyamala.     Body Scan - Guided Mindfulness Meditation  This MP3 got very good reviews on Amazon.  Specifically for me, I have been able to use them to both fall asleep and manage pain.   Also, my visualization technique includes the waves 'washing away the pain'.  I visualize my breathing as waves on the beach - as the waves come up, they grab the points of pain and pull them back away from my body leaving a smooth beach (and less pain).  It might sound crazy, but it works for me.  Give it a try, please!