My husband, Peter had yet another surgery this week, arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Everyone has warned him about the pain and difficult rehab. He has been listening to a CD, “Preparing For Surgery” a guided imagery by Sharon M. O’Connor, RN (that would be me) each morning for the past couple of weeks. His surgery took place a little after 7:30AM on Tuesday. By 9:30, he was wide awake and had eaten a chicken salad sandwich. He was discharged home by noon. The doc said the should joint was a mess, tons of debris that he removed leaving a “red and angry” joint. What is the success part? He has had NO PAIN and no pain medication. He has already started PT and is doing just fine.
There are two parts to feeling pain. The first is the site of the insult or injury and there is a transmission of the pain stimulus. The second part is the brain acknowledging the pain. The CD suggests that the only pain felt will be that which is a warning that something is amiss. Therefore, the brain ignores everything else. Pretty amazing isn’t it?
Check out the CD at “Preparing For Surgery”
