What if, before a medical examination, medical manipulation, a person feels fear, anxiety? A medical examination is, for example, an MRI (narrow tube), biopsy, something in medicine that a person has never done. How to cope with anxiety, fear, reduce it in order to safely go through what the doctor prescribed, how to prepare?
Fears anxiety anxiety before medical intervention
How to prepare for a biopsy
This article will not give a universal technique that will alleviate anxiety, anxiety, fears, anxiety in a person awaiting medical manipulation. Why? Because people are different, there are differences:
character,
temperament,
general sensitivity,
pain threshold,
society,
resources,
the ability to cope with fears.
In general, a moderate fear of medical intervention is beneficial. This is indicated by R. Kociunas, mentioning the study of fear in people in the surgical department. People with moderate fear felt better in the postoperative period. Yes, they were afraid of surgery. However, they were actively looking for truthful information about how everything would happen.
Consider the example of a biopsy. For what purpose can a doctor prescribe a biopsy?
lack of an accurate diagnosis,
clarification of the alleged diagnosis,
doubts at the doctor,
suspicion of oncology.
It is extremely rare that a biopsy is done on the day of appointment, except in a hospital. During an outpatient examination, a man and a woman have a certain time period, it is then that disturbing thoughts, fear of a biopsy may appear.
What are these fears?
fear of the unknown (especially if the intervention is carried out for the first time),
fear of uncertainty (when doctors have suspicions of oncology, preliminary examinations did not lead to clarity, questions arise: what is the formation – benign, malignant),
fear of pain during and after the biopsy,
fear of medical error,
fear that something will go wrong during the procedure,
fear of damage to neighboring areas of the body,
fear of developing complications,
fear of the result.
As you can see, there can be many fears. And you need to be with them, live in anticipation of the day of taking a biopsy, cope.
The fear of the unknown has accompanied people for thousands of years. Every day a person meets something unknown, meets, overcomes. Sometimes this happens unnoticed. It turns out that such fear can be removed if you get to know the situation more closely, collect information about HOW the biopsy is performed. If one does not know, this does not mean that others also remain in the dark.
Therefore, immediately when prescribing a biopsy, you should ask:
how a biopsy is done
what type of biopsy will be used in a particular case: trephine biopsy or aspiration,
whether it is necessary to take a sedative, when, which is better,
whether there will be anesthesia, how long it lasts.
These questions should be addressed to the doctor or nurse who is in the subject; the administrator, if the biopsy is taken in a private clinic.
The received answers to the questions allow you to collect, process information, understand how medical manipulation occurs and significantly reduce fear.
If you could not get information from your doctor, you should contact your friends in the hope that they have had such an experience in their past and they will want to share. There is information on the net, on the forums.
Purpose of interest: to make the unknown known by receiving real information, explanations based on facts.
It is worth considering that the stories of other patients are their experience, it may differ from yours, because, as I wrote above, people are different, fears are different. How it will be in a particular person will be seen when the biopsy is taken directly.
The fear of uncertainty is harder to survive because there is something that cannot yet be defined. No one can give a conclusion on the result of a biopsy until the extracted material is examined. It takes time for the histological materials to mature. And this is also a kind of temporary wait.
How strong the fear will be depends on how the person can deal with uncertainty. Perhaps it will help someone to understand that people cannot control everything. There are things beyond the power of man.
How to prepare for a biopsy
1. Ask your doctor and nurse about this.
What needs to be done on the part of the patient in order for the medical intervention to go well:
name chronic diseases,
measure body temperature,
pay attention to the signs of a cold; if there is, a biopsy cannot be done,
tell if there is a biostimulant,
name the pills you are taking,
mention allergic reactions, if any, to what,
give up alcohol, drugs.
2. Continue to live: work, cook food, take care of yourself, take care of children, communicate.
3. If possible, share your fear with loved ones, friends, colleagues. Ask for support.
4. Look for ways to cope with “winding up” yourself, with going into the future and a detailed idea of how the biopsy will take place.
How can you help yourself here?
say STOP to such thoughts,
return to the here and now.
For more information, see the article on how to cope with mental chewing gum on your own.
5. On the day of the biopsy, it is important to be extremely attentive, concentrated in order to hear the recommendations, the doctor’s commands, for example, what posture to take, how to turn, at what moment not to move. It is important to comply with his requirements. This is not a doctor’s whim.
6. Follow the advice of doctors, what to do after the procedure:
sit quietly
hold a cold compress at the puncture site,
do not load the puncture side,
urgently consult a doctor if the body temperature rises sharply.
7. If you are in panic, it makes sense to consult a psychologist.
I had a biopsy. Was I afraid? Yes. Until that time, I had not had such an experience. I am one of those cowards who are afraid but do. I didn’t even think about the refusal, the transfer, I understood that it was necessary to clarify the situation. I realized that it could be painful, I assumed that there could be anesthesia. I learned that there will be an ultrasound-guided biopsy. To help myself, to reduce the fear of the procedure, I wrote for myself a supportive article How to deal with anxiety before a biopsy. Transformed fear into creativity? Perhaps the article will be useful for someone.
Delaying or refusing a biopsy due to anxiety or fear can lead to the loss of precious time, delay in making an accurate diagnosis, complications, and poor health.
Life is at stake. What could be more valuable? The fear of biopsy can be reduced, thus preparing for medical intervention!