This is Part 2 of a 3-part blog post series regarding events leading to a second Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery, taming surgery anxiety, and post-surgery recovery. Read Part 1 here.

So you’ve made the decision to have joint replacement surgery. What next?

For me, I needed to get my anxiety about the surgery under control. You’d think since I already had a knee replacement surgery I wouldn’t have anxiety. I’d know what’s coming and be ok with it.

But that’s exactly what caused the anxiety. 

I knew what was coming.

The way to handle anxiety is to work on controlling the things you can and letting go of what you can’t. I realized I had the perfect tools to prepare me for this surgery. The Pillars of Strength to manage your arthritis are the perfect tools for managing surgery anxiety.

• Mind Management
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Methods of Gardening
• Tools
• Pain Relief

I have written about how to use these tools to keep you gardening with arthritis, but how do they apply to getting ready for surgery?

Mind Management

Don’t indulge your thinking in things you can’t control. Anything in the future can be prepared for if you know about it, but you don’t have a crystal ball. There will be some unforeseen events big or small that you’ll handle when they happen. Focus on the things you can control.

You’ve gone through the thought process with yourself, your doctor, your family, and your caregivers and made the decision to have this surgery. Don’t indulge in changing your mind about it.

Write out your mantra for healing.

Mine is:

I have one job to do right now, and that job is to heal from surgery as completely as possible.

My job is not to:

• Worry about my weight
• Worry about who needs me
• Worry that the garden isn’t perfect
• Rush through exercises and self-care
• Post on social media
• Conduct business

Exercise

Work on getting your body strong pre-surgery. Even if your bad knee can’t do the exercise, the rest of your body can get stronger.  Especially work on core strength because you’ll need it to help get that surgical leg moving again. The stronger you are going into PT, the quicker you’ll see results.

Nutrition

Focus on a good diet to keep your body nourished and hydrated and to keep your digestion working smoothly. Cook extra meals to freeze and have on hand post-surgery. Freeze cut-up onions, peppers, and other veggies to make meal prep easy for you and your caregiver.

Gardening Methods

Work on getting the garden ready and as self-sufficient as possible, or at least easy for others to do some basic maintenance. I made sure I had lots of pots planted around my patio so I could enjoy the garden close to the house as I was doing laps with my walker in the first few weeks. I also made watering as automatic as possible and wrote out instructions in case I needed to call in extra help.

Tools

Make sure you gather all the things you know you’ll need. I remembered how much it comforted me to take long showers after my first surgery, so I gathered my tools for indulgent long showers, some nice body wash, and shampoo and conditioner.  I set up a basket for my dry brushes and fascia blaster to work on the incision area. I bought a luxuriant lotion and got another tube of scar cream. I even bought new slippers and comfy cotton pajamas. I want to feel as pampered and indulged as possible.

Pain Management

I pre-filled any prescriptions before the surgery that I could.  I created a schedule to monitor all the medications I will be on and a plan for when to add back my current medications and supplements.

I also got all the over-the-counter meds I would need, such as baby aspirin for blood clot prevention, Colace Plus, and a laxative.

The ice machine they sent home with me at the hospital last surgery, was critical to dealing with pain. I prepared the areas where it will live for the next few weeks at the foot of my bed and next to my recliner. I got some small water bottles to freeze and use in place of ice in the machine.

Focusing on these tools put me in action which allowed my brain less time to indulge in anxiety.

I can’t wait to be on the other side of this surgery, and I’m sure when I am, I’ll know that I made the right decision. For now, I just have to trust that it is and be thankful that I have the opportunity to “fix” the problems that severe osteoarthritis in my knees has caused. I’m thankful for my medical care, for my surgeon, for the medical team that does everything to the highest standards.

Tame your pre-surgery anxiety with the Pillars of Strength and a grateful heart!