Helping patients cope with pre-and post op anxiety: I have had many patients work themselves up into a frenzy before surgery. Invariably they all say the same thing after surgery, that if they knew what it would be like beforehand they would not have been so nervous. I tell this to patients and suggest they read reviews by patients who have undergone surgery, since most of them indicate that the surgery was less traumatic and less painful than they expected. Most reviews indicate that patients usually do not even take the pain med that is prescribed and often take nothing or just Tylenol after surgery. So if pain is the concern hearing this from other patients should be helpful. some patients are concerned about anesthesia. This to is grossly overblown. The anesthesia for a rhinoplasty is very light since the nose is fully injected with local anesthetic at the outset and is often of rather short duration. Since the majority of patients undergoing Rhinoplasty are young and healthy The anesthesia risk is minuscule. Most people who are very anxious are worried about the wrong things. The most important consideration to be concerned about is whether or not you are a good candidate for rhinoplasty and whether you would be expected to get a good result. If you are in the hands of a and experienced rhinoplasty specialist, And surgery is performed in a highly accredited facility, with a professional anesthesiologist, tou will probably get an optimal outcome which is at least a big improvement even if it’s not perfect. For those patients who are clinically anxious meaning their anxiety is rather extreme and not reduced with the above discussion I will sometimes prescribe Valium to be taken the night before and/ or the morning of surgery. But once again even those who are the most terrified before surgery come out afterwards saying that they would not have been so nervous if they knew beforehand what it was really like.
