World Mental Health Day | October 10
You go to the doctor expecting answers.
Perhaps it started with breathlessness, chest discomfort, fatigue, or an abnormal test.
You expected medication, some lifestyle changes, maybe another consultation.
Instead, you hear:
“ You need surgery.”
For a moment, you may not know what to say.
The doctor continues explaining the procedure, the risks and the recovery. You listen, nod and try to take it all in.
But your mind may already be somewhere else.
Will I be okay?
What if something goes wrong?
Will I wake up after the surgery?
How long will I take to recover?
What will happen to my family?
When will I be able to return to work?
And somewhere underneath all of it:
“Why is this happening to me?”
If you have felt this way, know that you are not overreacting.
Being told that you need major surgery can be frightening, even when surgery is the right treatment.
Something that was happening silently inside your body has suddenly become very real.
There is uncertainty about the procedure, concern about complications and recovery, and often the practical worries of work, family and finances.
Perhaps most difficult of all is the sudden feeling that you are no longer completely in control of what happens next.
That fear is a natural response to a major change in your life. It is not a sign of weakness.
So, how do you deal with it?
You don’t have to force yourself to stop being afraid.
Instead, try to understand what exactly you are afraid of.
Is it the anaesthesia?
The pain?
The possibility of complications?
The recovery?
The financial burden?
Or simply not knowing what is going to happen?
Fear can feel overwhelming when it remains one large, undefined thought.
Once you identify what is worrying you, you can begin to ask questions about it.
Ask questions, even the ones that feel obvious
Ask why the surgery is being recommended.
Ask what the procedure involves, what happens before and after it, how long recovery may take and what you can expect during that period.
If you feel too overwhelmed to remember everything, write your questions down before the consultation.
Take a family member or someone you trust with you if that helps.
Information cannot remove every uncertainty, but it can prevent your imagination from filling every gap with the worst possible outcome.
Don’t carry the emotional weight alone
Tell your family what you are actually worried about.
Talk to someone you trust.
If anxiety becomes overwhelming, affects your sleep or daily functioning, or makes it difficult to cope with treatment, seeking help from a mental health professional is not an admission that you are unable to cope.
It is another form of care.
There is a role for the surgeon too
A patient may remember the details of their operation.
But they may remember even more clearly how they felt when they were told they needed it.
That is why communication should not be treated as something separate from surgical care.
A surgeon can give a patient time to process the diagnosis, explain the treatment clearly, answer questions honestly and acknowledge the fear that naturally comes with such a decision.
Reassurance does not always mean saying:
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
Sometimes, it means saying:
“I understand why you are worried. Let me explain what we know, what we are going to do, and what you can expect next.”
That conversation may not eliminate fear.
But it can replace some of the uncertainty with understanding and give the patient the confidence to take the next step.
Surgery treats the heart. Care must also address the person living with that heart.
A successful operation is an important outcome.
But a patient’s journey begins long before the operating room and continues long after the surgery is over.
Behind every angiogram, every diagnosis and every surgical plan is a person with a family, responsibilities, hopes and fears.
On World Mental Health Day, perhaps that is worth remembering.
When we treat a patient, we are not treating an organ in isolation.
We are treating a person who has a heart, a mind, a family and a life waiting for them beyond the hospital.
Sometimes, one of the most important things a surgeon can do before picking up a scalpel is to sit down, listen, explain and give the patient enough confidence to take the next step.
