Post Op Blues

[Spex]

Post op blues:


This is a topic which patients need to be aware of as its very common to get down and anxious immediate post op.

The post op blues! This is nothing to be worried about and not everyone experiences it but be aware that in my personal experience it can happen and its not nice.

It is very common indeed after your HT to feel very down and anxious about the entire thing - remember you are exhausted!. You are full of mixed emotions post op and this is often fuelled by the tiredness that you will underestimate. - Under going surgery is a huge step mentally as well as physically. The lead up to is mentally gruelling and shouldn't be under estimated. Be aware that post op the wheels will well and truly fall off at some point - you are only human!

You will turn up to your session shattered as most do - due to a few restless nights sleep on the lead up to the big day and very little sleep the night before - - combined with the anxiety and adrenaline is a crazy combo - Trust me - been there!

The surgery itself Strip or FUE is like running a marathon for you even though you are sat in a chair all day - Sitting in a chair ALL day doing nothing is tiring. Combine this mental and physical exhaustion with the duration of the surgery - It can be very tough on you!

On top of these factors are also the drugs taken to help calm you down and the various pain killer needed post op - Your body is getting hit from all angles and is just running on adrenaline for some time post op so remember the mind is exhausted as well as your body.Combine all this also as many do with several hours of flying and the jet lag and you have got a messy combo and these blues can strike at any time ! Do not underestimate it!

After all this you return home and then the sheer exhaustion hits you like a sledge hammer - Boosh! Due to your new level of complete exhaustion this is when the blues are well known to creep in - You are tired like nothing before and then thoughts start to get amplified - you will start questioning the surgery and your Doctor and how it went and was it a success - you become VERY paranoid and sketchy - obsessive!!!! Its the come down of all come downs so again be prepared for the post of blues and be aware that for a few days pre op and a few days post op you need to respect the surgery and what you are about to and have put your body through mentally and physically. - Get some rest - your body needs it.


Tips for the post op blues - Rest up, drink LOTS of water, eat well, chill out (24, Lost, Prison Break box sets) and try not focus on the surgery and the various specifics surrounding it - leave that up to the Docs - that's what you are paying them for and that's why your several months intensive research has lead you to them - Your radar will click back in within a few days and everything will become a lot clearer and you will start to feel much more upbeat about it all and the experience in general - and the new chapter of your life will start in a very positive state of mind - along with the post op regime and the questions associated with that! - But that's another topic all together!


It all good guy - so heal up and grow well!!!
Spex

[barry77]

I sure am suffering post-op blues but it's more to do with the long long wait before I can see any results. Counting the days and hours. I didn't find the procedure itself particularly arduous. I couldn't feel a thing and slept though a lot of it.

[Dr. Lindsey]

Post op blues is common. Having done lots of cosmetic work for both men and women over the past 15 years, I can say for certain that postop blues are real and they are unpredictable. Meaning that there doesn't seem to be a pattern of predicting who is going to get the blues based upon the things you might expect...divorce, age, financial situation.

I will say that it seems like it occurs in females more than males but relation to times of hormonal fluctuation (monthly or menopause) doesn't seem to have been seen.

Extrapolated to another population, it can be similar to the "let down" that occurs in many kids after opening all of the Christmas presents. They get excited for a while with huge anticipation, and then when the packages are unwrapped, even if they got exactly what they wanted, the increased excitement chemicals in the body decrease, and there is a let down.

That is my best guess as to what is going on for some folks.

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[Spex]

Hey Barry77, How far along are you mate? Be patience mate it takes time!

[barry77]

Hey Barry77, How far along are you mate? Be patience mate it takes time!

Hi Spex. Nice of you to ask. Just over two weeks. It's going to be a long 8-10 months. I keep obsessively checking my head in the mirror. It's surely not a good thing to be wishing one's time away.

I must say, I personally don't recognise a lot of that post op blues description. It's really only now that I'm feeling kind of bummed. During the op and immediately afterwords I was kind of euphoric with excitement. Maybe that might be encouraging for people about to go under the knife?

[Spex]

All good - we are all different. You are now in the eye of the storm mate - its a long waiting game from here on in so be patient.

Remember the more you look at it the longer it will take to growth

Grow well!