Preparing for plastic surgery with music

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Preparing for plastic surgery with music.  Nearly every day I read a new source online where people are recommending music either before, during or after surgery. Of course my recommendation is to have all three. Music during the perioperative period is powerful!  And now that Surgical Serenity Solutions is a reality, more and more plastic and cosmetic surgeons are buying the pre-programmed headphones, and branding them for their practices.  Here’s an excerpt from another blog recommending music:
Written by Cathy Enns on February 5, 2009 – 3:26pm
As a plastic surgery writer, I’ve had the chance to talk with dozens of women about their experiences. While sharing feelings of excitement, anxiety and more, many have offered advice for others about preparing for surgery.
Let’s assume you’ve navigated the initial part of the process. You’re confident in your choice of plastic surgeon and surgical plan, and you have a date for the procedure. Now what? How can you help ensure smooth sailing?
Obviously, it’s vital to have your medications ready. Fill all prescriptions your surgeon writes, even if you don’t think you’ll use them. If it turns out you need something you don’t have on hand, chances are good you won’t feel much like visiting the pharmacy.
Think about other products that may make recovery easier. You may benefit from having certain creams or lotions at home. If you’re having facial plastic surgery, eye drops can soothe scratchy eyes.
Another important task is to choose a friend or loved one to help you. Your surgeon will require that someone drive you home after surgery, especially if you have general anesthesia. You should also plan to have someone stay overnight to help you with medications and to be there in case of problems.
The more invasive your procedure, the more you’ll want to have a loved one around to help for a few days. If you have children or pets to care for, it’s a relief to have someone else on the front lines. Remember that you’ll need plenty of rest and you’ll move a little more slowly at first. If you have breast or abdominal surgery, you won’t be able to lift much right away.
Finally, prepare your home to welcome you back. Most women like to return to a clean house, so apply some elbow grease before surgery. Put clean sheets on the bed and have soft pillows and throws for extra comfort. Stock up on food that’s easy to prepare and easy on your system. Have books and magazines you look forward to reading on hand, and some music or maybe a book on tape to listen to.
The first few days after surgery may be somewhat uncomfortable as your body adjusts and recovers, but preparing in advance can make all the difference. Turn your post-op period into a pleasant time of rest and relaxation.

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Nine questions to ask your surgeon before the procedure

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You know that music makes a difference in your surgical procedure, right? You can have live music but that’s a little harder that purchasing either the special music I’ve put together for you or my pre-programmed MP3 player, ready to go into surgery with you. Which do you want? Click on the ad in the top left corner to order! Thanks!

Nine important questions to ask your surgeon before your surgery.
Preparing for surgery can be a big undertaking. However, in the midst of your preparation don’t forget to get all your questions answered before the surgery. Write down questions if you have to and ask your primary care doctor or surgeon. Don’t be afraid to ask what you think is a silly question. To help you prepare for surgery, here are nine questions to get you started. Ask these questions before your surgery, as well as any others that come to mind.
1. What is done during the surgery?
Ask for a clear description of the operation. If necessary, ask the doctor to draw a picture to help explain exactly what the surgery involves. Find out if there are alternative surgical procedures. Are there alternatives to surgery? Sometimes surgery is the only way to correct the problem. But one option might be watchful waiting, to see if the problem gets better or worse.
2. How will surgery help?
A hip replacement, for example, may mean you’ll be able to walk comfortably again. To what extent will the surgery help, and how long will the benefits last? You’ll want realistic expectations.
3. What are the risks?
All operations carry some risk. Weigh the benefits against the risks. Ask about the side effects of the operation, such as the degree of pain you might expect and how long that pain will last.
4. What kind of experience have you had with this surgery?
How many times has the doctor performed this surgery, and what percentage of the people who have had the surgery had successful results? To reduce your risks, you want a doctor who is thoroughly trained in the surgery and who has plenty of experience doing it.
5. Where will the surgery be done?
Many surgeries today are done on an outpatient basis. You go to a hospital or a clinic for the surgery and return home the same day.
6. Will I be put to sleep for the surgery?
Your surgery may require only local anesthesia, which means that just part of your body is numbed for a short time. In case of general anesthesia, you are put to sleep.
7. How long will the surgery and recovery take?
Many surgeries can be done relatively quickly and don’t require an extended stay in a hospital. However, it may be different for your surgery, so you should ask. Also ask whether you’ll need to stay overnight in the hospital, or perhaps stay several days.
You’ll want to know when most people are able to resume their normal activities, such as doing chores around the house and returning to work. You may think there would be no harm in lifting a sack of groceries after a week or two. But there might be. Follow your doctor’s advice as carefully as possible. Also ask your surgeon if you’ll have any restrictions on what you can eat or drink before or after the surgery.
8. What will it cost me?
Health insurance coverage varies. You may not have to pay anything. You might have a deductible to meet. Or perhaps you’ll have to pay a percentage of the cost. The doctor’s office can usually give you information about this, but you also need to check with your insurance company. Be aware there will be both a surgeon’s fee and a hospital or facility fee — know the cost of both. Be certain to know if you are responsible for a flat copay — a set amount for the surgery — or if you have to pay a percentage of the bill. There’s a big difference.
9. Should I get a second opinion?
If, after asking all these questions and others, you still have unanswered questions, are unsatisfied with the answers or are still uncomfortable about surgery, you may want to consider the advice of another doctor.
A second opinion, also called a consultation, can be a good way for you to get some more perspective on your surgical options. If you seek a second opinion, do so with someone with expertise doing the surgery. Your primary care doctor may be able to help suggest someone for a second opinion. Keep in mind that a second opinion isn’t necessarily any better than the first one. If there’s disagreement, or agreement, between the two opinions, it’s still up to you to evaluate what choice you feel most comfortable with.

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Sufi Music in Surgery? Eyes wide shut??

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(from the Turkish Daily News)
Patients of the cardiac surgery intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital are treated with Sufi music therapy. The department’s medical specialist Erol Can, a Bulgarian immigrant of Turkish descent, tries to heal his patients through playing the ney, a traditional Sufi instrument. The tranquilizing sound of Sufi music echoes in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit of Istanbul’s private Memorial Hospital where patients undergo Sufi music therapy as part of their treatment.
Medical specialist Erol Can, who pioneered this treatment, was a member of the Turkish community in Bulgaria who were forced to migrate to Turkey in the 1980s. Upon his arrival, Can began researching the effects of the sound of the reed flute (ney) on the mental and physical health of his patients.
Each day, while sitting next to one of his patients, Can played the ney and tried to see whether it had any effect on the patient’s heart rhythm and blood pressure. After a series of experiments, he proved that Sufi music had positive effects on each patient’s health condition.
“We got negative results only for one patient,” said Can, noting that the patient was suffering from post-surgery depression at the time.
This led Can to undertake further research, where he found that some parts of certain musical genres have negative effects on the individual.
“Some parts are not suitable for patients who suffer from depression,” he said. He later decided to ask his patients which musical genre they prefer.
Can had received a number of medals by Bulgarian authorities before the forced migration took place. He also hold a dozen of honorary diplomas, his name is on patented projects and he is the author of some 60 scientific articles so far.
A cardiovascular specialist playing the ney
Can is a graduate of the Medical University of Varna in Bulgaria. “I was not able to use my real name. The name that the Bulgarian state gave me was Emil Sariyef. And I just had to work two times harder than those genuine Bulgarians in order to be successful,” said Can. H managed to accomplish the impossible in the field of medicine and graduated with a perfect score of 100/100.
“This was a kind of response to the discrimination imposed by the Bulgarian state,” he said.
In 1989, when he was a PhD student, Can was subjected to forced migration from Bulgaria to Turkey. “Half of the members of my family were left behind. Moreover, I learned at the last moment that my mother had cancer,” he said.
But Can also encountered problems upon his arrival in Turkey. “I was penniless. I had to start my life from the beginning. Furthermore, there was a huge cultural gap between me and the new social environment I was surrounded by,” he said, noting that at that point he began using music as a remedy for himself.
This is not surprising as Can was born into a musician family and has always been drawn to music ever since his early childhood years during which he learned to play many musical instruments.
The Florance Nightingale Hospital in Istanbul was the first institution in Turkey where Can began to practice medicine.
He then continued his career at the cardiac surgery intensive care unit of Memorial Hospital. This was where he performed his initial music therapies with the ney.
“Once I played the ney for an unconscious patient of mine. When he regained consciousness I asked him how he felt and he told me he had found himself listening to peaceful music in heaven,” said Can.

Music therapy an Eastern tradition
Can said music has always been a significant part of rituals and ceremonies at special instances like births and deaths throughout history, since the early Pagan times. For him, its positive effects on the human soul cannot be denied.
He said he borrowed the music therapy method from the Orient. “In the Medieval times, while some patients used to be burned in the West because they used to be perceived as souls possessed by evil, experts in the East were treating their patients with music and water therapies,” he said.
Specifically, the sound produced by the ney and the kemençe (the Eastern equivalent of the fiddle) is the closest to the human voice and therefore gives the human soul a feeling of peace and serenity, he added.
Not so long ago, Can himself underwent heart bypass surgery. As he was preparing for the operation, he wanted to hear the sound of the ney. “My blood pressure had jumped to 160 for I was quite nervous before I listened to the ney sound. But after I listened to it, I took my blood pressure again and it was 130,” he said, referring to his personal experience of ney therapy.
A mere hours after he awoke, Can began playing the ney as though he had just taken some painkillers.

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Plan ahead for surgery, if you can

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Many people cannot plan ahead for surgery beause it is last-minut and urgent. However, if you do have some advance notice start making plans to use music before, during and after the surgery. There is lots of documentation that using music through headphones before, during and after surgery can greatly reduce the amount of anxiety medication needed before, the amount of anesthesia needed during and the amount of pain medication needed afterwards.
For more information, order my tape set, CD, or download on how to talk with your doctor before the procedure and then also provides the music that I recommend for you to listen to during the procedure. Go to www.HealingMusicEnterprises.com/products/music_surgery/music_surgery.html
You can also purchase consulting time with me on the website. Best wishes for a healthy result if you’re planning to have surgery.
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