--- PAGE 3 (OCR) --- Spring 1992 COPING WITH SURGERY by Mary Lou Ballweg = Endometriosis is a frequently misdiagnosed and misunderstood disease process in which tissue normally lining the uterus is also found in the abdomen, and on the ovaries, bowel, and bladder. The resulting internal bleeding, scar tissue, and inflammation produce a host of debilitating symptoms which encompass, but are not limited to, chronic pelvic pain and painful menstrual periods, painful inter- course, infertility, bowel and bladder problems, chronic fatigue, and low resistance to infections. The cause is unknown and no cure is available. Treatment choices include a spectrum of pain medications and a variety of traditional surgeries and new laser techniques to remove the growths. Unfortunately, these frequently recur, necessi- lating repeated surgeries or hysterectomy as a last recourse. En- dometriosis affects an estimated five million women in the United States and another one-half million in Canada. Sufferers range from eleven to fifty years of age and may be of any race. Diagnosed with endometriosis in 1978, Mary Lou Ballweg co- founded the Endometriosis Association with Carolyn Keith in 1980. The organization offers assistance and support to those directly affected, educates the public and medical community, and promotes research related to endometriosis. The following article on Ms. Ballweg’s use of the EMERGENCY SERIES fo decrease pain and anxiety relative to surgery is excerpted
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Hemi-Sync® Journal 1992-2 (Spring) · 1 Hemi-Sync® Journal 1992-2 Spring.pdf
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and reprinted from the Endometriosis Association Newsletter, Vol. 12, No. 6, with its permission. The Association has recently acquired 100 EMERGENCY SERIES sets for the benefit of their members, support groups, and chapters across the U.S. and Canada. For more informa- tion, write to Endometriosis Association, Inc., International Head- quarters, 8585 North 76th Place, Milwaukee, WI 53223. You may also telephone (800) 992-3636 in the United States or (800) 426-2363 in Canada, Facing surgery is hard! Fortunately, there’s a new develop- ment in this area that can make a major difference. It’s hard to put into words the anxiety that occurs for most of us when facing surgery, even when we're well-prepared and feel confident in our surgeon. It seems that every day before surgery a certain anxious gloom pervades the mind at least part of the time and grows in the days just before the proce- dure. Last year, when I was facing surgery again (my fifth for endo) I was fortunate to find an aid that made this surgery far more emotionally manageable than my earlier surgeries. At the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscop- ists’ annual meeting in November 1990, Dr. Ronald Burke of the University of Massachusetts Medical School presented the results of a study by Suzanne Jonas, Ed.D.; the Fertility Institute of Western Massachusetts; and himself, using special relaxation audiotapes. In the study, one group of patients used
the tapes before coming to the hospital, while under anesthe- sia, and in the recovery room, while another group of patients did not use the tapes. All the patients underwent diagnostic or operative laparoscopy. The patients using the tapes had signif- icantly less pain and nausea following the operation, and returned to full activity quicker than the group that had not used the tapes. Another study, reported in The Lancet (August 27, 1988, Vol. 2, No. 8609, p. 491), found that patients who listened to a relaxation tape during hysterectomy recovered more quickly with less fever and significantly less gastrointestinal problems than patients who listened to a blank tape. Other studies have suggested that operating room sounds may be registered in the brain even though the patient is under general anesthesia and these sounds may influence recovery. So part of the effect of the tapes, besides putting positive, affirming, reassuring thoughts in the patient's head, may be that they block out operating room sounds and statements that could be disturbing. Some anesthesiologists now make gentle suggestions to the patient, such as telling the patient, still under anesthesia, that the operation is over and was a complete success and that she will be waking soon and will do well, because of these studies. I decided to try out the tapes used in the Jonas/Burke study for my surgery last year and share the experiences with our members, who face so many operative laparoscopies. My