What to Consider When You’re Having ‘Elective’ Surgery
Because any procedure is stressful and requires preparation
Many people assume that if a surgical procedure is considered “elective” it means that it’s no big deal. A few of these procedures, especially purely cosmetic ones, are easy. But most will lay you out like a truck.
Calling a procedure “elective” only means that it isn’t required to save your life, which includes many things that are actually not really optional. It’s easy to think of elective surgery as doing something no more disruptive than making a quick trip through the car wash. Or surviving a long haul flight in the middle seat. Oftentimes, it’s really more like having a kitchen torn out and remodeled in the dead of winter. At least for a few days.
I’ve had elective surgery twice, both times in my very early twenties when I was invincible and still acceptably my parents’ problem. It was elective because my conditions weren’t going to kill me anytime soon: bunions and wisdom teeth. If I wasn’t living in a civilized world, the former would have had me chased down and eaten by a bear pretty easily. The latter would have eventually made it impossible for me to grind and digest food. There were non-surgical options that came with quality of life concessions. Eventually they would become life-limiting…
