Teri W

I was told that I would need a hip replacement. ‘No worries,’ I thought, ‘I’ve already had one done, nothing to it.’ Until it was explained to me that this time it would be a spinal anaesthetic rather than a general, and that I’d be awake throughout. Gulp! That thought did not appeal to me in the slightest – to say that I was incredibly nervous was an understatement. Until I had a conversation with Helen, who said that it was quite a common occurrence these days and that she would be able to help, which she did with the aid of a pre-op hypnosis recording.

The advice was to listen to it as often as I could prior to the operation, which I did and listened again on the morning of the operation. By the time the surgeon came to collect me I was feeling very relaxed both in ‘mind and soul’.

Helen also provided a post-op hypnosis recording, which was as helpful as the pre-op one was, especially when I was feeling uncomfortable and had difficulty sleeping.

Without the help from Helen and those wonderful recordings, I think my surgery and recovery would have been far more traumatic. In fact, it was noticeably easier than the first time round!

I already knew more or less what to expect from my surgery, but if this had been a new experience for me I can see how having a personalised recording specific to my needs would have been even more helpful. I would definitely recommend talking to Helen if you are having surgery in the near future.