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Research shows that a robust social support system can help improve anxiety before, and quality of life after, surgery. |
Why Do social connections Matter before bowel surgery?
Having surgery can feel overwhelming with many uncertainties, but it doesn’t mean that you must experience this journey alone. Patients find that with a robust social support system self-management is much easier before and after surgery. Everyone has different support needs. For many, speaking to other patients who have lived through abdominal surgery can be useful for providing information, communication and support. Engaging family and/or friends can also help you to cope with the stress before and after surgery. Your overall health and wellbeing also benefit from strong social connections.
Don’t fight alone! You got your peers!
—— Robert
Link between social support and bowel surgery
Research on US veterans [1] showed that abdominal surgery patients with small social networks had higher chances of staying in hospital for 1 weeks or longer; these effects may be through reducing anxiety and preoperative pain. Inadequate social support is known to be a risk factor for complications [2] of abdominal cancer surgery. And, low social support was an important risk factor for poor quality of life five years after surgery in the UK colorectal wellbeing cohort [3] [4]. Another study in Spain [5] found that colorectal cancer patients who had more social support reported better results in anxiety and depression a year following surgery. And, in Korean patients [6] support from family after colorectal cancer surgery appeared to increase their exercise and adopting of healthy diets.
Here are ways you can find peer support and connect with other bowel surgery patients:
If you are looking for cancer-specific resources, this is an option:
If you are looking for cancer-specific resources, this is an option:
If you would like to have peer-support or other resources to help you better prepare for your surgery, you can email us for more information.
This website is for people who have planned abdominal surgery for conditions like colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticular Disease, Polyps or other digestive / gastro-intestinal diseases.