“Coming to the hospital for a discussion on next steps in your care can be very daunting, for both patients and their loved ones,” says Cindi, who is part of a team who perform over 450 TAVIs a year, providing patients with a new heart valve without open heart surgery.

Cindi recently joined a Sunnybrook Speaker Series event on heart valve interventions, and shares her advice on how to prepare for your hospital appointment – whether for a TAVI procedure or something else:

What to bring

• A support person or loved one – someone who will be there for you before, during and after any procedures or appointments
• Your Ontario health card
• Questions you have about a procedure, preparation for your hospital stay, as well as what life will look like when you’re back at home
• Medications you’re taking, including the names of any supplements and vitamins you take
• A list of prior surgeries and the dates they occurred
• Names and contact details for the medical providers you see regularly

What to think about

Cindi stresses that patients and their health-care teams should embrace something called ‘shared decision making’. This means you share your preferences, values, beliefs, and personal circumstances with your health-care team, and they, in turn, share their expertise about treatment options, including risks and benefits. Then, you work together to determine the best care and treatment plan.

Cindi says she often asks questions like:

• What brings you joy?
• How you want to live your life?
• What you want if your health becomes poor, including if you may need an emergency lifesaving procedure?
• Who can make decisions on your behalf?
• What types of medical procedures you would want, or not want?

Avoid “Dr. Google”

Online health information can be overwhelming, and Cindi says much of it won’t be about your individual health and case. Every person is different, and your care team will take into account your personal preferences, your anatomy, and test results before recommending a procedure or surgery. The best place to get health information is from your own health-care team, and the online resources they specifically recommend for you.

Preparing for your procedure with thoughtful planning and open communication can help reduce anxiety and make sure you feel ready. Your health-care team is there to guide you through the process and support you every step of the way.

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Walking barefoot on the grass is good for you! For all of us who thought this was just a simple summertime pleasure, there’s an actual medical term for it: grounding. Apparently our feet have lost touch with the earth’s electrical charge because our soles are obstructed by shoes and manufactured flooring.

What??!!

While the research is very far from definitive, it suggests kicking off your shoes may help improve your sleep, stress and overall tension levels. It’s also cited as helping regulate circadian rhythms (think healthy sleep and wake cycles) and may decrease inflammation. If grass isn’t your speed (or it triggers a sneezing fit), some suggest walking on soil or sand, or going for a swim in a natural body or water.

My take…

Really important to pick your time and place (hello goose droppings at Sunnybrook). Walking on dirt also seems a bit much, and there is no way I’m going to encourage my kids to do that. Any benefits would be cancelled out by the stress of cleaning up after them. Stick to the grass and sand, and always watch your step!

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So what?
The midsummer blues are like a longer, drawn out version of Sunday, where you spend half the day mentally prepping for the return to work. Whether its kids taking a break from school, or adults escaping the office, breaks are important. Research suggests that diversions from a task can dramatically improve our ability to focus, and also increase overall productivity and mood. In other words, you’re defeating the purpose of a summer break if are spending half your time worrying about it being over.

What Can I Do?

Everything possible to make summer longer, so you have more time to do nothing. Focus on the time you have left, stop looking at the calendar and don’t mentally put yourself in the workplace or classroom until you are physically there, too. (If you’ve forgotten all your passwords, you’re well on your way.) If the deluge of back to school flyers is bringing you down, put a hold on your junk mail until September.  And for all those stores (ahem, you know who you are), who are already stocking snowsuits, please talk to the hand.

The post The midsummer blues appeared first on Your Health Matters.