Did you notice if stress made a big difference in your healing overall? My daughter has her implant surgery coming up, and she's pretty anxious... wondering if that might slow things down or make soreness worse.
My son had his implant surgery last year, and honestly, stress did seem to make things a bit tougher for him. He was pretty worked up beforehand, and I noticed he complained more about soreness and discomfort in the first few days. But once we found ways to distract him—movies, games, stuff like that—he relaxed a bit, and it seemed to help with the pain too.
I don't think stress actually slowed down the healing itself, but it definitely made him more aware of every little ache or twinge. Once he calmed down, he seemed to bounce back quicker. Maybe it's more about perception than actual healing speed?
Have you thought about ways to help your daughter manage her anxiety before the surgery? We tried some breathing exercises and distraction techniques... seemed to help a bit. Did anyone else's kids find certain strategies helpful for managing pre-surgery nerves?
I totally agree that stress can amplify discomfort—it's like your mind zeroes in on every tiny sensation. I'm getting implants next month myself, and honestly, anxiety has been pretty intense. Breathing exercises help a bit, but I've also found podcasts or audiobooks really effective at shifting my focus. I think distraction plays a huge role in managing pain perception...it doesn't change the actual pain, but it definitely changes how noticeable it feels. Glad your son found something that worked for him!
Totally get where you're coming from with the distraction thing. When I had my implants done, I binged an entire comedy series that weekend—laughing through swollen cheeks is a weird experience, let me tell ya. But it genuinely helped keep my mind off the soreness. You're gonna do great, honestly. Once you're past the first couple days, it's way less dramatic than your anxious brain makes it out to be...hang in there!
Comedy series is a solid distraction, but honestly, I'd be cautious about anything too funny right after implants. Laughing hard can sometimes put extra pressure on the surgical site, especially in the first 24-48 hours. I've seen patients come in with increased swelling or discomfort because they went a bit overboard with laughter or talking. Not saying you can't enjoy a good show—just maybe pick something mildly amusing rather than laugh-out-loud hilarious at first. After those initial couple days, though, you're usually good to go and can binge-watch whatever you want without worry. Either way, recovery tends to be smoother than most people expect, so don't stress too much about it.
