(This program was developed by Peggy Huddleston to empower patients in preparing for surgery.  Ms. Huddleston is the author of Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster. She is a psychotherapist, conducting research on the benefits of her pre-surgical program at a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital in Boston.)

This program:

• Helps prepare for surgery physically, emotionally and spiritually.

• Entails five steps that help patients prepare for the upcoming surgery.

• Aids the patient in feeling calmer before surgery

• Have less pain after surgery

• Strengthens patient's immune system

• Reduces side-effects of chemotherapy

• Recover faster

• Use 23-50% less pain medication

Ideally the patient will take the workshop one or two weeks prior to surgery. However, even if surgery is immediate, patients benefit from this workshop.

Patients would meet prior to surgery for an hour each visit. In the mean time, the patient would also listen to a tape twice a day leading up to the scheduled surgery.

Please call the front desk for more information. 

Ellenmarie Joyce, RN, BSN, CIMI, Certified Reflexologist at FirstHealth of Andover is trained in the Peggy Huddleston program.