Psychological care is very important for laryngeal cancer recurrence

Laryngeal cancer is a common malignant tumor in the otolaryngology department. Modern medicine still mainly treats laryngeal cancer with surgery. In addition to suffering certain pain from the disease, patients who receive this treatment also have varying degrees of difficulty in speaking and changes in their normal breathing passages, which increases the psychological burden on patients. In order to help patients have a good mood, overcome difficulties, build confidence in overcoming the disease, and promote recovery, psychological care is particularly important during the nursing process.

Psychological care before surgery

Anxiety and fear: When patients are diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, they have great psychological pressure and mental burden. Their emotional reactions are anxiety, sadness, crying, loss of appetite, insomnia, and they have many doubts about surgical treatment and worry about the success or failure of the surgery. Some patients even refuse surgery. For example, patients who have undergone full cancer surgery worry about the large surgical wound, whether they can eat after surgery, whether they will relapse, and other psychological activities. At this time, nurses should establish a relationship of mutual trust with patients, take the initiative to talk to patients, use accurate words and kind language, tell patients the nature of the surgery, possible problems during and after surgery, and how to solve problems. For example, patients who can write should prepare paper and pens to express their thoughts after surgery, and patients who cannot write should learn to express themselves with gestures. For patients who have nasogastric tubes, drainage tubes, tracheal cannulas, urinary catheters, and other tubes attached to their bodies after surgery, explain the functions and uses to patients so that they will be less afraid when they wake up and try to overcome the many discomforts caused by them.

Loneliness and solitude: Patients are often unwilling to face reality, speak less at first, lack confidence in treatment, fear that others will not pay attention to themselves, show suspicion and distrust of others, often get irritable and impatient because of some trivial matters, lose their temper with their families, and affect their emotions. Nurses should find ways to inspire patients to speak out their doubts, understand their psychological needs, and gain their trust. At the same time, nurses should also communicate with the patients' families, adjust the relationship between patients and their families, work together to do a good job in the patients' ideological work, and consciously mobilize the patients' families to provide specific and practical help so that patients feel safe. Nursing staff must not only have good skills, but also use elegant language, sincere and enthusiastic attitude, and meticulous behavior to make patients and their families have a good impression of medical staff, gain their trust, and feel at ease.

Psychological care for patients with laryngeal cancer after surgery

Understanding and caring for patients: most patients are weak and exhausted after surgery. They have to endure great pain, such as wound pain, loss of pronunciation, long-term tube wearing, inconvenience in movement, and difficulty in eating and defecation. Therefore, nursing staff should understand the patient's mood, sympathize with the patient's pain, comfort the patient patiently and carefully, reduce mental stress, and use analgesics when necessary. They should also be encouraged to have confidence in life, strengthen education and guidance after surgery, and enable them to return to their families, work, and society.

Help patients rebuild their language function: Laryngectomy patients often show irritability and emotional agitation when they lose their ability to express themselves in language. When nurses make rounds, they use non-verbal communication methods such as touch to provide psychological care for these patients at appropriate times, such as holding the patient's hands, supporting, feeling the pulse, listening to blood pressure, pulling the quilt, etc., so that the patient feels the nurse's attention, care, and consideration for him, thereby eliminating his worries and uneasiness, and enhancing his confidence and courage in treatment. This silent comfort often achieves good results. What is more important is to actively guide patients at the right time and correctly guide them to practice pronunciation step by step. Those who succeed in pronunciation for the sixth time will have increased confidence and are willing to practice actively from the heart to restore language function as soon as possible. For patients who failed to pronounce twice, comfort them not to be impatient, teach them the essentials of practice, and constantly encourage them, so that they can eventually adapt to a new pronunciation mode and restore language function.

Do a good job in the ideological work of the patient's family members: It is important to conduct psychological analysis and care for surgical patients, but the psychological care of the patient's family members and relatives should not be ignored. Practice has shown that the mood of the family members directly affects the patient's mood. The patient's family members will feel anxious, fearful, and sad about the temporary inability of the patient to speak and eat after surgery, which will directly affect the patient's confidence in overcoming the disease. Therefore, persuade the family members to restrain their emotions, encourage them to cooperate with medical staff, face the patient with a positive and optimistic attitude, relieve the patient's psychological burden, and let the patient recover as soon as possible.