Case Report: Control of Heart Rate Variability to Cope with Stress and Pain After Colectomy

Colectomy is psychologically very stressful, but little information is available to help patients manage stress. The client presented with anxiety, high heart rate, and apparent arrhythmias 9 months after colectomy. After 7 weeks of daily practice of controlled breathing and positive visualization, she showed no apparent arrhythmias and felt less anxious. She then suffered a stroke and underwent ileostomy surgery, but she was soon feeling less anxious, and her blood pressure and heart rate variability resumed normal values. This case demonstrates the effectiveness of autoregulatory practices for controlling stress after colectomy.