I'm getting scared ladies!

[Jame0223]

I have surgery not next week but the week after and I am really starting to freak out. Did any one get really scared before they went under? I am still almost 2 weeks out and I am getting really nervous. I can't even imagine the day of and the night before...Even my pre-op appointments are on my mind..I have an anxiety disorder so I tend to blow things out of proportion..but thats the way I react to all of these kinds of things. I am so afraid of needles and my last encounter was a ct scan of my adbomen(the one that found the teratoma) and noone mentioned I would need an IV for contrast...The nurse I had to put the IV in seemed like she didn't know what she was doing. She put the needle in...nope thats not the vein...then pulls it out and reinserts it. She did it about ten times...my arm was black and blue, I have a 4 in bruise covering the crease of my arm for over a week...but the thing that bugged me was she acted like she didn't really care. She was like "oh does that hurt?" DUH! she just seemed so in her own world...then she had me lay down THEN pull my pants down a bit and didnt bother to try and help me. Then she told me I could bend my arm but I refused to because its hurt so bad..

I guess I am just afraid that the people who work on me are going to be careless and something bad will happen...

[Jame0223]

Thank you ladies so much! I feel a lot better about it all...woo I know I felt better by just being like LADIES IM SCARED! I know it won't be that big of a deal...I remember the first time i had surgery, to remove a lump from my breast, the anesthesiologist was the one to do an iv, and it was in my hand. She gave me the local, and told me it my sting and pinch for a second, but it didn't and then I didn't even feel the IV. I remember them putting the cap on my head...then I said goodbye to my family and boyfriend. They wheeled me in to the OR and next thing I know my arms are getting strapped down but I just listened to the music in the background (pink floyd ironically) and then they asked me to count backwards from ten...Lets just say I got to 8 then I woke up in my recovery area. I guess the surgery only lasted for 20-30 minutes. Then about an hour later I got into the back of my moms car and went home..that wasn't bad at all but it was outpatient obsviously..

I am freaked out about staying a night in the hospital..I don't like hopitals..never been in an actually hospital bed and room for myself..I think I will ask for a sedative!  maybe I should ask for a week supply of them for the week before lol. haha...

Ya know my doctor never told me I couldnt take advil 10 days before the operation but my mom told me not because thats what they told her years ago..I just started my period today too and I can't take anymore come Sunday...hopefully my body gives me a break and I won't have cramps..

[cirella]

You are very normal.  Too much going on with the 'what if's' and then the trust issue of everyone involved to care for you.  For me, I was very nervous up until the day of the surgery.  The day of, I had this calm over me and I remember thinking to myself that "today is the day I find out what's going on.  No matter what, I'll find out today".  This was after months of uncertainty.

Irene, I asked the lady doing my CT IV why they didn't use the numbing shot first.  She said, "because that would be 2 needles and people don't like that".  DUH...1st one will actually discount the second on the pain scale.  If it's numb and you look away you really shouldn't feel it. And, the lady didn't tell me that the dye they injected would make it seem as if I'd wet my pants.  That was fun.  Sigh...

Jame0223, when you go in, the day of surgery, say up front that you are scared of needles and you'd like the most experienced person to give you the IV.  Most likely it'll be your anesthesiologist and they will be very experienced and hopefully sensitive to your fears.  You may not be able to drink water beforehand.  Ask at your pre-op.  

And, like the girls said, before surgery, ask for something to calm you down.  It'll be like having a cocktail and you'll feel better.  

Most of all, you need to trust your care givers.  Ask any and all questions you have at your pre-op.  You won't be taking up the doctor's time, if that's what you think.  Your feeling secure will help you a lot.

Take care and I hope the best for you!

[kimbergirl2883]

Aww no need to worry, it goes by VERY quickly. I thought I would be a complete wreck the morning of the surgery because I was very nervous the days before, but wouldn't you know it my mom ended up getting sick on the way to the hospital and ended up throwing up on the floor in the entrance at the hospital. Everyone was so worried about her I didn't have time to think about what was about to happen!! LOL. I think the worst part is the time leading up to the surgery because you end up over worrying. The dr. will tell you how long you the procedure will take, prob 45mins to an hr. If you know you have trouble finding your veins request a small needle (I don't think they believed me the first time, until she started looking for a vein and 5 mins later still couldn't find it) so since its YOUR body, make sure they listen to you.
As the days got closer I found that it helped talking about it, letting people know you were nervous and why. It can be a very scary thing if you keep it to yourself, but talking it out you tend to end up calming down abit. Just keep reaffirming yourself...You're young, and healthy and its a quick surgery and a small cyst, things will go fine. Even if you don't believe it at the time, it will help :)

[TrudieC]

I can understand your fears and anxiety.  Has the doctor given you anything to relax you?  I was in such pain before my surgery that I was counting the minutes until I could get this **** out of me!  

I, too, have an intense fear of needles.  I've been through a lot of surgeries and am a bit better with it.  I have really bad veins so often when I have blood tests I ask them to use small needles and I can't look.  IV's are the thing that really get me.  Your experience is definitely not the norm.  When you are in the hospital I promise you it will go much easier.  You can get through it by not looking and doing deep breathing.  It's worse if you tense up and hold your breath.  One way to make it easier is to drink as much fluids as possible (no caffiene as it dehydrates you) in the days leading up to your surgery.  It will ensure you are well hydrated and that makes it much easier for IV's and blood tests.

Good luck.  You will be fine.

[ireneo]

I've had some dorks putting in IV's but never one that bad. Usually if they can't get it in the first 2 tries, they called someone else. The last time I was in the hospital I told them it's hard to get an IV going on me. They actually gave me a tiny shot in the area for the IV to numb it. Then they inserted the IV without having to worry about hurting me. It went so much better for both of us.

If you get a needle dork and they can't get the IV started in 2 tries, insist on having someone else. Or ask for a numbing shot first. Your last experience is just not acceptable.

Yes, it's normal to get wound up and stressed before surgery. There's no magic trick to make it go away. I wish there was. All I did was stay real busy. I got a lot done that way and by bedtime I was too tired to think much. Another thing I did was write out my feelings in a journal. I kept thinking in my mind I might forget something (like who cares) and it helped to write it all down. Of course I had to stop the rambling when I got a cramp in my hand but it did help.

When you get into the hospital they may offer some kind of mild sedative before the surgery. My hospital did. They asked how nervous I felt on a scale of 1 - 10. I said about a 6. They gave me some stuff and I wasn't nervous any more. :-)  Don't be afraid to ask them questions or speak up.