very nervous

My surgery is on nov. 7 the day after my 28th birthday! happy birthday to me! anyway just wanted to say and ask you guys I have been sooooo nervous about this surgery that I cannot sleep and cannot get anything done because this is all I think about! I was wondering if i should take something the night before surgery to help me get some rest? What do you guys think? thank you

Ask your doctor about taking medication the night before. Don't take anything unless he or she says it is OK.

I was also very nervous before my surgery. I think everyone is. Try to pamper yourself at this point. You should also think about trying things like light exercise in the early evening and soothing baths in order to relax. Take care of yourself.

You need to ask your doctor about this. I do know that I could not eat or drink ANYTHING after midnight the night before surgery. Mints, chewing gum, etc are a no-no!
Take care of you and try not to worry. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Thank goodness I am not the only one!!!!!!!
I am terrified too...I can't concentrate at work, and am having a terrible time sleeping at night. I can fall asleep but I wake up about 2 am and can't go back to sleep until time to get up and going. My surgery is also Nov. 7th. TAH...I don't know whether I am scared or just excited but I wish there was a way to calm myself down....I am messing everything I touch up at work and home, just a nervous wreck.
If anyone can help us LIW's get through this next week PLEASE let us know...
I go for pre-op on the 4th and am just freaking out now, and I have been wanting this done for sooooo long, you would think that I would be so happy but I just don't know what's wrong with me.
ANyway, enough whining from me......just thought I would let you know that we are in this together!

Skiergirl is right -- pamper yourself and do things to help you to relax. The evening before my surgery the family went out to dinner. Afterwards, my dh and I enjoyed the hot tub, a long shower together and great sex. We then checked out the message boards on this terrific site as we shared a pint of icecream!

Hi! Previous nervous nellie here myself. I can tell you that I obsessed and was anxious and nervous and made myself crazy before surgery. The biggest help was finding someone to talk to (you know who you are!). There are a lot of women out here who are more than happy to help any and all of you ladies in waiting.

I have to tell you that I waited until the day before my surgery to ask my doctor for something for the anxiety. I'd had insurance and leave of absence issues right up until the last moment and was going crazy. Funny thing was that once I had the antianxiety pills in my hand, I calmed down and never even took one.

Also have to say that I am 6 days post op and doing very well. Feel free to send me an e-mail if you just want to talk.

Hang in there. The waiting really is the worst part.

You guys have been a wonderful help and thank you for the advice and I will ask my doc. about something to take and the wonderfful support you have given me and if any of you can let me know what I should take to the hospital? I would greatly appreciate it . thank you

A restful sleep is important! Stress can interrupt our sleep patterns, so that even if we are asleep, we are not going into the deep restful sleep called REM. So, we may sleep for long hours, but still experience not being RESTED!

I have had trouble with this for years - and I have major issues to use narcotic based or short term sleeping ads by RX -- you get up and fight the grogginess or other nasty side effects.

My Dr. finally prescribed Seroquel - 1x25mg at night (I take it about an hour before I want to go to sleep). No grogginess in the morning, I get a good 8-9 hours of sleep, and if I set the alarm for for less than that amount of time, I can get up and function normally.

Here is the kink in this great drug for sleeping - it is actually used in the treatment of psychotic episodes - at much higher levels multiple times per day - and the major side effect is drowsiness!

When I got my RX filled my poor pharmacist was like -- this is for psychosis, and the dosage is too low to treat psychosis -- and I explained it was for me to sleep! So she was OK with it! (It's grand that she cared)

I have been RESTED for the first time in years with no diarhea, grogginess, haze, fog or other nasty side effects.

It also has helped my anxiety - which is a bonus, plus some other (personal) medical issues.

This is not medical advice, I'm merely sharing what has been a lifessaver me - plus it is non-addictive!

Hope this helps - works immediately -- let's you get rested -- and no addiction qualities.

Take care,

Shari

	Quote:
Originally posted by govols1 You guys have been a wonderful help and thank you for the advice and I will ask my doc. about something to take and the wonderfful support you have given me and if any of you can let me know what I should take to the hospital? I would greatly appreciate it . thank you

There are tons of posts relating to your question about what to bring to the hospital. I had a TVH last week, so I was only in the hospital a couple days (and only one night). I wore comfy sweats and slippers in (which I wore home), brought a robe that I never wore, socks and underwear (which I did use), brush, toothbrush, shampoo, chapstick, earplugs (my most used item), a magazine and walkman (never touched), my own pads/pantiliners, gum/mints, and lotion. Quite honestly, I could have survived without any of it, but I suppose it does help to have a few personal items just to make yourself more cozy. I was proud of myself since I brought a tiny backpack with all the goods . . . traveled very light, and it worked out just fine. Since I had a spinal for surgery (highly recommend, by the way), my legs were numb for most of the first day, so I couldn't get out of bed and get into my bag anyway.

By the way, the surgery was really a breeze for me. I went into the operating room smiling, and came out smiling even bigger. Sure, there has been a little pain here and there, but overall, it hasn't been a big deal (certainly no worse than the cramps I had most of the month before, that's for sure!). And best of all, I have had no bleeding at all since the surgery. I'm wearing a pantiliner as an insurance policy (they keep saying that the stitches eventually dissolve and there will be discharge), but no blood. Hooray!

I'll repeat the mantra of the princesses . . . the waiting is the hardest part.

Kim