worry list

OH my Gosh! I have weeks to go before my surgery and just when I think I am calm and getting on with my daily activities, something will pop in my head and a sick nervous feeling comes over me then I realize I'm in a panic. Working helps, but even at work, I am letting the worry take over. I still have to meet with my surgeon for the pre-op consult to discuss all the details. I wish I were on my couch right now recovering instead of waiting. My list of worries in order of what has me spazzed out the most at the moment:
1. going under anesthesia...the intubation, nausea afterward, saying something embarrassing (YES! this has me worried!!)
2. the doctor finding anything malignant (he said that odds are the cysts are not but I am still worried)
3. waking up to abdominal surgery instead
4. having a hot flash when i wake up
5. pain afterward
the worries on my list move up or down, and sometimes new ones pop up.
trying to keep busy...reading..tv...work...out with friends

Hello fall
This is absolutely normal (from my experience and from reading posts on here). I am 1 full day away from my TAH which up until my pre-op today I thought was going to be a TVH.

Some things that helped me
Keep busy
Clean, clean and clean again... especially cupboards
Make a list of things you want to do before you go in
Make sure you do at least one thing off the list every day
Talk to friends/family
Be open about your feelings
Make a joke of it

I'm not sure if any of this will help my emotions have been up and down like a rollercoaster but not long and it will be over...time goes quicker than you think.

If you do say anything embarrassing what a perfect excuse you'll have (make the most of it you may never get the chance again to say anything so off the wall and get away with it )

Good luck
Ellie xx

I had my pre op today. They have a neat little patch that they affix behind your ear during the surgery and it aliviates the nausea. I am very excited about that because I usually get very nauseated after surgery. As for the embarassing comments that can pop out, I think they are pretty used to hearing just about everything. ( I woke up talking about flamingos last time)

Have faith that all will go well. You are not alone in your concerns.
God Bless

Hi -
Let's take a look at your current (and ever changing.LOL) list:
1. going under anesthesia...the intubation, nausea afterward, saying something embarrassing (YES! this has me worried!!)
OK, going under anesthesia is really easy. The hardest part is the IV, the rest is a piece of cake. If you have nausea with certains meds, make sure you tell your doc. There are so many options that he/she will find something you can tolerate.

And saying something embarrassing... I just apologized ahead of time! The docs laughed and said they hear things all the time and are used to it. Besides, they had me so groggy (because of anxiety I got Versed -pronounced Vur-Said- ahead of time), that I had trouble staying awake. I barely remember moving myself onto the table in the OR, and then nothing until I woke up in recovery. I love that part, *G*

2. the doctor finding anything malignant (he said that odds are the cysts are not but I am still worried)
Cysts are almost always benign. Have confidence in the doc's opinion. They're the experts.

3. waking up to abdominal surgery instead
This happened to me. But that's what they have the morphine (or other meds) to take care of, LOL. My extra cuts only added a week or 2 to my recovery. It wasn't that bad.

4. having a hot flash when i wake up
This shouldn't happen for quite a while. And if it happens, just get a friend to buy you a little fan. The ones that attach to ball caps are great!

5. pain afterward
Again, that's what the meds are for. I've had quite a few surgeries in my life and one thing I can say for sure is that the hospital staff is more than willing to keep you out of pain! They actually wanted to give me more meds than I needed - yahoo! Just be honest with your doctor and tell him/her that you are afraid of the pain. They'll make a note on your chart and everyone will be there to help you.

Try not to worry. If it gets too much for you, talk to your doc and see if he/she thinks you need something to help you until surgery. There are meds that can help.

I hope you do well. Just think of how great you'll feel when it is all over and back on your feet! Let us know how the surgery goes.

Alison12

Hi, It is very normal for you to feel nervous or be a little worried, but if you can try to think what helps you to calm, or what has worked for you in the past. I journal, writting all my worries, fears down really helps. Plus sometimes I feel like I have verbally expressed them 100 times already and my husband, best friend, Mom whoever must be getting sick of trying to calm me, so writting does the trick for me. So try to find what works for you, exercise? yoga? meditation? music? gardening?
Once when I woke up from surgery I told the Dr. that I loved him...seriously I did, then I giggled! I was in so much pain in emergency, and going onto the O.R table he said to me "I am going to make all your pain go away"..then I went off to sleep, when I woke up in recovery he was there and I quite clearly said "OH I love you" So don't worry about saying embarrassing things, you wouldn't be the first, and they have you on enough meds that you can always use that as an excuse!.
Take care, have faith, and find someways to relax and be good to yourself...