I am scared to death!

I am having a TAH on July 16 and I cannot stop thinking about. I can't sleep without taking an Ambien and I start shaking sometimes. Is this normal or am I some kind of freak?

I am having my TAH/BSO on july 17th. I am also nervous and scared. but have spoken to many women who are post hyster and they all say it was wonderful for them. no worries hun. we are almost hyster twins.
hugs me

{{{btuck}}}

Hello and Welcome.

You have found the perfect place to be for information, support, and hugs!!

I think you are absolutely normal. Many on the boards experience fear, anxiety, some to the point of wanting to cancel or reschedule. Everyone is different and experiences this journey differently.

Read, read, and read some more!!! There is great information here and I think it might put you at ease. There are articles on anxiety and fear and how to cope as well as what to take to the hospital, what pre-op questions to ask, etc. Valuable stuff.

Keep your head up. I will keep you in prayer for peace through your journey.

Take good care and Blessings,

I don't think you're a freak at all. I was terrified of my surgery, and had mood swings, sleepless nights and hysterical crying fits. Part of it was a perfectly normal fear of the unknown (and it's normal to be scared of surgery) and part of it was a phobia about general anaesthesia. I did as much research as I could, started seeing a hypnotherapist, and took Ativan whenever I couldn't control my anxiety. I thought I was going to lose it on the day of the surgery - I was extremely nervous and weepy - but my medical staff were really understanding of my fears, and when I woke in the recovery room, all I felt (other than abdominal soreness) was a feeling of accomplishment.

Is this your first surgery? If you don't know what to expect, that can really make things ultra-scary. Whenever I started to get nervous about something, I'd just post a thread here, and within minutes, I'd have a bunch of reassurances and personal experiences to help me keep things in perspective and not allow my fears to run away with me. Read as much as you can, and don't be afraid to ask questions, even if you think they might be silly questions. If it makes you feel better, it's worth asking.

Just found this web site too. My surgery is scheduled for 6/23. I feel just like you. Today I had my pre op screening and burst into tears just signing in. (The good news is that they took me right away.) There is a slight chance that I may have cancer, I have a huge cyst on my right ovary. I can't sleep either. They offered me meds but I'd rather have wine.

Hey- scared is my middle name!! But something really interesting is happening! Yesterday I actually felt EXCITED about getting this over with!! I remember reading someone else typing this- and thought, "I wish I felt that way!".
Over the past weeks - visiting this site and hearing from so many great women has helped me immensely! I still move around on the "scared scale"- but am not stuck in a bad place anymore. Keep reading and sharing - and asking questions!
Yesterday at the pre-op I did tell the doc I how I was feeling- but said I might be panicked the night before or morning of. He was very sweet and gave me 2 valium (sp?) in an envelope. One to take the night before to help sleep and one when I woke in the am (with a just a sip of water). It feels good just knowing I have it if I need it!

You are totally normal. I was TERRIFIED of mine. It was scheduled three months out and about 3 weeks before I was a mess! About the time we were driving to the hospital I started loosing it. I took my MP3 player for the pre-op and that did help. I had some nice relaxing massage type music recorded on it. As they wheeled me into the OR I started freaking out. I was crying, having trouble breathing, I was a mess. Luckily, they knocked me out fast! Now that I am 8 days post-op I have NO regrets. It was soooo much easier than I ever thought it would be. The time leading up to the surgery is honestly the worst part.

You are not a freak I lived on ativan for weeks before my surgery because my anxiety was out of control. I almost cancelled because of my fears. Let me tell you that after it is done you will feel so relieved.
Good Luck and see you on the other side.

You are not a freak! Like the others have said it is normal to be scared. If you were not scared , NOW that would not be normal!!
Good luck with your surgery. I look forward to reading how you are doing post-op.

I really feel much better now. I don't have a computer at home yet so I didn't get the replies until today, but I really appreciate the support. I'm going to try to get Internet at home because I'm sure I'll be going into email DTs after my procedure.