TAH: Scared to death

I too am scheduled for TAH and I am very nervous. I have had minor surgeries before but never had any extra holes in my abdomen. I think that is the scary part for me I am also scared to be admitted to the hospital. I have not spent the night in a hospital since I was born. I have been out of sorts angry, weepy, and I have cleaned mg closet out. I have been keeping busy with work and getting ready for time off. Hope all goes well for you. Keep us posted.

Thank you all so very much this is a great site..I'm so happy I found this site with such nice people who are carning.

Thank you Nonna. It is good to see you too! I am doing great. I think the key things that helped me deal with the terror were the women on this site and believing I was in the hands of professionals that know their job inside and out (no pun intended). Just as we all have our work and do it well because we are experienced it is the same for these healthcare pros. I walked everyday pre-op and I prayed honestly. The truth is that todays health care professionals have so much going for them to care for us. We just have to BELIEVE God is in control and these people are the best! If you can do that then you will find some peace before surgery. Not easy but if I could get to that place anyone can!!! I was on my Kindle emailing and having fun online later the same day as surgery. My only problem was staying awake and I was very content to sleep when sleepy! 24 hours and I was free of IV and could walk as much as I wanted to. Getting home was such a joy because it WAS OVER and I felt GOOD!

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Originally Posted by lilbit83 Hello all, I am new here, and this is my first post. I recently scheduled a TAH and am beyond scared to death. I have had 4 c- sections, and although I know the surgeries are different, there are some similarities, and because of my somewhat familiarity I do not understand my fear but I am absolutely scared to death... Is it normal to be this scared? I wake up in the morning feeling nervous and have a hard time sleeping at night due to nerves. My surgery is still 3 weeks away and every day I become more nervous and scared, I have even began to think outrageously crazy thoughts like "what if I die?" am I the only one who has had these thoughts and fears? Are they normal. I knwo that the surgery is the best option for me, but I can not seem to shake these horrible nerves, and all the many questions/concerns I have floating around in my head only makes the anxiety worse... Am I alone in these fears? Have I totally lost my mind?

Oh honey, I'm 18 days post op and I TOTALLY remember being where you are. Have you considered talking to your docs about it and asking for a script? Xanax is totally safe for presurgery and I had to do it. I started having major panic attacks!!! Even if you don't get a script, it's important that your docs know your state of mind. While it's true, this is a tough surgery, the fact that you feel your reactions are overblown makes me wonder if that route may be good for you too. FYI in my short experience so far, the anticipation and all the possible gruesome scenarios your brain can think up are far worse than the actual reality! I'm ok enough to post here now, right? Breathe deeply, practice some meditation if you can and keep posting here!

I didn't sleep very much the two nights before I went into the hospital, and had no sleep at all the night after the surgery (mostly due to the **** anti-blood clot boots). When I finally got home, I slept a solid 6 hours.

Major surgery is scary. I posted a fair amount here in the pre-op area the night before the surgery - at least this is a good place to vent.

Good luck!

Hello, I'm 2wks postoperative today! I know how you feel. My surgery was scheduled for the 31st of July, but the Lord had other plans for me. I had been my periodon June 16 and it never stopped. Sooo I was bleeding to death . I got admitted for. 3 units of and and had my surgery the next day. Which was july 13th. It was totally un planned. And I got 2 more units it's in the operating room. So I know how you. I had a script for Ativan for my planned surgery. And I took one prior to my surgery and it helped. So asking your doc for something for your nerves is not a bad idea. Pray and have others pray for you and with you! Stay encouraged and blessed !

I had what seems to be the usual set of pre-hysterectomy surgies a year ago. I was scared because I didn't know what the laparascopy would find and I had been in pain for months. I was scared I'd come out and nothing would have been wrong and people would think I was making it up. I also had fears because I am on a medication that does not mix with almost anything and so they have to be so careful.

My hospital does the pre-OR routine a bit differently. You arrive and are sent into a little cubicle with a gurney to change. They put in the IV and start fluids slowly. You have to do a urine pregnancy test; I'd had a blood one a week before but still had to repeat. I had seen anesthesia during pre-op so it was just a matter of meeting her in the surgical room. Because I'm bipolar and have a lot of anxiety normally I had orders for IV valium at any time I wanted it. When it is about your surgery time you are taken to an "induction room" where they used to start anesthesia but now is a waiting area. Most people were there about 15 minutes. I was there 2 hours because I had 2 surgeons and one had a procedure that went long, then the room had to be prepared. I made numerous trips to the bathroom but stayed really calm, surprisingly and didn't need my valium. I remember being taken into the OR, they did something called a huddle where everyone reviewed their role and what was happening to be sure nobody took out the wrong body parts. I made sure they knew again that IVs will not work in my right hand. My surgeon held my hand, they put the mask on and said I should be sleepy. I started yelling I"m not sleepy! Don't!" and then I was out. Charming. Next thing I knew I was in recovery and was given morphine, ice chips and my mom was allowed back for 5 minutes to tell me what the dr. said. I didn't remember it later.

I don't have surgery until 9/10 so I have time yet to be afraid. This time I see it so much as a means to an end and I just want to be done. I am terrified of the last period I'll have in August because each has been worse lately.

The surgery staff are all really used to people who are afraid. All that I encountered were really willing to provide reassurance, answer questions, and try to make things less stressful. I was having my period at surgery and asked if I could keep my own underwear and a pad. the nurse made a big joke about my getting their "lingerie" (mesh boy short underwear with a pad) and that made that less uncomfortable.

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Originally Posted by lilbit83 Hello all, I am new here, and this is my first post. I recently scheduled a TAH and am beyond scared to death. I have had 4 c- sections, and although I know the surgeries are different, there are some similarities, and because of my somewhat familiarity I do not understand my fear but I am absolutely scared to death... Is it normal to be this scared? I wake up in the morning feeling nervous and have a hard time sleeping at night due to nerves. My surgery is still 3 weeks away and every day I become more nervous and scared, I have even began to think outrageously crazy thoughts like "what if I die?" am I the only one who has had these thoughts and fears? Are they normal. I know that the surgery is the best option for me, but I can not seem to shake these horrible nerves, and all the many questions/concerns I have floating around in my head only makes the anxiety worse... Am I alone in these fears? Have I totally lost my mind?

Hi!First of all I wish you all the best for your surgery and be sure that everything will go smooth!I had my TAH 4 weeks before and I still can't believe how easy everything went.From my experience it was very helpful that I followed a very light liquid diet the previous day (no bowel problems after the surgery) and also that I chose epidural anesthesia without sedation (I was awake during the procedure).No nausea afterwards no pain!I walked into my room the same day!
Try to calm (I know how difficult is) but I'm sure that everything will go in the best way!

It is perfectly normal. I did nothing but be sick before my op. I am now 6 weeks post op. Still getting some soreness but have got through it as you will too. Good luck and do everything you are supposed to do after the op. Rest and recover.

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Originally Posted by menorrhagiaJen I had what seems to be the usual set of pre-hysterectomy surgies a year ago. I was scared because I didn't know what the laparascopy would find and I had been in pain for months. I was scared I'd come out and nothing would have been wrong and people would think I was making it up. I also had fears because I am on a medication that does not mix with almost anything and so they have to be so careful. My hospital does the pre-OR routine a bit differently. You arrive and are sent into a little cubicle with a gurney to change. They put in the IV and start fluids slowly. You have to do a urine pregnancy test; I'd had a blood one a week before but still had to repeat. I had seen anesthesia during pre-op so it was just a matter of meeting her in the surgical room. Because I'm bipolar and have a lot of anxiety normally I had orders for IV valium at any time I wanted it. When it is about your surgery time you are taken to an "induction room" where they used to start anesthesia but now is a waiting area. Most people were there about 15 minutes. I was there 2 hours because I had 2 surgeons and one had a procedure that went long, then the room had to be prepared. I made numerous trips to the bathroom but stayed really calm, surprisingly and didn't need my valium. I remember being taken into the OR, they did something called a huddle where everyone reviewed their role and what was happening to be sure nobody took out the wrong body parts. I made sure they knew again that IVs will not work in my right hand. My surgeon held my hand, they put the mask on and said I should be sleepy. I started yelling I"m not sleepy! Don't!" and then I was out. Charming. Next thing I knew I was in recovery and was given morphine, ice chips and my mom was allowed back for 5 minutes to tell me what the dr. said. I didn't remember it later. I don't have surgery until 9/10 so I have time yet to be afraid. This time I see it so much as a means to an end and I just want to be done. I am terrified of the last period I'll have in August because each has been worse lately. The surgery staff are all really used to people who are afraid. All that I encountered were really willing to provide reassurance, answer questions, and try to make things less stressful. I was having my period at surgery and asked if I could keep my own underwear and a pad. the nurse made a big joke about my getting their "lingerie" (mesh boy short underwear with a pad) and that made that less uncomfortable.

Wow. You have been through so much. I can tell what a strong person you are by just reading your post. I'm so sorry you periods have been so bad and I understand your fear of "the last one"!!! I had to reschedule my surgery at the last minute bc of a move so I had 2 last periods!lol

I posted a long "hint" that lists how I dealt with my anxiety by requesting a window bed. Also where I got a box of those mesh boy shorts for post op!lol

I agree with you about the surgical staff. I walked into the OR with tears streaming down my face and the nurse put her arm around me and reassured so sweetly. Everyone did.

There were a lot of reasons I was crying but no one asked (which was great) and no one made me feel silly for it. It was overwhelming and easy all at once! Afterwards, I was SO happy to be free of my junk. I just know it's going to be a huge positive change to be off that pain and hormone rollercoaster for me and for you!!!