Laparoscopy booked, don't want to do it

[MrsFruitcake]

It's been booked since April, happening this Friday. I am terrified - not of the actual procedure but of the general anesthetic I'll need. I really don't want to do it. I had my pre-op assessment a few weeks ago and my blood pressure was high (unusual for me), my sats low and I cried then at the thought of it and had to be calmed down with a box of tissues.

I'm thinking the pain might be worth carrying on with. My DM will probably be angry (I was supposed to have the op last year and backed out at the last minute). She is very vocal about it getting sorted.

I am scared that I won't wake up and also that they'll find something bad.

I know this is daft but I don't know what to do. I wasn't like this before the DCs were born, everything is different now.

When you arrive on Friday the first thing you need to do is ask to talk to someone about a sedative. Have that while you're waiting to get you through the anxiety. You'll quickly find that you feel calm and ok about it all.

It'll be fine. Tell them how scared you are and they'll look after you. Anaesthetic room staff are generally lovely, in my experience. You'll be asleep very quickly and awake again before you know it. Get some peppermint tea in because you'll have trapped wind.

What are you most concerned about the GA? The risk factor associated with GA is pretty small for young, reasonably healthy person.

Admittidly I'd had a heaftly shot of morphine a couple of hours before my emergancy laparoscopy (and tube removal - extopic pregnancy), but I honestly don't remember the GA. I must have fallen asleep (as in resting, natural sleep) pretty soon after coming round too (2am), as I had no idea what bed I was in when I woke up in the morning- went back to a different room to the ward I was in pre opp.

Wouldn't it be better to find out whats up, and it probably be nothing, than spend the next year worried about how bad it might be?

What the other respondents have written. Please talk to the team about your very understandable fears and they will allay them. This needs sorting out now, the anxiety you have cannot be allowed to continue to postpone your needed op.

A laparoscopy is often done when endometriosis is suspected and if this op is being done for that reason the pain due to endometriosis is far worse than having the surgery carried out.

I would be happy to give you questions to ask them post lap (you should have an appointment a week or so post op to discuss the findings. They should not talk to you about this when you are in the recovery room!) if you so need.

BTW I've had two GAs to date.

Oh bless you! I know exactly how you feel, I had a hysteroscopy and biopsy in June under GA and I was terrified! I very nearly didn't go thro with it because I was so scared.

I understand exactly what you mean when you say you weren't like this before DC's, I wasn't either and as a single parent I kept imagining worst case scenario's!!

Suffice to say it was all fine, the anesthetist's assistant was especially lovely and the anaethetist couldn't have reassured me more either.

Oh, is it for endometriosis MrsF? It's definitely worth having done then, don't you dare back down! The longer you leave endo the more damage it can cause. This time next week it'll all be over and you'll be sat with your feet up while everyone rushes around after you bringing you endless cups of peppermint tea.

You can do it!