Terrified of surgery, but I need it

[StrictlyNumber1Fan]

I'll be having surgery within the next 6 months, for something that is not life threatening but will give me a much better quality of life.

It will be a long recovered and painful in the days/weeks after. I'm not bothered about the pain but I am terrified of being out to sleep and not waking up. I can't imagine going into theatre and allowing them to put me to sleep. Even the thought of it and typing this is making me panic but I need the surgery and I'm excited about how it will improve my quality of life.

When others say they were the same, I can't imagine anyone being as scared as me, I am petrified. Has anyone else felt like this and actually gone through with the surgery and what helped.

I really enjoyed my GAs. There's this marvellous couple of seconds before you lose consciousness where all your little (or big) aches and pains magically vanish. Then next thing you are waking up. I suffer terrible insomnia, I wish I could have a GA every night to sleep.

One thing I forgot to mention earlier, is that they do leave me very tired for two or three days, so be prepared to take it easy afterwards.

I had exactly the same feelings as you. I had to have four operations in a short space of time last year and the first one I cried all the way to the theatre. After the fourth one I am now really blaise about it.

I completely understand how you feel. I had major abdominal surgery earlier this year and was completely petrified - convinced I'd either die on the table or wake up mid-operation! Everyone involved was incredibly kind and reassuring, especially the anaesthetist. I remember talking to her about my DD and then the next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery!

It's the best feeling ever. Totally fantastic, dreamless sleep. And then you wake up wrapped in warm blankets and when I had my latest surgery a couple of weeks ago,I had something a bit like a giant hairdryer blowing hot air under the blankets. Bliss.

I had open hysterectomy and genuinely thought that I would die on the table.I think it’s normal to think like this ! There’s nothing to do really except just push through. Take big deep breaths if you feel yourself panicking. I told myself that I am really lucky to be able to have the operation and that I was grateful to be able to have it under general and to have such a good anaesthesist …It helped a bit to change my mindset a little . Good luck with your surgery!

@StrictlyNumber1Fan when you go into hospital the anaesthetist will come and talk to you. Ime they tend to be the calmest, most reassuring doctors of them all and will tell you as much (or as little!) as you want to know about the procedure and the process.

I had neurosurgery and I was petrified. I put it off as long as I could but after three seizures within a few hours I finally realised the chances of me dying by falling under a bus or down the stairs were much higher than dying in surgery.
Everyone was lovely, from the porters who wrapped me in heated blankets before wheeling my bed to the theatre to the nurse sat with me all the first night monitoring my vital signs and shining a torch in my eyes. Well, it wasn’t so great being woken up but it was nice to be taken care of in a way I hadn’t been since I was a child.
I remember thinking the anaesthetic wasn’t working and then the next thing I know I was awake and sobbing to some poor doctor to phone my heavily pregnant teenage dd and let her know I was ok. I remember the cannula had come out and there was a bit of blood on the sheets but it was calmly and efficiently dealt with.
I didn’t cry before the surgery but I couldn’t bloody stop afterwards. For days, weeks, even months afterwards I unexpectedly found myself in tears, a sort of delayed shock or PTSD I think.
Another thing I didn’t expect was to have my sleep pattern disrupted for a month or so afterwards. From the first night I’d be awake for a couple of hours from 4am till 6ish, presumably because I’d slept such a lot on the day of the operation, but it gradually went back to normal.
Having a couple of months off work recovering was nice too.

Honestly, it's fine. One minute you're awake, then you're awake again feeling a bit tired.

I was terrified of my last two GAs (wisdom teeth, and pins/plates on broken wrist) - crying and a snotty mess. I was one in a long list of people having the same surgeries as day patients.

Both times I was bumped to the top of the list (I reckon they wanted to stop me putting others off, lol).

Thank you so much for the lovely, reassuring messages. For me I think I'm scared about not being in control, not knowing what's going on, the fear of not waking up but also the fear of being awake when they operate 😢 I will go through with it fingers crossed but I just know I will be a wreck on the day.

I have had a few. First time was also terrified. Remember thinking this won't put me out and next thing l knew l was awake and it was all over. It was so quick. I have always found the staff so calming and just relaxed. They are doing this every day.

I had my first GA earlier this year and I cried a lot beforehand. I was absolutely petrified to the point of wanting to cancel. Foolish, considering it was basically life-saving.

I tried to explain my fears. The surgeon was lovely but the anaesthetist needs to work in his bedside manner.

Once in theatre, I didn't even feel sleepy. No counting backwards from 10, just awake one moment and bit the next.

When I came round in recovery, it was a gentle but similar feeling of being out one moment and fully awake the next. No grogginess, no nausea.

I know why I was petrified before but I don't think I would be again, now I have a good experience to refer back to.

Good luck with your surgery.