Upcoming surgery anxiety

[Tim100]

Hi all,

I have an elective surgery coming up next week that will benefit my lifestyle in the long term. I’m generally an anxious person but adding this on top is just taking up all my thoughts and impacting sleep and mood. I have mild panic attacks causing my heart racing and nausea, which I’m just struggling to keep on top of.

I’ve never had surgery before so the thought of ‘going under’ just seems so foreign to me. Especially because it’s elective, I don’t need to do it and I just want to keep reminding myself of the long term benefits.

I’ve spoken with my family who have had surgery for various reasons which helped and I understand it’s incredibly safe but I just can’t shake it and fear how I will be the night before/morning of the surgery.

[Matchy69]

Hi Tim and welcome to the forums and your first post.I just had surgery a few weeks ago and was feeling very much like you even though I have had a few surgeries since childhood.I find the lead up to is the worst with my anxiety.Once I am at the hospital that day and am gown up I seem to feel less anxious but still have some.I found finding something to take my mine of it helped.Your not alone a lot of people are anxious before surgery .Just remember you will be in the best care.
Take care,
Mark.

[Willow Jude]

Hi Tim,

I can definitely understand feeling anxious in the lead-up to surgery, especially having not been through the experience before. I have had a couple surgeries in the past and all were quite positive experiences (I was made to feel comfortable before going under, there were no complications, etc.). All the staff (nurses, anaesthetists, etc.) that I dealt with each time were so fantastic, so if you are feeling anxious going in I'm sure they will do everything they can to make you feel comfortable and put you at ease. It's totally expected to feel a little nervous the night before and day of, but hopefully there'll be some ways that you'll be able to keep it at a level where you feel you can manage it. Maybe chatting to your friends/family, listening to your favourite music, or anything else that you find helps relax you.

-WJ

[Tim100]

Just wanted to throw an update thanking you for the replies 🙂

I had my surgery this morning with no issue, and I can’t remember a thing. The buildup was truly worse than the actual procedure even leading up to walking into the theatre but I’m glad I went through with it.

Thank you again, it really helped.

[Matchy69]

Thanks Tim for the update and that's great the surgery went well and yes the buildup is the worst past.I hope you make a speedy recovery.
Take care,
Mark.

[Willow Jude]

Thanks for the update Tim!

I'm glad to hear it went well, and well done for going through with it! I know that would have been hard, so you should be proud of yourself.

-WJ

[Rod_NR93]

Hi Tim. I had the exact same anxiety before my first surgery. I was stressed big time. It turned out to be a breeze. I've had surgery and twilight sedation procedures many times since and I almost look forward to it! They give you propofol and it is very gentle. Most of the time I don't even notice myself going under. One time I felt pleasantly light-headed for a few seconds before waking up in recovery. General anaesthetic and sedation now are very gentle. As a highly anxious person I can assure you there's no need to stress.