Surgical Procedure Tom!!!! Stressing! Need support plz...

So I'm having a surgical procedure tomorrow and I'm sort of wigging out a bit. It's an outpatient procedure/excision (less than an hour, home same day) with iv/local anesthetia and isn't cancerous so its pretty routine, but its an oral surgery so I'm battling this heavy anxiety. Uggh I'm still waiting for my preop clearance ( ekg,bloodwork,anemia?) so that adds to the anxiety tremendously.

I need good vibes and prayers for those who pray. Health anxiety be gone! Uggghh any advice to soothe my anxiety?


Thanks everyone!

MF.,

I am and will continue to pray! I am sure that all is going to go perfectly well with your procedure.

However, if you are feeling particualarly nervous, can you give your doctor/oral surgeon a call and see if you can get a light sedative called in for you to take before you go in...so that you are not a bundle of nerves tomorrow?

Wising you the best, and offering support and well wishes in advance! Keep posting if you need more reassurance.:)

S.C.

Mindfull - we will all be pulling for you tomorrow.

my mom has bad dental anxiety and she always gets valium for the night before she has to go in. as the others said, maybe this is an option?

other suggestions:

i also like to bring something with me that i can touch/hold in my hand during the procedure - anything that is comforting. a lucky stone, a small picture, or stress ball, something to do with your hands if you feel nervous.

also, if you have a phone/ipod or something like that, you can bring that with earbuds (or some dentists/doctors have them at your office). I find listening to something w/earbuds helps distance you a little from the procedure and gives your mind something to do.

also plan a small reward to give yourself afterward and celebrate once you get through it- get into bed and watch your favorite movie, a favorite treat, whatever it would be. it doesnt have to be big. and try to focus on that - try to look forward to how nice it will be when it is over and behind you, and you can have your treat. tell yourself "one hour to go and I will be able to be back at home and do XYZ... in 30 minutes this will be over and I can go home and ..."

I used to try to play it cool but now I am very up front with doctors/dentists that I have bad anxiety and warning them i may panic. i find it helps just to tell them this, and many are compassionate and try to help you through it. my dental hygenist knows this and basically talks me through and this helps a lot. she will say, "now i am doing this... this sound is normal, nothing to worry about, etc."

picture all of us in the room with you cheering you on! (this will either sound creepy or make you laugh!)

MF.,

Let us know how it goes!!

Sending prayers for a good night's sleep...an anxiety free morning tomorrow.:)

S.C.

Congrats are in order then! Think of this as adding another notch to the belt-o-anxiety, and something you tackled that you were anxious about, and here you are, bouncing about after the whole thing...

Isn't it a great feeling when we come through the other side? I know you're giving the meds a chunk of credit, but don't forget to give yourself some too! You went through with it.... Ta-da!




M.

Thank you so much @Merrida & @ScaredyCat !!! Those encouraging words are icing on the cake! I was having a lot issues days before the procedure, coping etc. I know I just tried to mentally take it as a positive health experience to heal me instead of something to scare me and that was a mental mind-shift that set my mood to happy & grateful to be with professionals that were all working towards healing me...never thought of it that way. My focus before was more on them bringing me bad news or discovering something bad or my ailments being catastrophic. Change your mind and your body will follow I suppose. I just need to try an implement this on a wider scale in my life and take my life back from this monster. Time to live and not let worry consume me! This is my new quest to really tackle this thing with a major shift in my thinking.

Take that, anxiety!!! (Blows finger pistol barrels) woo hoo!! Thanks again!!!