At some point in your life you may be faced with the fact that you need to do some form of surgery. It might be a minor or major operation. The idea of a doctor using a blade, diathermy and other instruments to remove, replace or repair a part of your body might be scary. However, I think the scariest part of surgery is the anaesthesia.
Here are some tips for overcoming your fear of surgery.
Talk it through with your doctor.
When you understand what is going to happen it might be easier to go through it. Ask as many questions as you want. Ask about all the small things that might be worrying you, such as “what if I wake up during surgery?”, “What if I’m feeling it and you don’t know?”, “What if I don’t wake up?”. These are all normal fears to have and it’s okay to ask about them.
Watch videos online.
For some people, watching videos of the surgery or the anaesthesia might help them go through the surgery. For others it might not… It really depends on the person you are.
Talk to persons who have had surgery before.
A lot of times our fear is because we simply don’t know. When you speak to others who have gone through it you’ll come to realise that their experience wasn’t so bad. Ask them how they felt and prepared going in. Ask them how they felt afterwards. You might realise that the buildup is worse than the actual event.
It’s okay to be fearful. They’re so many what ifs and buts and possible complications. Going into surgery can be a life saving event that changes the quality of your life for the better. The medical team is well trained and will try and make you comfortable and have the best possible end results.
Have you ever had surgery before? Share your experiences in the comments below!
Samantha C. Johnson
[…] order to prepare for this procedure I followed the advice I wrote in Scary Surgery and it helped. I asked persons for advice, watched videos of the procedure and watched videos of […]