Utterly freaked out by breathing machines and surgery. Help!?!


Question: Utterly freaked out by breathing machines and surgery. Help!?
Recently, i had developed a fear of appendicitis which got me worrying and worrying and got me nowhere. From that fear, sprug another fear of surgery after my mum told me they stuck tubes down your throat, at which point i started to freak out. Then she told me they hooked you up to an automatic breathing machine which is just horrible ( this is my worst fear as i find it creepy, icky and unnatural) and that they cut you open. For a squeamish person that i am, i had developed an anxiety. But then my mum told me this -
- you are fit and healthy
- most people dont undergo operations
- you dont feel anything as you are knocked out
- it is over and done with quickly and unlikely to go wrong.
- if i am unsure of anyrhing i have my mum who is a nurse to look to and she will give me support

But what if it does go wrong? What if i vomit and cant breathe? I have never been knocked out before and i would find it scary. There are times when i feel happy and calm and saying to myself "this is stupid, stop" and oher times when i am in complete pannick.
I have been down this route of anxiety before, have seen councillors about my anxiety but yet another anxiety creeps up Me and i just wanna enjoy my life. Can anybody help me? I dont want any "check out this website" crap. I just want someone to calm my nerves

Answers:

Firstly: Listen to your Mum, she has good advice.
Secondly: There is a specialist doctor called an anaesthetist who monitors all your vital signs...so you heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, level of consciousness and oxygen levels. That's all that there job is so they concentrate on.
Thirdly: It's unlikely that you would vomit while you are under an anaesthetic because the action of the drugs. They stop your body from reacting to stimulus or feelng stimuli like that. So if you were 'awake' you would probably gag and/or womit but due to the anaesthetic you would not. On the very odd/rare chane that you did the anaesthetist is there watching you.
Fourthly: You really don't feel anything as you are knocked out. I had surgery a couple of years ago (I'm 21) and the surgeon was there and the anaesthetist and my doctor said "You won't remember much after this" (and they put the stuff into me through the I.V drip) and I only remember someone rubbing my shoulder. Then I woke up in the recovery room, no pain just very sleepy.
Lastly: I was quite nervous about the surgery but I just took all the support offered for me and it worked out fine. Also they can arrange to give u an anti-anxiety/calming drug prior to surgery to help.
Good luck!



That is why you need to water and food fast prior to an operation so there is nothing in the stomach to vomit up. Before anaethetic was available in 1846, doctors held you down and gave you alcohol or laudnam for your operation. Yes imagine a shot of brandy then having something cut out O_o ahhh feel better now? :)

RedAngel




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