I am 15 and scared of operations. I am healthy but would hate to rhink of having!


Question: I am 15 and scared of operations. I am healthy but would hate to rhink of having 1 especially with a machine.?
My biggest fear is the ickyness of the tubes down your throat - especially with a breathing machine - i find it disguisting and icky. Does it hurt? I never used to worry about this problem until only recently and i am so nervous i keep having dihhorreah etc.I have recently developed a sort of fear of surgery if it were to come to that someday (Im a little bit squeamish) is it really that bad? What is it like to be knocked out? Does an operation hurt? I am afraid of getting old and getting disease.
Here are some things that help me cope (are they good thinking strategies?)
- i am unlikely to need an operation
- operations wont hurt as i am knocked out
- i am fit and healthy
- i have my parents support
- my freinds have turned out fine
-i do not need an opration
-its always worse than it actually is

My worst fear is the tubing that gets inserted into your throat or whatever - i am scared incase it goes wrong and cuts my throat. Its all a bit icky. Also i uterly freaked out when my mum told me you had to be hooked up to a machine in order for you to breath - this scares me THE MOST i probs wont feel it but even still

Also, i have never been knocked out before and i find the whole process a bit scary - the drip and the cold liquid running up my arm is so disguistig and icky - is it a nice feeling of being knocked out with drugs?
I dont wanna get myself into a negative state and just enjoy my life
My mum said that the chances of me having an operation are very slim. Is this true? I trust my mum.

Can anyone help me cure my horrible fear once and for all thx

Answers:

I forgot to look of you are male or female, but it doesn't matter. I can remember when I was a child in the 40's and I saw a couple getting married which required a blood test..I cringed at the idea of having them stick a needle into my arm and vowed that I would never get married.

Here's what happens though, as you proceed through life. I'm a retired Diplomat (Foreign Service Officer) and have served at Embassies all over the world (58 countries in all).

God created us with an ability to cope with these things. The things you worry about either don't exist, or are far overstated. Think about this..When you were little, you were also scared of monsters under your bed etc. I'm betting that no longer troubles you. This process does not stop where you are now at age 15.

As you mature, 2 important things happen:

1. You learn that not everything in life is completely pleasing, e.g. not everything is sugar-coated. You become mature in your thoughts and realize that some things you just have to grit your teeth and do it, because there's no other choice. More importantly, however, you become infinitely aware that "THE FEAR OF SOMETHING, IS FAR WORSE THAN THE ACTUAL THING ITSELF!

2. The other thing you become aware of is that all these things which you had worked yourself into a morbid fear of..are actually not one tenth as bad as you had imagined them. Incidentally, by this date I have probably had 10 thousand needles poked into me. I would rather be eating ice cream than to have a needle..but it really don't hurt..it's just the idea..just thinking about it that hurts..Never look when they do it and you can hardly feel it.

Now lets get right down the nitty griddy of your fear.
In 1999, I had to have my first operation at age 63. It was for a radical prostate removal (meaning they were going to cut it out because I had cancer). I had never undergone surgery of any kind. Here's what happened, and why you shouldn't worry about it.

They put me on a gurney and wheeled me into a prep room where they gave me a pill..Wow, what a pill. It puts you in lala land quickly..not to sleep..and even though I knew they were preparing me for surgery..I didn't care..I was joking with the medical people like I was at a party. That's the last thing I remember. What I didn't see, was that although I had seen them putting an IV into my arm (And I didn't care less because of the pill), At some point, they simply turned on the IV which put me out completely..I never saw the operating room..6 hours later, and this is the worst thing you will experience..I became aware of someone calling my name, and shaking me (to wake me up) That was most irritating because where ever I was, it was warm, cozy, and comfortable, and these irritating people kept bothering me, I wanted to smack them but couldn't tell where they were. I was completely unaware of the 6 hours and 3 transfusions that I had undergone.

So my point is that you are worrying about something that you will never witness. If it happens to you at some point..you won't know anything about it.

There are thousands of things that will hurt more than your operation, if you have one..For example, you should be more concerned about the little girl down the street who will likely break your heart at some point..THAT WILL HURT FAR WORSE THAN AN OPERATION/Juan



I agree with the other post.
I've worked in hospitals for many years now. Most people do not need operations, and most of the operations that do happen every day are very routine and common. There are professionals that are very good at their job. You can trust that would be able to keep you safe and healthy; that is their job.
As for the actual anesthesia part: I've had it, and it is a pretty slick process. One minute you are awake, the next minute you are waking up wondering when the operation will start, and it's all over.

It's ok.

Occupational Therapist



Most people never have operations, your mum is right.

I've had two: an appendectomy and a splenectomy. They both went fine. Here's the thing about operations, they give your anesthesia. You never know it happened at all. Literally, one second you're saying, "Hey, I feel fine, I'll just go home" and the next you wake up in a hospital bed and it's all over. There isn't even the sense of time passing like when you sleep.

The vast majority of people have no problem with surgery at all. Most people that do have problems were extremely sick to begin with. There is no reason to worry about something that may never happen to you at all, and even if it does, will go fine.

Personal experience.




The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories