Mrs. Glass Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 I could not tell my family how scared I am of having this surgery, so I am telling the only ones who will understand. After fighting with my insurance company for days, and finally finding out what the problem was with them, my back surgery is finally scheduled for a go. I am terrified right now. I know that I have to have this surgery, I can not live with this added pain anymore. I mean what if my b/p plumets during surgery. What if I stop breathing. I mean my b/p goes down without any notice, and sometimes I wake up gasping for air at night. I can't take the florinef or the midodrine until I can stop taking the pain pills, because they were causing my b/p to go up to high. My doc told me it was probably a combination of the three, but then I read on this forum where people are on these meds and still take pain meds and I guess they are doing ok on them. I have tried my meditation this morning, read a lot on the forum and even replied to several, but the fear will not go away. Oh, I wish that I would have stayed home that day, instead of going with my daughter to pick up my grandson, then this never would have happened, and I would not be facing surgery at all. At least my surgeon is an expert. That helps a little bit, but he is not only going to fix the problem, he is going to probe to see why my spinal chord does not show up on the MRI after a certain point. He said that it could be a glitch in the MRI, but he wanted to make sure. One thing that scares me is he kept saying that he was going to check the abnormality in my spine while he was in there. It will not be on an outpatient basis like originally planned,now I have to be admitted to the hospital. I go today to get all of the preop tests done, and he wants me off of coumadin now. That is going to be over a week again, and every time that I have to go off of it without the Lovenox shots, my liver starts to act up and it actually swells, but the shots are almost $300 even with my insurance. My PCP told me that it is a big risk, but I have had to do it before. So I will do it again. I am so thankful for this forum. I can vent to people who knows what I am going through, and they understand. It has helped me to deal with everything a little bit better. My therapist told me that it was a good idea for me to keep up with this forum. Sorry this is so long. and thanks for letting me put my fears in words. Vanessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunfish Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 hi vanessa - first of all i want to send some (((HUGS))) your way. surgery can be scary for anyone so when you through in additional factors....dysautonomia, having to go off your normal meds, etc....it can be even more so. i've had inpatient surgery with general anesthesia twice over the years (and several minor outpatient things as well). i obviously can't say that i totally know how you're feeling but i do know that before my first surgery - a cervical discectomy & fusion - i was just as nervous about the anesthesia in relation to my autonomic craziness as i was about the surgery itself. and i was none to looking forward to that either...i didn't like the idea of anything going on so close to my spinal chord. it's great that you have a good surgeon that you feel comfortable with. something i would highly recommend is to meet with the anesthesiologist before the day of your surgery to make him/her aware of your BP issues. bring any records if you have them or allow him/her to speak with your autonomic doc. that made me feel much better. there are also several articles on this site about dysautonomia and anesthesia that you could even bring along.as much as i dislike hospitals, i think it's actually a good thing that your surgery is going to be inpatient rather than outpatient. when i had my gallbladder removed, something that is often an outpatient gig, they knew they'd have to keep me overnight for monitoring at a minimum per my autonomic doc. so think of that aspect as a good thing. you'll be able to get fluids & may recover more quickly in the long run with better support in the first day or so.okay...i have some more to ramble on about but have to go now so will save it for later.hang in there, melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Dame Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Vanessa, As Sunfish said, you may want to talk to your anesthesiologist. Also, if it makes you feel any better, I've heard it's very rare for someone to die on the table in a scheduled operation. I can understand your fear, and if I were in your place, I'd be freaking out too, but just think of how things will improve as a result of the operation! Sending hugs your way, Lauren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 Good luck with your surgery!!! Please keep us updated ((((Hugs)))))Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 I agree that you have to talk to your anesthesiologist about your health issues.Keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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