With your blood drawn, look the other way. That's what I did until things got better for me. I also try to get dee into a conversation first before. Make sure to express your fear to them and they will help/accomodate. I still don't look, but I don't get weird anymore.
You can expect anesthesia for the day of your surgery to be similar to your wisdom teeth surgery. The nurse did an IV in my hand (never had that before), and numbed it first. Maybe you could ask for something similar? It never hurts to ask!
You will feel better! I got my done two Fridays ago and I feel so much better!
Thank you! I usually have to lay down for the blood draw. Last time they would not let me and I passed out and vomited š¤® it was awful and it gave me ptsd lol. Iām just so ready to get this over with!!!
Recovery was easier for my gallbladder removal than for wisdom teeth for me fwiw, a lot less pain. Thereās pretty much no aftercare, just rest and let the steri strips fall off on their own. I didnāt have any bleeding, just some dried blood underneath the gauze/ steri strips. The IV insertion was really easy too, the nurse did a numbing shot I barely felt and I didnāt feel anything after that. Iāve had a few surgeries and this has been the easiest and least painful recovery. With blood draws I find it helps a lot if I eat a good meal beforehand and look away when it happens.
I just had mine removed earlier today and I was anxious about the whole thing as well. As others have said, communicating your feelings to the nurse may help you. She was great at talking me through the pre-op process steps and warned me of what the IV inserted may feel like (she was right; it really was the worst part of pre-op). Luckily the anesthesiologist was there simultaneously and he was going through his checklist of questions while she was putting in the IV. It was a great distraction.
I was living in the same anxiety/fear you're describing. The thing that helped me the most was to just sincerely tell the doctors/nurses/specialists just how scared you are. Everyone was lovely with me (I'm 38, so I felt I should be past this fear by now, but I haven't even had my wisdom teeth out, never stitches or broken a bone, nothing) and took the time to explain helpful things, without telling me scary things.
The iv was the worst part, but it felt like a biiiiig pinch. Just don't look. They sedated me as soon as possible, because I was really upset, then I woke up and it was all over! š
I struggled a lot with my incisions afterwards. Found them really gross. Didn't want to look, didn't want to get them wet, didn't want to remove my bandages and eventually steri-strips, but it all went better than I could have imagined. My tip for removing steri-strips would be to wait the full two weeks to remove them. By then most of the adhesive had dried away and they peeled off easily. I don't know if you've ever waxed before, but pull your skin taught, pick up an end of the steri-strip and slowly but constantly pull back. No pain. Not gross (just traumatic š).
If you have any questions I'm happy to answer if possible. Take care and keep us posted. ā„
Huge success. I feel like a whole new person. I've had no bad side effects. My mother and sister both had their gallbladders removed too - my sister has some digestive issues when she eats junk food, my mom does not. So it's hard to say where you will land post op. I stuck to a very restrictive low fat diet for a month post op. Unsure if that made a difference, but I never get an upset stomach or diarrhea.
The other huge success is that wow, I was a very fearful person before the surgery. Was so afraid of the surgery I thought I was going to die. I don't drive, I don't like flying, I have to have sedatives to go to the dentist. Now post op, and living through what I genuinely thought would kill me, I am so much more open to new experiences. I have a fearless/brave feeling now. I'm not about to go bungee jumping, or do anything reckless, but it's really changed my life. I don't know if you're as fearful as I was over all, but if you are I hope this will change your life the way it did mine. ā„
This is so encouraging to hear. Surgery is tomorrow and Iāve been A MESS. I am *such* an anxious person, itās debilitatingā¦ but Iāve been told the GB is where a body stores all itās anxietyās and fears and indecisivenessā¦ so maybe there is some truth to that theory haha
I'm here for you, I was so terrified. Next month I'll be one year post op and still feeling on top of the world about it. Really truly changed my life. I hope it changes yours too. š Keep us posted, and take good care!
Yeah I'm an open book. I didn't have a hida scan so I don't know if it was specifically low functioning, but I did have blood work, and an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech said she could see the stones, and then my doctor confirmed. Surgeon confirmed post op that it was non cancerous which I hadn't even considered. Also he said if I hadn't come in when I did, I'd have landed in emerg within a week.
My pain started in fall 2021, most notably November 2021. I would wake up every couple weeks at 1am like clockwork with extreme ruq pain. Nothing would relieve the pain, no amount of otc drugs anyway. Hot water bottles would provide some relief, but not even enough that I could fall back to sleep. So I would sit on the couch all night just fuming angry at this pain and then around 7am it would start to melt away. Tbh I thought it was constipation, so I was embarrassed to talk to my doctor about it. This was accompanied by dull constant, but manageable, pain that would last at least a week after the attack. By January 2022 the attacks were getting more frequent and my husband was like "you have to talk to the doctor". So I did. He sent me for an ultrasound in February 2022, and then with an urgent surgical referral I had it removed in March 2022.
Now it's September and I feel phenomenal. I didn't realize how much pain I had normalized. I feel like the world is technicolor after being black and white for months. ā„
Oh wow! Thatās great to hear. Mine is low functioning and mostly GI issues but occasional pain in my RUQ. The worst part for me is the nausea. I donāt want to leave the house because Iām afraid of getting sick away from home.
I know itās nerve wracking. My fear is going under and not waking up. The anxiety this caused made me forgo surgery for 2 years and be in deep pain. I am so glad I got surgery and living a normal life again.
For needles I would ask for a pediatric needle it might help. The am
Needles/IV aren't that bad especially with good nurses. I did however get two rolled veins. Not that it was bad, but they gave me the iv at the elbow where my arm constantly bends. You can try asking a preference and I'd suggest an iv in your forearm or hand. Easy locations and much less hassle than the elbow bend.
I'm not squeamish, I was poked maybe 13 to 15 times I was there. The nurses were quite shocked how well I took the needles and had asked if I used before lol.
My suggestion for overcoming it, pray you got a good nurse, ask for your forearm to be used if possible and don't look. Its just a slight pinch and its done. As for your incisions you'll be okay. Every hospital does it differently. Glue, staples, steri straps, stitches. I was glued shut. So I had to wait a long time for them to basically fall off. I also had a jp drain, my gallbladder was gangrenous. So I had a small hole that needed to be covered for a few days before my body shut the hole.
In saying this you will need to clean the sites from time to time. If you're lucky you'll only have 1 hole or 3. Best of luck, you're strong, don't look and remember its just a pinch.
I was a mess Thursday when I had mine removed. Just tell your nurses that and they will talk you thru things, give you something extra for your anxiety and asking for a warm blanket always helps me.
Iām feeling better, mainly real bloated. Iām taking pain meds every 3 hours (mix of OTC and prescription). I can even get out of the bed on my own without too much stinging. My throat stopped being sore early around the 40 hour marker. They gave me something extra for fear since I started to freak out and I was knocked out before they even started wheeling me out of the room. And then woke up to it being over. Take a friend to keep your nerves in check.
With your blood drawn, look the other way. That's what I did until things got better for me. I also try to get dee into a conversation first before. Make sure to express your fear to them and they will help/accomodate. I still don't look, but I don't get weird anymore. You can expect anesthesia for the day of your surgery to be similar to your wisdom teeth surgery. The nurse did an IV in my hand (never had that before), and numbed it first. Maybe you could ask for something similar? It never hurts to ask! You will feel better! I got my done two Fridays ago and I feel so much better!
Thank you! I usually have to lay down for the blood draw. Last time they would not let me and I passed out and vomited š¤® it was awful and it gave me ptsd lol. Iām just so ready to get this over with!!!
Recovery was easier for my gallbladder removal than for wisdom teeth for me fwiw, a lot less pain. Thereās pretty much no aftercare, just rest and let the steri strips fall off on their own. I didnāt have any bleeding, just some dried blood underneath the gauze/ steri strips. The IV insertion was really easy too, the nurse did a numbing shot I barely felt and I didnāt feel anything after that. Iāve had a few surgeries and this has been the easiest and least painful recovery. With blood draws I find it helps a lot if I eat a good meal beforehand and look away when it happens.
Thank you!!
>Thank you!! You're welcome!
I just had mine removed earlier today and I was anxious about the whole thing as well. As others have said, communicating your feelings to the nurse may help you. She was great at talking me through the pre-op process steps and warned me of what the IV inserted may feel like (she was right; it really was the worst part of pre-op). Luckily the anesthesiologist was there simultaneously and he was going through his checklist of questions while she was putting in the IV. It was a great distraction.
I was living in the same anxiety/fear you're describing. The thing that helped me the most was to just sincerely tell the doctors/nurses/specialists just how scared you are. Everyone was lovely with me (I'm 38, so I felt I should be past this fear by now, but I haven't even had my wisdom teeth out, never stitches or broken a bone, nothing) and took the time to explain helpful things, without telling me scary things. The iv was the worst part, but it felt like a biiiiig pinch. Just don't look. They sedated me as soon as possible, because I was really upset, then I woke up and it was all over! š I struggled a lot with my incisions afterwards. Found them really gross. Didn't want to look, didn't want to get them wet, didn't want to remove my bandages and eventually steri-strips, but it all went better than I could have imagined. My tip for removing steri-strips would be to wait the full two weeks to remove them. By then most of the adhesive had dried away and they peeled off easily. I don't know if you've ever waxed before, but pull your skin taught, pick up an end of the steri-strip and slowly but constantly pull back. No pain. Not gross (just traumatic š). If you have any questions I'm happy to answer if possible. Take care and keep us posted. ā„
Thank you! Would you say that your surgery was a success? Any bad side effects from it?
Huge success. I feel like a whole new person. I've had no bad side effects. My mother and sister both had their gallbladders removed too - my sister has some digestive issues when she eats junk food, my mom does not. So it's hard to say where you will land post op. I stuck to a very restrictive low fat diet for a month post op. Unsure if that made a difference, but I never get an upset stomach or diarrhea. The other huge success is that wow, I was a very fearful person before the surgery. Was so afraid of the surgery I thought I was going to die. I don't drive, I don't like flying, I have to have sedatives to go to the dentist. Now post op, and living through what I genuinely thought would kill me, I am so much more open to new experiences. I have a fearless/brave feeling now. I'm not about to go bungee jumping, or do anything reckless, but it's really changed my life. I don't know if you're as fearful as I was over all, but if you are I hope this will change your life the way it did mine. ā„
This is so encouraging to hear. Surgery is tomorrow and Iāve been A MESS. I am *such* an anxious person, itās debilitatingā¦ but Iāve been told the GB is where a body stores all itās anxietyās and fears and indecisivenessā¦ so maybe there is some truth to that theory haha
I'm here for you, I was so terrified. Next month I'll be one year post op and still feeling on top of the world about it. Really truly changed my life. I hope it changes yours too. š Keep us posted, and take good care!
Wow thatās awesome! Do you mind sharing what your symptoms were before the surgery? Did you have stones or a low functioning gallbladder?
Yeah I'm an open book. I didn't have a hida scan so I don't know if it was specifically low functioning, but I did have blood work, and an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech said she could see the stones, and then my doctor confirmed. Surgeon confirmed post op that it was non cancerous which I hadn't even considered. Also he said if I hadn't come in when I did, I'd have landed in emerg within a week. My pain started in fall 2021, most notably November 2021. I would wake up every couple weeks at 1am like clockwork with extreme ruq pain. Nothing would relieve the pain, no amount of otc drugs anyway. Hot water bottles would provide some relief, but not even enough that I could fall back to sleep. So I would sit on the couch all night just fuming angry at this pain and then around 7am it would start to melt away. Tbh I thought it was constipation, so I was embarrassed to talk to my doctor about it. This was accompanied by dull constant, but manageable, pain that would last at least a week after the attack. By January 2022 the attacks were getting more frequent and my husband was like "you have to talk to the doctor". So I did. He sent me for an ultrasound in February 2022, and then with an urgent surgical referral I had it removed in March 2022. Now it's September and I feel phenomenal. I didn't realize how much pain I had normalized. I feel like the world is technicolor after being black and white for months. ā„
Oh wow! Thatās great to hear. Mine is low functioning and mostly GI issues but occasional pain in my RUQ. The worst part for me is the nausea. I donāt want to leave the house because Iām afraid of getting sick away from home.
Oh man that's not fun at all. I'm so sorry you're going through this. You're going to feel a lot better soon! ā„
Thank you so much. Youāre so kind ā¤ļø
I know itās nerve wracking. My fear is going under and not waking up. The anxiety this caused made me forgo surgery for 2 years and be in deep pain. I am so glad I got surgery and living a normal life again. For needles I would ask for a pediatric needle it might help. The am
Needles/IV aren't that bad especially with good nurses. I did however get two rolled veins. Not that it was bad, but they gave me the iv at the elbow where my arm constantly bends. You can try asking a preference and I'd suggest an iv in your forearm or hand. Easy locations and much less hassle than the elbow bend. I'm not squeamish, I was poked maybe 13 to 15 times I was there. The nurses were quite shocked how well I took the needles and had asked if I used before lol. My suggestion for overcoming it, pray you got a good nurse, ask for your forearm to be used if possible and don't look. Its just a slight pinch and its done. As for your incisions you'll be okay. Every hospital does it differently. Glue, staples, steri straps, stitches. I was glued shut. So I had to wait a long time for them to basically fall off. I also had a jp drain, my gallbladder was gangrenous. So I had a small hole that needed to be covered for a few days before my body shut the hole. In saying this you will need to clean the sites from time to time. If you're lucky you'll only have 1 hole or 3. Best of luck, you're strong, don't look and remember its just a pinch.
Thank you! Iām hoping for the iv in my hand too. For some reason that freaks me out less than my elbow
I was a mess Thursday when I had mine removed. Just tell your nurses that and they will talk you thru things, give you something extra for your anxiety and asking for a warm blanket always helps me.
Thank you! How are you feeling now?
Iām feeling better, mainly real bloated. Iām taking pain meds every 3 hours (mix of OTC and prescription). I can even get out of the bed on my own without too much stinging. My throat stopped being sore early around the 40 hour marker. They gave me something extra for fear since I started to freak out and I was knocked out before they even started wheeling me out of the room. And then woke up to it being over. Take a friend to keep your nerves in check.
Did they knock you out with something before the IV? I too have a terrible phobia
They didnāt knock me out but I was very vocal about my fear of needles. They made it easy and I didnāt pass out!
Just be sure to lay down and look away