As of today I have about 30 days until surgery. I've been out of work for nearly 8 months which has had it's pro's and con's emotionally. The last few years at work prior to my symptoms have been emotionally difficult anyway where I needed to seek the help of a phsycoligist with some therapy and meds (I tunred into a worrier with workforce / political related type stress -- so once the injury occurred and I was out of work then that in itself relieved a bunch of the work related stress.

But, 8 months out of work and the extreme loss of energy due to my symptoms takes its toll emotionally -- especially in the family life. Family tend to get tired of my symptoms and pawn me off as lazy or not getting treated fast enough. People roll their eyes as I dwell on surgical options, etc. I find they simply don't get the extensiveness of the surgery, risks, etc. They think, "just get it fixed already"!

It takes all I can to stay calm and relaxed to avoid getting uptight as others judge. As soon as I find myself getting uptight I have to get away from the situation otherwise my lower back begins to burn like crazy!

Now, as I make my pre-op appointments I get the nervous jitters and I start thinking too much. Thinking of the surgery, what-if's, etc. It's a terrible problem to have.

Is this common? What can I do? What are some strategies or programs available to help reduce the anxiety?

Thanks.

Pre-surgery panics are common and expected no matter what severity of surgery you'll undergo. I've had a pre-op nurse tell me that if I wasn't panicing before surgery, she'd wonder if there was something wrong with me.

As for what to do, I can't answer much. I will tell you that I've had eight surgeries, my wife's had eight and many diagnostic procedures. I don't even bother worrying about not sleeping the day before the surgery any more. I'd use every trick you can think of to stay rested and stock up on antacids. Asking yourself to stay calm isn't realistic, better that you try to use your stress to help you get yourself ready for surgery. I tend to regard much of my "what if" planning to really be a way to work off my stress and not really useful in and of itself.

The only firm comment I'd make is to stop allow yourself to be judged by those that don't have the background to understand your risks. Don't let the uninformed tear you down. If they really care, they'll take the time to discuss your risks and understand, otherwise don't let them attack you.

Well said, AnnaPurna.

NJ, there are a lot of things you can do to help alleviate the stress. You may have already thought about these; here’s a hodge-podge of things to consider, in no particular order:

- Fresh air, anyway you can get it. Ocean air is even better!
- Stretching, whatever you can do.
- Exercise of any kind.
- Hot baths, for as long as you can.
- Massage or self massage (have you heard of the Theracane? Do a search here). Professional massage is the best, if you can afford it. Also, if you have massage schools, they often provide student sessions at a big discount.
- Keep up the counseling; talk to your therapist about weaning off the meds.
- Read a book (or two) on nutrition, or healing with nutrition. There’s a lot to learn, and it will help you throughout your recovery and longer.

There’s more, but you get my drift…try to focus on all the things you can do to prepare for healing. It will serve you well.

Also see the resources here: http://www.adrsupport.org/post_op.html Good luck with the next steps!

http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common...icon_smile.gif

Thanks for the tips AnnaPurna & Harrison!

Does anyone know of these healing anxiety programs and if they are worth the money?:

Lucinda Bassett
Dr Claire Weeks

Would they be helpful for pre-surgery?

I do not, but please let me know as I would like to share with others if they are helpful. And thanks for asking.

I experienced some of the same problems before my surgery and after. It's pretty normal to feel that way. I would suggest talking to a therapist and/or trying some anti-anxiety medication. Meditation is also very helpful. The Anxiety-Phobia Workbook is a great place to start; I’ve attached a link below.

http://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Phobia-Workbook-Fourth/dp...id=1189999124&sr=1-1

Assuming your surgery "works" some of these issues will remain. The whole process is very emotional. I’m 16 months post-op… Last week I tripped and fell down the stairs and I just started bawling because I was so worried that I had hurt my back again. The memories of it all just came flooding back. It’s almost like you have post traumatic stress after enduring the pain and struggling for so long. Just acknowledging that you are having these problems will help you deal with them better. Note that pain medication can also aggravate the symptoms and make you moody. (I’m a horrible witch when I’m on vicoden, it took a long time to realize that)
After your surgery you’ll be focusing on healing your body and getting healthy again. I would take some of that time to focus on making your mind healthy again too. Being sick like this really takes its toll on us all. Hang in there a try to think postive thoughts.