I’m having my gallbladder removed on Friday, & I am really scared.

Hi Britt,

,

Is your doctor/surgeon/anaesthetist aware of your fears? Maybe talking to a phsycologist or something will help, maybe they can give you tips on how to calm your fears. Pretty sure you can be given sedatives before any anaesthesia, just to put you in a better place. Are your fears based on past experiences? What exactly makes you feel like you may not wake up?Ask for anti nausea meds beforehand to ensure that feeling sick afterwards won't happen. 

I have no idea how long I took to wake up, but you will probably feel tired and groggy/foggy right afterwards. The staff will look after you while you are under, and while you are recovering. You won't go to a ward or back to the day surgery clinic until they are very confident you are OK, and they monitor a range of things: oxygen, BP, temperature etc. You will be in good hands. 

Hi Brittx3,

That's perfectly normal. I think we all experience the same. I just had mine two weeks ago. The surgery took less than 2 hrs. For me felt like I just blinked & was out of surgery right away. The anesthesiologist & your Dr's team see you before surgery & they already know your medical history. The one think I advice is walk in your apt as soon as your able too, little by little because this will alleviate shoulder pain which is common after surgery bc air trapped during surgery needs to be released. Walk, walk, walk! Also, make sure they give you a Spirometer gadget to breath into, this helps clear / exercise lungs after surgery. Everybody is different and some people may or may heal quicker. Just follow Dr's directions so you may heal faster. Oh , & don't cancel 😀 Get it over with.

All the best.

Brittx3

hi 👋 

listen no one on this earth could be as scared of me as I have ptsd from an operation I had at age 15 that was 38 years ago and I’ve suffered panick attacks ever since sadly , I’m now 54

no in that opp when I was 15 it was an emergency and I was in trouble believe me i could not talk they did not know my name or anything about me etc but they had to operate their and then or I was to die ok.

so they did and they gave me far too much general , I died twice on the table and I struggled to recover for many months, however I did recover but it left me terrified of general ever since.

now fast forward 53 years and came the point I again became an emergency sep 14th last year , 

‘I had been very ill with a large gallstone 2.3 cm stuck lodged in my cystic duct for over 3 years , hence to say i had been very ill for a long time , then 💥 I was about to die just like that, my gallbladder had become gangrenous and was full of puss , but still the fear of the general was stronger than my fear of death as ironic as that is 😂 

‘I ended up with blood poisoning and was about to die yet still refused the gallbladder opp and managed to discharge myself from the hosp.

then I had an attack that just did not stop , I was awake in absolute agony for over 144 hours six day plus and really did not know what was happening to be honest I was waiting to die and I was indeed dieing .

the surgeon called my partner and told her , look he now has literally hours to live , I can save him , but you have to get him to come to the princes grace hospital in London , I was in Windsor, and you have to get him to sign the consent , please try and get him here .

she come to me and said Charles imber. The surgeon. Has called , and she relayed his words to me.

and I said where do you want me to die, here or in the hospital ?

she replied, in the hospital.

i was so hurt by what she said , crazy right ? Very irrational right ? But I was , and because of my anger and my feelings of betrayal in my deluded mind.

i said fine let’s go.

and in that state , I drove from Windsor to Nottingham place London.

walked in the hospital and attempted to ask the surgeon questions, to which he replied Andrew ?

now really isant the time for questions, please sign here, I looked at him and asked him what’s the chance of me diying in this operation mr imber ?

the fear in me was unbelievable still even though I was dieing ?? So crazy I know .

he looked at me and said 1 in a million.

i signed immediately, I don’t know why but in that moment he convinced me !!!!!!

and I remember thinking 🤔 he’ll im dieing anyway just sign the damn consent form, and I did.

he took me immediately to theatre, and within 5 mins I was on the slab being put out.

I WOKE UP , 1 HOUR AND 15 MINS LATER , SINGING !!!!

i left the hospital 16 hours later , and I am forever thankful to mr imber for saving my life !!!!

i know I’m a nutcase 😝 

but that is a true story.

and I am no longer scared of general, and will not be again.

I URGE YOU , TO BE BRAVE AND SAVE YOUR LIFE , AND NOT PUT YOURSELF THROUGH WHAT I DID FOR OVER 3 YEARS , AND PUT MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY THROUGH HELL FOR 3 YEARS .

AND GET THAT DISEASED THING OUT OF YOU ASAP, AS IT WILL EVENTUALLY KILL YOU FOR SURE BUT THE GENERAL WILL NOT !!!

the whole opp was a breeze, I absolutely promise you !!!

i hope this makes you go and save your life !!

please come back to me after and remind me how easy it was please xx

Don't think too much on it . you will be fine. Had anesthesia for colonoscopy , it was a breeze and was a good sleep if you look at.

Hi, you will be well looked after I see that u have discussed your fears with the surgeon, you will be fine and having your gallbladder removed will be the best thing you have ever done!! I healed pretty quickly it’s honestly the best thing having your gallbladder out I feel so much healthier didn’t realise til after the effect my bad gall bladder was having on my over all health . Good luck x