So sorry me again!!!

Dear Vanessa - you are thinking about your breathing, its invountary, your brain has very little control over your breathing, it falls into autonomic process of our bodies, as your Oxygen falls in your blood, the autonomic process cuts in and makes you diaphram flex, therefore you take a breath, if you are running for example the oxygen is falling faster in your blood stream then you breath faster. Just like your heart beating. You personally can't control it totally. But imagine if you did stop breathing you heart would start racing to try and compensate for the lack of oxygen in your blood, and that would start alarms going for the doctors. Worse case they will intubate you, putting a tube down your throat and pumping an oxygen mix into your lungs, but with spinal they don't need to do that normally.

I had a spinal and sedation and everything

Went great! Don't worry- it will all be fine!

Vanessa - One thing you probably will be aware of when they start preparing you for surgery, is all of the little patches with wires, they put on your chest, like having a ECG, and a blood pressure monitor on your arm as well, pumping away every so often, very sophiscated version, its doing the same job, montioring your breathing and heartbeat, and then if you listen you will hear bep bep bep in the background, also the air pumping in and out of the blood pressure machine, behind your head, just the sound from your heart, so everybody in the surgery can hear it.

Hi Vanessa!

I had THR in April and I had an epidural and sedation. Didn't remember anything from the time I left my family intil the time I woke up. I was even asleep when they did the epidural!

I was able to take my anti-anxiety medication before the surgery so that my nerves were calm. Ask your doc

Good luck to you!

They won't let you not breath. You have a while lot of people and a whole lot if equipment just for you, relax your body won't forget.

I'm so glad you posted about this. It is scary, and even though on one level we can recognise these sorts of fears as irrational, on another level it's something totally new. The first time I had surgery I was terrified of not waking up. It just doesn't seem natural.

But the anaesthetist will make sure you keep breathing. It's his job and it's not worth loosing his job over to not look after you properly. He, or she, has done this thousands of times. You can tell your body it's ok to trust this person. And hopefully your body can hear you.

And keep posting your fears. We really are here to help.

Kikeena

Vanessa - I completely understand your worries - it is my understanding sedation is safer than GA. But both are incredibly safe. Your doctor could put you forward for CBT or counselling so that you can talk through your fears - for you the best outcome will be for you to have the most support possible in the run up - to accept you will be scared ( I was the same) and trust that the doctors do this operation day in and day out all day, all over the world with brilliant results. You will be safe and in good hands, and you most of all you will be repaired.

Are you organised post op?

Dear Vanessa ,

I am sure the responses have soothed your nerves a bit - 

just allow your feelings to come to the surface and accept that this is what it is !!! no need to fight it or be harsh to yourself for having these feelings ... 

you will find that your body and mind will relax - 

All is well - you are doing great, sweet vanessa ...

big warm hug

renee

Ps I made the consultant promise that he would deliver me safely back to my children, and he looked me in the eye and promised me with so much conviction that I did actually feel much better. Tell your health team how you are feeling / they are trained to help you through it. It is only an hour the operation more or less and, you would have the same sedation for having wisdom teeth out and such like... If you look at it like that it might make you feel better ( it did help me a little) take care