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View Full Version : Hi, new here and suffering from pre-surgery anxiety



Lily123q
10-12-12, 16:29
Hello,

I had a small cyst in my upper eyelid removed today - a small outpatient procedure which was nevertheless a cause of huge anxiety for me.

To describe myself, I am not shy in general, but rather fearsome regarding some aspects of life. I can live with most issues, I'm just not a brave person, but having anything surgical done to me really frightens me and causes me to panic.

I had this chalazion in my upper eyelid for half a year and kept putting off making an appointment as the thought of an injection in my eye area was too much. I finally went to my GP to have some medication prescribed and he gave me 2 tablets of 5mg Diazepam, one for the evening before and one before the surgery. It definitely helped me making my way to the hospital but as soon as I was sitting in the chair I felt how scared I was. I asked if it wasn't possible to get another tablet or something, but the nurse declined. I don't understand why they don't help alleviate people's anxiety in a hospital? So I went through with the procedure and it was just awful. I couldn't hold back the tears and had to take deep breaths not to loose control completely.

5mg Diazepam was clearly a joke but doctors seem very careful to prescribe medications like this. For good reasons of course as this stuff is highly addictive but I don't plan to take anti-anxiety tablets on a daily basis, just in such situations.

Sorry for going on and on, this might be a bit long for an introductory text, I just wanted to write what brought me here. :)
I will have something done on my eyes again, a laser eye surgery for which you need to be fully alert. The surgeon already gave me a tablet to take on the day, Bromazepam, but regarding my horrible experience of today, I wonder if it will be enough to calm me down. I'd just like to be in a bit of a knocked-out state where I don't care at all.

Does anyone of you have experiences like this? Is it possible to get higher doses or maybe more suitable medications for pre-surgery fears? Thanks a lot!

nomorepanic
10-12-12, 16:39
Hi Lily123q

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.