Afraid of Surgery or Anesthesia? You Can Cure Yourself of that Terrible Fear

The time I managed to deal with life in a manner befitting my adulthood

Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash

A friend recently published a story about their fear of anesthesia and surgical procedures. They said they felt like a coward. I am here to say they are not cowardly—they are human and normal. We are all anxious and intimidated when we face serious medical issues.

Here’s a little background on the topic: Fear of anesthesia is very, very common.  One study in 2016 found that 88% of patients experienced anxiety just thinking about anesthesia. Women are actually five times more likely to realize such a fear, but many men have the same issues. 

The most common fears: 1) I won't wake up. 2) What if I wake up in the middle of the procedure and can't get help? Though both situations do happen, you need to know that both are extraordinarily rare. The likelihood of dying under anesthesia is less than 1 in 100,000. 

I have had my share of big procedures this past year or two, so please let me share how I helped myself successfully prepare for these traumas, even though I have always had a lot of anxiety surrounding even a regular physical. Happily, I have found coping tools and here they are.

Action items — I personally did every one of these

I called the hospital and asked to talk to a surgical nurse. I explained my fear and asked her to tell me the hospital's statistics of how many people died under anesthesia. She told me she had worked there full-time for seven years and was not aware of a single one.

I confessed my anxious fear to my medical team and explained the impact on me. I asked them for advice.

I set up visits to a very skilled mental health therapist who trained in real hypnosis to augment therapy. For weeks before my surgeries, I visit with her, and we do some work to deal with the fear. She helps me understand the basis of these fears. She offers me exercises and ideas for dealing with my feelings. They are extremely common feelings.

I meditate every single day. On You Tube, I watch Michael Seeley meditations/self-hypnosis for pain, anxiety, and other issues related to this fear. His voice is soothing to me, and his videos help me enormously.

I watched this guy's videos—he is a practicing anesthesiologist who gives completely real and believable explanations and videos that would help any patient understand the entire process.

I ask my primary care team for a prescription for a mild anti-anxiety meds--a small amount (like six pills)—and I take the recommended amount the night before and morning of my procedure. I make sure the anesthesia team knows what I took and when.

I listen to recordings about pre-surgery or pre-anesthesia anxiety. There are some incredibly good ones. Find them on Google. Audible.com has some excellent ones, like Guided Meditations to Promote Successful Surgery by Belleruth Napastek. 

Decide what works for you

This all sounds like a lot, but for me, it was the perfect focus. I spent part of every day and evening completely involved in preparing myself. On the way to the OR on my cancer surgery day, my husband was a mess, but I was calm and ready. This protocol of mine has gotten me to and through eye-surgery, major cancer surgery, and an assortment of difficult exams and protocols. 

My brilliant oncologist told me part of my quick recovery last fall was due to my proactive commitment to confronting my anxiety and taking all these steps. He said my meds work better, my body heals faster, and my brain copes better because of the steps I take. My circulatory and other systems perform better during the surgery when my anxiety is under control.

If you're approaching a big medical thing, know that you aren't alone. You aren't causing this fear; your brain sets it up as a survival technique, but you can manage your responses. I make my management techniques a high priority and spend as much time as I need to gain focus and control.

That practice has helped me in my everyday life, too. Please take intentional steps to assist yourself and meet your own needs.

May you be well. May you make peace with your fears. May you be healthy. You can do this. Your feelings are normal. Keep walking a good path.

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