Only a few days until surgery! I am both excited and anxious. Excited to be getting rid of the arthritic knee and the debilitating pain I live with daily. Excited at the prospect of getting my quality of life back. Excited I will eventually be able to travel home again to see my family.
Ok, this IS happening! Anxious about everything I still have to get done before Wednesday. To be honest, I am anxious about my pain after surgery. I know the pain is going to be severe. It's bad now, but it's going to get worse before it gets better. I am limited to pain medication choices as I am allergic to opiates. I am anxious about same day surgery; however, I understand the reasoning of hospitals having a higher risks of germs leading to higher risk of infection. I am anxious of the unknown. I wish they didnt need to tell me everything that "could"
go wrong.
Tomorrow, my husband and I, are attending a total joint replacement class at the surgery center. I also attended one before my ACDF surgery. In this class (for you and your support person/coach) they go over:
the procedure,
what to expect for recovery,
how to prepare your home,
durable medical equipment,
how long hospital stay if inpatient or how long you will expect to be at surgery center outpatient,
resources available to you,
Q & A
This will be great for my husband as he was not able to attend the previous ACDF class. It will be a refresher/review for me. All this information is in the surgery packet they gave me on April 4th. Plus, I have found some wonderful advice and instructions/guidelines here on BoneSmart.
I don't know how to not be anxious. I don't want to be anxious. The closer the date, the deeper the feeling becomes. I, 100% want this surgery. I, 100% need this surgery. I, am 100% ready for this surgery. Why am I having the anxiety?