Another fear of surgery...

[kford]

Take a deep breath! Maybe trying some meditation classes will help you cope with the upcoming surgery. I can also suggest talking with your surgeon about your anxiety. Of course just talking about it helps, so speaking out here is a great way to release some of that anxiety. Hang in there. There are people out there to help you.

[Sue]

Well, Phx, if you have NEVER  had any other surgeries, or hospital experience of any kind, then it's totally understandable that you are scared to death.  Since I've had an appendectomy, a hysterectomy, a removal of an infected gland (awake, day surgery) and various other doctor things, I probably wouldn't be as afraid as you are.  But, I did not have surgery to remove my AN, so I probably shouldn't comment here at all.  When I found out I was going to need a hysterectomy, I remember I was on the couch, shaking.  I sure didn't want to have to go through that.  But I did, and I got through it fine.  Not that same thing, I know, but it was major surgery and I was in the hospital for 4 or 5 days.

Risks are there every day in our life.  And like Steve said, your chances of an automobile accident is greater than anything happening in the OR.  You have to "let go" and just trust these people at some point.  It's not going to be a walk in the park, but believe me, there are nurses at that hospital who are going to be taking care of you and making sure you will be as comfortable as possible.  Most people that have reported on here, say that the first night is kind of tough, but then it just gets better and better each day.  You need to think on the positive side and embrace the fact that this can be fixed and that you will regain your life after that.  The only other course of action, is to consider radiation instead of surgery.  Is that possible for you?  I can't remember if that's been brought up in your posts or not.

Please, find your inner peace.  It's going to be okay.

Sue in Vancouver, USA

[ombrerose4]

Even though I was scared about the surgery, I never thought that I wouldn't make it through  it. I knew my children (24 and 20 years) still needed their mommy and I had this wonderful man, who is now my husband, at my side. (It took me 30 years to find the right man, and I wasn't letting him go so easily,lol).  I had complete faith in my doctors and knew I had much more to contribute to this life. So like others have said, take a deep breath, go for some peaceful walks, write down your fears on paper- you might find it frees your mind, talk to us, talk to your family, maybe check out another surgeon to see if that changes your comfort level. It's okay to question your doctors and if they make you feel that it's not, then they may not be the right doctors for you. It's okay to put a hold on surgery while you figure everything out, and remember we are here for you.

[phx]

No...my doctors said radiation isn't really an option. My tumor's 4 cm. I'm really afraid, but I also know that I need to do this. I want to thank everyone for their posts because they've all helped me a lot.

[leapyrtwins]

phx -

your doctors are part of the general concensus when it comes to radiation.

The number of doctors who will radiate an acoustic neuroma greater than 3 cms are few and far between.

I'm glad the posts on the Forum are helpful to you.  As I've said before, you will get through this.

Have faith.

Jan

[epc1970]

Phx
Jan is totally right-you WILL get thru this. When I was in your shoes I was terrified and could not conceive of how I was going to be ok. But I am ok and you will be as well. Keep telling yourself that over and over and soon you will be on the other side of all of this and it will not seem nearly as scary as you made it out to be in your mind. Are your Drs planning on trying to remove the whole tumor or debulk it and do radiation if necessary? I know with bigger tumors like yours and mine, surgeons will sometimes just debulk the tumor and then follow up with radiation in order the preserve the facial nerve.
Erin