Feeling anxious

[countryman]

So went to the Docs this week and as suspected I have a Hernia on right side of my groin. I have not been hospitalised for around 30 years , for the first time in my life I am feeling very anxious about surgery, as my wife put it I am obsessed with checking the lump on my groin. My Doc told me I could wait up to 38 weeks on nhs to get done, I have now booked a private session for a consultant to examine me with the option of having it done in July, I know I am being stupid about something that should be an out patient procedure but I am not afraid to admit that this has got to me, apart from man up , any advice you can give me to get my head round this.

Thanks

 

 

[eggy74]

If you can afford it, do it. 38 weeks is a long time to risk it getting worse or strangling. get it done and in 38 weeks it will be a distant memory as you get on with normal life. 

[countryman]

1 minute ago, eggy74 said:

If you can afford it, do it. 38 weeks is a long time to risk it getting worse or strangling. get it done and in 38 weeks it will be a distant memory as you get on with normal life. 

That’s what I am thinking

[Old farrier]

You can’t put a price on your health

If you can afford it get it done as we all know it’s not going to get any better without surgery 

38 weeks is a long time especially if it’s cancelled at the end of it 

best of luck with your decision 👍

 

Now man up 😂

sorry couldn’t resist that 

[countryman]

3 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

You can’t put a price on your health

If you can afford it get it done as we all know it’s not going to get any better without surgery 

38 weeks is a long time especially if it’s cancelled at the end of it 

best of luck with your decision 👍

 

Now man up 😂

sorry couldn’t resist that 

Thanks, 😁 I caught a virus from my Grandson which left me with a hard cough for 3 weeks , end result a nice lump in my groin 

[Ferretlurcher1970]

Had it done thirty one years ago. Not a lot of fun , speaking to people who have done in recent years is a doddle . as a twenty year old lad remember agreeing to allow to trainee doctors to look pre op at what the op was going to do. Didn't warn me most were women. Not good. 

[Pushkin]

Had mine done about 15 years ago.  In and out same day just take it easy whilst it knits through the weave (I'm assuming it is being done with a mesh?  The stuff they give to knock you out is really very good with no after effects such as sore head etc.

All the best

Pushkin

[countryman]

Not sure yet what procedure it will be and till I see this consultant next week, I don’t know what the cost is yet, it’s £175 to see him for an assessment.

[JDog]

When I was a teenager one popped up in my groin. A visit to A and E saw me on a bed behind curtains being looked over by a twenty something lady nurse. With my pants down I felt very vulnerable whilst she inspected my groin with my nether regions in full view. With no warning she put both of her thumbs together and pushed at the hernia which went back in never to return.

[GingerCat]

27 minutes ago, JDog said:

When I was a teenager one popped up in my groin. A visit to A and E saw me on a bed behind curtains being looked over by a twenty something lady nurse. With my pants down I felt very vulnerable whilst she inspected my groin with my nether regions in full view. With no warning she put both of her thumbs together and pushed at the hernia which went back in never to return.

I bet that made your eyes water.

[bavarianbrit]

So you have to pay for the NHS even when you will not use it (insurance scheme?) and when you need it it is not available. Amazes me the praise that this service still gets. I pay 136 Euros per month here and if I have a problem I can choose my specialist then arrange to be seen ASAP and no waiting lists worth talking about.

[JohnfromUK]

13 hours ago, countryman said:

any advice you can give me to get my head round this.

I can't exactly give 'advice', but can relate a recent (last November) brush with health issues and health service.

I was hospitalised (via a referral by GP to A&E as an emergency - and A&E insisted I be kept in under observation) for 2 nights.  Once A&E had been navigated (with was not good - I was there for 11 hours on a chair in a corridor), I was admitted to a ward and on antibiotic drip for 3 days. 

I can only say that once properly in past A&E I had good service, was well looked after and found the staff very helpful.  Like you - I had not had a night in hospital for ages (last was circa 1970 for appendix), but (once in) all was actually quite relaxing and I was able to get better and get out quickly.  Even the food was perfectly passable.

I hope all goes as well for you.

[Scully]

I think anxiety for many may be an after effect of this pandemic, as there are people experiencing anxiety issues over menial matters which would never normally bother them. Not that I’m inferring your impending procedure is menial, but if you go online there are several self help methods of dealing with anxiety etc, one of them being ‘box breathing’. 
As for the procedure itself, you’ll be in the hands of professionals who simply have your best interests at heart. 
As an aside, a GP told me a few years ago that I have a groin hernia, which I was unaware of. 

[countryman]

2 minutes ago, Scully said:

I think anxiety for many may be an after effect of this pandemic, as there are people experiencing anxiety issues over menial matters which would never normally bother them. Not that I’m inferring your impending procedure is menial, but if you go online there are several self help methods of dealing with anxiety etc, one of them being ‘box breathing’. 
As for the procedure itself, you’ll be in the hands of professionals who simply have your best interests at heart. 
As an aside, a GP told me a few years ago that I have a groin hernia, which I was unaware of. 

Honestly I feel ashamed of my self with this anxiety, people are having life or death procedures and then there’s me with a lump in my groin, I need to give myself a good talking to.

[Scully]

8 minutes ago, countryman said:

Honestly I feel ashamed of my self with this anxiety, people are having life or death procedures and then there’s me with a lump in my groin, I need to give myself a good talking to.

There’s no need to feel ashamed, anyone can experience it for no known reason;  my OH became quite anxious about driving into town after never having driven anywhere for months. 
The thing with anxiety is we know it’s irrational, but that doesn’t help to quell it. 
Being a ticket holder doesn’t help either, as knowing that contacting your GP regarding anxiety issues can potentially risk your tickets, just adds to that anxiety. 🙂

The hospital staff will have dealt with this dozens and dozens of times, and it’s not a life threatening situation, just a run of the mill procedure. 

 

[Townie]

2 hours ago, JDog said:

When I was a teenager one popped up in my groin. A visit to A and E saw me on a bed behind curtains being looked over by a twenty something lady nurse. With my pants down I felt very vulnerable whilst she inspected my groin with my nether regions in full view. With no warning she put both of her thumbs together and pushed at the hernia which went back in never to return.

Probably just my insecurities, but I'd rather a lady nurse than a male one. 

[countryman]

7 minutes ago, Scully said:

There’s no need to feel ashamed, anyone can experience it for no known reason;  my OH became quite anxious about driving into town after never having driven anywhere for months. 
The thing with anxiety is we know it’s irrational, but that doesn’t help to quell it. 
Being a ticket holder doesn’t help either, as knowing that contacting your GP regarding anxiety issues can potentially risk your tickets, just adds to that anxiety. 🙂

The hospital staff will have dealt with this dozens and dozens of times, and it’s not a life threatening situation, just a run of the mill procedure. 

 

Yes, thanks I just need to get on with it when the time comes 

[JohnfromUK]

26 minutes ago, countryman said:

Honestly I feel ashamed of my self with this anxiety, people are having life or death procedures and then there’s me with a lump in my groin, I need to give myself a good talking to.

Don't feel ashamed, we all have a dread of hospitals - and for very understandable reasons; you get sent there when ill/have a problem, and they are big strange places - quite out of normal 'day to day' experience.  I get really worried in airports - and hospitals are a bit similar - lots of people and strange environment.

When I was 'in', they were very good at putting me at ease and looking after me so I got better.  So much better than an airport!

[GingerCat]

There's nothing to be anxious about really, I think its the medical equilivant of changing a lightbulb.  You'll be in and out pretty quick and right as rain shortly after. At least 3 lads at work have had it done, 4 thinking about it. They were all OK within a week and back to work. They were between 35 and 60 years old. The oldest needed it done for years but kept putting it off till he couldn't anymore and then berated himself afterwards for waiting so long. 

Take a decent book or similiar too while away the boredom of waiting and take your mind elsewhere. 

[countryman]

1 hour ago, GingerCat said:

There's nothing to be anxious about really, I think its the medical equilivant of changing a lightbulb.  You'll be in and out pretty quick and right as rain shortly after. At least 3 lads at work have had it done, 4 thinking about it. They were all OK within a week and back to work. They were between 35 and 60 years old. The oldest needed it done for years but kept putting it off till he couldn't anymore and then berated himself afterwards for waiting so long. 

Take a decent book or similiar too while away the boredom of waiting and take your mind elsewhere. 

Yes good idea, Thanks

[scobydog]

Fil is having it done on Monday morning , not worried at all . 

Just get it done, you'll be glad you did.

 

Atb scobydog. 

[marsh man]

3 hours ago, GingerCat said:

There's nothing to be anxious about really, I think its the medical equilivant of changing a lightbulb.  You'll be in and out pretty quick and right as rain shortly after. At least 3 lads at work have had it done, 4 thinking about it. They were all OK within a week and back to work. They were between 35 and 60 years old. The oldest needed it done for years but kept putting it off till he couldn't anymore and then berated himself afterwards for waiting so long. 

Take a decent book or similiar too while away the boredom of waiting and take your mind elsewhere. 

I was / am exactly the same as the gentleman you know who was 60 although I am coming up to 74 , for a few years it didn't bother me at all as I could still carry on with a fairly normal way of life , then this last year it started to give me a bit of stick with a lot of pain in the groan and the bottom of my stomach , I knew it was only going to get worse so I plucked up courage and went to see my doctor , straight away he said it was a hernia that needed repairing , a couple of days later I got a telephone call from our local hospital to answer some questions to save posting the form and possibly saving a bit of time , this was five or six weeks ago and last Monday I got a call to say I am due to go in on the 7th July , now with a certain amount of pain each day I can't wait.

If I have it done before countryman I would be more than happy to let him know how I coped and what it was like before and after .

[countryman]

53 minutes ago, marsh man said:

I was / am exactly the same as the gentleman you know who was 60 although I am coming up to 74 , for a few years it didn't bother me at all as I could still carry on with a fairly normal way of life , then this last year it started to give me a bit of stick with a lot of pain in the groan and the bottom of my stomach , I knew it was only going to get worse so I plucked up courage and went to see my doctor , straight away he said it was a hernia that needed repairing , a couple of days later I got a telephone call from our local hospital to answer some questions to save posting the form and possibly saving a bit of time , this was five or six weeks ago and last Monday I got a call to say I am due to go in on the 7th July , now with a certain amount of pain each day I can't wait.

If I have it done before countryman I would be more than happy to let him know how I coped and what it was like before and after .

Thank you , I will be longer than the 7th July, I have my consultation on Monday with the possibility of having it done mid July may be. 

[serrac]

Strangely enough my brother had this exact procedure done last week.  NHS - had waited about a year then got a cancellation.  Says all went well and the nurses and docs were first class.  He's going to be off normal duties at work for about six weeks though as his job is somewhat physical.

[handy4454]

Like a lot of others it was years ago, early 80's when last in hospital for burst appendix.                                     Fast forward to earlier this year I had a growth on my chest that had been looked at about three years ago by the GP, decided it was just cosmetic then but earlier this year I managed to catch it at work and tore part of it off, that caused a massive growth spurt, the lump tripled in size and gained depth in three months or so.                                                          Back to the GP who fast tracked me and it was removed last week at the day procedure unit in the Norfolk and Norwich, like the Op I was very apprehensive but everybody from reception onwards were first class, the procedure was thouroughly explained to me from the start and the whole job done in a couple of hours, hospitals are very different places these days. 

Atb Steve.