Any Last-Minute Advice for Me?

[HoneyBee]

Well, the day has finally come. Tomorrow, early in the morning, I will have all four of my wisdom teeth extracted. For this surgery, they will be knocking me out and yeah... I'm kind of excited yet kind of frightened at the same time. I'll explain that below, but first, here are the things that I have done to prepare for the surgery:

• I've bought lots of foods to have afterwards like yogurt, applesauce, cream of wheat, and ice cream.
• I've bought extra gauze, just in case I need it
• I filled the prescription for my painkiller medication (ibuprofen) and an antibiotic (amoxicillin), both of which were prescribed by the dentist
• I payed the dental office in advance for the anesthesia that they'll be using on me
• I have someone taking me to and from the dental office tomorrow
• I'm going to stop eating and drinking 8 hours prior to the surgery, as the instructions the gave me told me to do (I still have an hour and a half left to do that)
• I plan on signing out of social media before the surgery and turning off my phone so I don't make an idiot out of myself online immediately after the surgery, lol

Is there anything else any of you can think of that I should do before the surgery tomorrow, besides say an extra prayer that everything goes well and that the dentist doesn't mess up and cause me permanent damage?

Also, I need some additional advice/comfort. Ever since I was a teenager and knew that they'd likely be putting me under for my wisdom tooth surgery, I've been deathly afraid of having the procedure done, ever. It's not so much the pain that I've been afraid of; it's the part where I'm being put under that scares me. The conscious sensation of me losing consciousness (and control of my own consciousness) is absolutely terrifying. I've always been afraid of that because, when you are knocked out like that, anyone can do anything to you, and you have absolutely no capacity to defend yourself. Not only that, but once you wake up, you might be capable of doing things that are socially unacceptable or blurting out secrets! Being that I've been having clean thoughts and behaviors lately and have pretty much gotten over my fear of someone hurting me while I'm knocked out, those things aren't what's scaring me right now. No, actually, my fear right now is basically that they're going to do one of two things:

1. They are going to give me too much sleepy gas and I will never wake up from the surgery.
2. I will wake up during the surgery and feel everything, including the buildup of saliva in my mouth (which will kind of choke me) and the pressure in my mouth as they take out my teeth.

The second one isn't much of a fear for me, but the first one is especially scary. I don't like ANYTHING other than oxygen going into my lungs. What if it burns or damages my lungs or smells super funny?? What if it kills me?

Honestly, I'm going to try to keep it together before they put the mask on me to knock me out, but I imagine that I'll probably try holding my breath for as long as I can before they can knock me out and start breathing through my mouth. It wouldn't be me trying to be defiant exactly, it just might be more of a reflex... I'll be sure to tell them about my fears before they put the mask on so maybe I can hold someone's hand as they put me to sleep, but even still... is there anything helpful or comforting anyone can tell me about the sleepy gas to make me feel less afraid?

 

[devin553344]

You'll do fine. And then no more trouble with your teeth. It will all be over with. At least that's how it went for me. I had all 4 removed at the same time.

 

[ChristianGirl_96]

How was the surgery?

These are my top five suggestions for further surgeries:

Bring something to eat and do. I used to read magazines as I waited. Once the actual time came after DS was under I always took a walk around the hospital alone. It helped me pass the time.
Make sure that you trust the team. Get your questions answered. Stock up on supplies. The day before each operation I asked for offers of help and practical support as well as prayers.

 

[Lost4words]

My vet always knocks me out when working on my teeth.