I need some relaxation techniques!

[justjulia]

Ok, as you know, I am going in for a much anticipated plastic surgery appointment tomorrow. I am on a mission to have my 2nd and 3rd set of pierced holes in my earlobes closed. I initially pierced my ears with my dad when I was 16 (he took me to get it done). Then, in my early 20''s I was out at Venice Beach and saw this woman with rings up her lobes and thought "COOL." Upon return home, I promptly got a second and third set pierced and wore little gold hoops in them. I even went so far as to pierce a fourth hole in one lobe. Oh my goodness. It provided years of entertainment--searching down swanky earrings to fit the look, sparklies, amber, different colors, graduated shapes and sizes, you name it. The love affair ended when I kept losing them bc I had to take them out to sleep-too pokey. That, plus I got a little older and now I am going for the swept up Victorian hair/classic look. I''m not that old by any stretch of the imagination (or any other body part, lol), but it just is another phase I''m going through. I finally got the earrings I want to live in (2.35 diamond studs) and am enjoying the relative low maintenance-also enjoyed handing down my other earrings to my daughter, who loves the variety and eclectic taste of her mother...

So, that said, I''m starting to freak out about tomorrow. I picture myself lying there, working up a sweat and maybe even throwing up!!

What can I invision or say to myself to keep myself cool and collected?

Do you have any tricks you know? I know it''s ridiculous, and the dr is only going to do one little hole tomorrow-to see if we like the result-before scheduling the rest..but the procedure he said will take 45 minutes!!! One little hole!! 45 minutes!!! I''m shaking now as I think about it. I can handle shots fine, needles fine, but I guess it''s the whole "what is he going to do" thing that has me really nauseaus.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Good luck with your surgery. This works for a lot of people: Inhale to the count of 4, hold your breath for 4 seconds, then exhale to the count of 4.

 

[ephemery1]

I''m not sure what the procedure entails, but could you ask your doctor to explain it to you ahead of time so you''re not wondering the whole time "oh no, what''s coming next??" And maybe it will help to keep reminding yourself it is just the outside of your ear... not your brain, not your heart... just a little bit of skin on the surface of an appendage that you''ve already had "surgery" on (aka piercings) a million times before.

My friend had intensive surgery on her elbow when she was in high school... but only local anesthesia... so she was awake and aware the whole time!! She said the absolute worst part was that she could hear them cutting... everything else was a breeze. So fortunately since yours won''t involve any large scalpels or major tendons/tissues, you won''t have to contend with that!! Just keep things in perspective and hopefully you''ll do great.

Good luck!

 

[justjulia]

Date: 7/24/2006 9:38:18 AM
Author: ephemery1
I''m not sure what the procedure entails, but could you ask your doctor to explain it to you ahead of time so you''re not wondering the whole time ''oh no, what''s coming next??'' And maybe it will help to keep reminding yourself it is just the outside of your ear... not your brain, not your heart... just a little bit of skin on the surface of an appendage that you''ve already had ''surgery'' on (aka piercings) a million times before.

My friend had intensive surgery on her elbow when she was in high school... but only local anesthesia... so she was awake and aware the whole time!! She said the absolute worst part was that she could hear them cutting... everything else was a breeze. So fortunately since yours won''t involve any large scalpels or major tendons/tissues, you won''t have to contend with that!! Just keep things in perspective and hopefully you''ll do great.

Good luck!

True true-perspective is everything.
I wonder how people feel who get nose operations where they hear what''s going on. I can''t imagine.