Creatures Caves

I just need some people to chat to about this really.

It's just dawned on me that I'm going into hospital for my surgery in 9 days time - I'm having the hamstring and tendon in my left leg lengthened. $:\$ Even though it's only an hour long operation and the maximum length of my stay will only be a week, I'm starting to feel really nervous and uncomfortable about it. I've had operations before, ones more major than this piddly little one, but it's not the actual surgery itself that's bothering me. It's two things really:

The anaesthetic. I'll be having a general anaesthetic and it's very unfortunate that those always make me vomit like a trooper.

Vomiting doesn't phase some people, but I suffer from Emetophobia, an irrational fear of vomit and vomiting. I won't into detail, I don't want to, but let's just say I find vomiting to be a more than unpleasant experience. The fear terrifies and gnaws away at me, and it's the LAST thing I want to do. I spoke to a member of the nursing staff on my ward, and she said that they can give pre-meds and anti-emetics (anti-sickness medicine) to stop it happening, but I recall having those before and it still not working. This prospect terrifies me the most.

The hospital stay at night. The hospital I'll be at is in London, a good 2 to 3 hours drive from where I live. I've never stayed in hospital by myself before. With my previous operations, my Mum was able to stay me, on a mattress beside my bed, but because I'm considered to be an adult now, they've put me in an adult ward and no overnight stays are allowed whatsoever. My parents will be staying in a hotel in London somewhere, and will be able to visit me during the day - from 2 pm til 8pm. I know I'm old enough and ugly enough to stay in hospital without my parents, but staying in hospital can be a nerve-racking experience at the best of times, even when you do have your parents with you. I keep thinking about it over and over in my head. The thought of saying goodbye to my parents on the night before my operation, and lying there for ages, not being able to sleep on those crappy, very uncomfortable NHS beds, in the dark, and just being alone with my worries about what's to come the next day. And after the operation, what if I feel really unwell in the night and my parents aren't there? I know they'll be nurses, but it's not the same. You want someone familar to comfort you. I think the vomit phobia plays a huge part in this too - what if I'm sick in the night? I'll have some books, my portable DVD player with headphones, and some DVDs with me, but I don't know how long those will keep me occupied, and sometimes, you're just not in the mood for doing those things.

Sorry, I didn't mean for this post to be so long, if you've read this far, thanks. If anybody has any advice or suggestions on how to get through this, I'd be so grateful.