new here....again

[Guest guest]

Hi, I'm back after a year and a half. That's when my husband got his hip

replaced and we survived. Now he is getting the other one replaced and I

need help again. My husband told me that he suffered an anxiety attack

yesterday just thinking about going through that surgery again. He's

remembering all the pain he was in after the surgery and most especially he

remembers the special socks they put on his legs. They measured him for the

socks *before* the surgery, but after the surgery he swelled up big time and

the socks were excruciatingly tight, but the nurses kept insisting he keep

the socks on and they assured him they had measured him for the socks. He

says he is going to pack his pocket knife so he can cut them off. In recent

years he has been suffering from anxiety attacks. He has to take valium

before he goes to the dentist because he panics if he can't close his mouth

and swallow. He once had a closed MRI and became claustrophobic and tried

to get out of the machine. (Our insurance doesn't pay for open MRI's.) His

surgery is still a month away and I'm wondering if I am going to have to

deal with with more panic attacks as the date of the surgery gets closer. I

don't know what I'm going to do for him. I had a carpal tunnel release done

and I hope I never have to go through that again, so I can relate to his

anxiety. Any words of wisdom here?

Charlotte in Iowa

[Guest guest]

Please do have him seek his doctor's advice about the attacks. They

can be treated and from what you say, it sounds as if there are other

aspects of his life besides the portent of another THR surgery that

can trigger them. He does not have to live this way unless he

chooses to. There is probably little that you can do but his doctor

can help him.

>

> Hi, I'm back after a year and a half. That's when my husband got

his hip

> replaced and we survived. Now he is getting the other one replaced

and I

> need help again. My husband told me that he suffered an anxiety

attack

> yesterday just thinking about going through that surgery again.

He's

> remembering all the pain he was in after the surgery and most

especially he

> remembers the special socks they put on his legs. They measured

him for the

> socks *before* the surgery, but after the surgery he swelled up big

time and

> the socks were excruciatingly tight, but the nurses kept insisting

he keep

> the socks on and they assured him they had measured him for the

socks. He

> says he is going to pack his pocket knife so he can cut them off.

In recent

> years he has been suffering from anxiety attacks. He has to take

valium

> before he goes to the dentist because he panics if he can't close

his mouth

> and swallow. He once had a closed MRI and became claustrophobic

and tried

> to get out of the machine. (Our insurance doesn't pay for open

MRI's.) His

> surgery is still a month away and I'm wondering if I am going to

have to

> deal with with more panic attacks as the date of the surgery gets

closer. I

> don't know what I'm going to do for him. I had a carpal tunnel

release done

> and I hope I never have to go through that again, so I can relate

to his

> anxiety. Any words of wisdom here?

>

> Charlotte in Iowa

>