Undergoing fibroid surgery? From January to March, I was exactly where you are. Scared. Confused. Asking why me.
Being a nurse didn't make it easier. I knew every step, every word the doctors would say. But knowing didn't touch the fear. I'd told my own patients a hundred times — it's not as scary as it seems, I'll be right there with you. This time I was the patient. I needed someone beside me. I needed me — and I couldn't be that for myself.
I researched for weeks. Doctors, other nurses — they all said what I already knew. Nobody addressed the fear itself. The voice at 2am asking what if I don't make it, getting louder every night.
Then I found what I actually needed — something that spoke to the fear directly, the way I'd always tried to for my own patients.
I'm able to tell you this because I lived it. — Nneoma Anna, RN