How can nurses reduce pre-operative anxiety?

As a nurse who has had 2 operations, one for impacted wisdom teeth and the other, emergency C section - I feel qualified to comment as a patient. The tooth op was pre-nursing and I recall being in a room on my own. I met another patient who was more scared than me so I spent most of the pre-op time talking to her and trying to ease her worries (the budding nurse in me!). I didn't get at all worried until it was time to go to theatre. When I arrived I suddenly had to pass urine which I did on the trolley in a bedpan. Although it was a long time ago, I don't remember anyone advising me about what the operation would entail. When I woke up after surgery I was in a lot of pain and dying of thirst so I got up and had a drink and promptly was sick. I was then given pethidine which worked a treat and I had a lovely sleep. Had I been told not to drink after surgery I would not have done so. Re the C Section. When I was being put through induced labour I don't recall being given much support either, even though it was obvious that I was going to need surgery. Perhaps the midwives thought that as I was a nurse I knew what was coming and didn't need any support or information. Having already spent many hours being induced, by the time I got to theatre I was physically a wreck. After delivery I recall someone trying to latch my baby on. This was after at least 24 hours without food or sleep. I had epidural, with 2 "top up". The first time I tried to use the toilet post surgery, 2 carers came in and knowing what was going to happen I said "stop" loudly, thanked then and said I would get up myself. I'm glad I had this experience because now I know how vulnerable people feel pre and post surgery. I was scared to walk! It felt as if my abdomen was going to fall down. I knew logically that it couldnt of course but I was still scared to walk from my room to the bathroom. The first time I had a bath, I was not offered any help and being me I didn't think to ask. When I first woke up my baby wasn't there and I spent a few tearful mins walking up and down the corridor looking for her. A passing midwife spotted me and told me she had been put in the nursery while I slept. Once she was in my room, I had to ring the bell for someone to pick her up and hand her to me. As you can imagine, I hardly slept at all because she was crying constantly for her milk, or so it seemed at the time... I wasn't prepared for any of this. I am not knocking the midwives, I could see how busy they were and being a nurse I knew that if they had had the time they would have spent more of it with me.

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