HUGS
Bestest luck, Andy. Surgery is so fun - really! They put a mask over your face, you fall asleep, you wake up hours later, you barf in a plastic bin and pee in another plastic bin, then doze for a few hours.
Of course, this was when I was 4 and 6, so I might have odd or out of date memories. 
But the laughing gas was pretty fun, and after I breathed it in they told me (at 4 years old) to count back from a hundred, and I was like, “Sixteen? Twenty five?” and then I woke up and barfed. 
E-mail me if you want, sweetie. Keep me updated, I’m pulling for ya!! {{{{{andygirl}}}}}
((((andygirl))))
I’ve only had one “surgery,” and it was done in a doctor’s office, and that was just about a year ago. I’m 33, so I went for a very long time without having to have anything removed. I was petrified, especially because the surgery was in a (ahem) sensitive area. It hurt, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be, and I got over it pretty quickly.
Like everyone else says, tell the doctors & nurses how scared you are. They’re trained professionals–there’s got to be something they can do to help you.
Good luck, andygirl. Don’t be scared–I’ve had a few surgeries myself and nothing went wrong. Besides, all the painkillers they give you afterwards can be quite fun.
Hang in there, andygirl. Try to remember that things like this are never as bad as you’re afraid they’re going to be.
Have them give you some Valium ahead of time. It’s sort of creepy how effective it is at reducing anxiety- but you’re so chilled out that it doesn’t bother you.
Good stuff.
If your elbow hurts afterward, see if they can give you Demerol in your IV. Now THAT was worth the price of admission when I had surgery!
One more thing- if they give you a general, be prepared to be out of commission for a day or two afterward- they generally make you really sleepy & kind of disoriented for a while.
This UK site has basic info and a diagram on your procedure and may help to relieve some of your concerns. They’re just making your tunnel less tight.
http://www.pncl.co.uk/~belcher/ulnar.htm
ULNAR NERVE RELEASE
Introduction
The ulnar nerve provides sensation to the little and ring fingers and activates many of the small muscles in the hand. The nerve passes behind the elbow where it can be felt and is referred to as the “funny bone”. At the elbow, it runs through a tight tunnel (cubital tunnel).
In some people, this tunnel is too tight for the nerve. Mild pressure causes occasional “pins and needles”. Severe pressure causes the fingers to become numb and the muscles of the hand waste away which causes weakness and difficulty in straightening the fingers.
The nerve gradually withers if the condition is not treated. This causes permanent loss of sensation and wasting of hand muscles which cannot be relieved by surgery. Correction of this problem involves cutting the roof of this tunnel, to relieve the pressure within the tunnel.
Hang in there andygirl – it won’t be too bad. I’ve only had surgery once and I was pretty nervous about it too. But don’t worry, once the drugs kick in you won’t be worried about anything. And when it’s all over, you’ll wonder what the fuss was all about. And you’ll get great sympathy points. Make sure you cash them all in right away!
I don’t think I am radioactive, but will my hugs and kisses do?
----:)/ x x x
----///\\
Will you have to be put under completely for the surgery, or do you know this yet?
Just wanted to wish good luck to you, andygirl.
Thanks for the well wishes, everyone.
<hugs to all>
I really appreciate the links and stuff… now that I’ve done my reading, I feel much better abou tthe whole thing. I think that I’m going to be awake for it.
It won’t be for awhile yet, I know that much. We have to figure out if I should have it in New Hampshire or in Delaware, and there are difficulties involved with both.
Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts. I’ll let you guys know when I’m going to get it done.
<sends warm fuzzies out>
<hijack>
I’m with you, obfusciatrist. About 20 years ago, I had a fibrous lump removed from my arm, just below the shoulder. It was done with a local, and the doc (a DO) positioned it so I couldn’t quite see it. But he and I had a fascinating talk about the history of Osteopathy, medicine in general, scuba, and other stuff I’ve forgotten.
</hijack>
Andygirl, hang in there, you’ll do fine. If it’s an outpatient procedure, arrange your bed/couch/recovery room ahead of time to put everything within easy reach. Commandeer a sibling’s room if it’s bigger or closer to the bathroom. If you’re to recover in the hospital, do what the nice doctors and nurses tell you, and sneak quietgirl in only a little, ok?
{{{Andygirl}}}
Good luck! {{andygirl}}
If it helps any…
I had open heart surgey 7 weeks ago today, which really sucks when you’re 19 years old and it’s Christmas and you cant drink like you used to for a while yet…
Anyway, if it’s any comfort, You wont feel a thing, if they have to knock you out for the surgery you wont care about a thing, and afterwards (give it a week or two) you’ll have trouble believeing how bad you felt before you’d had the work done and how good you feel now.
Good luck, (they let me listen to Paul Simon as they were knocking me out, maybe you can ask) and remember, they go to school for a looooong time before they’re given a knife.
Later,
Upham
Upham
Good Luck andygirl.
I have had a similar problem to what you describe which occured after I broke a bone in my elbow. I have not had the problem sorted yet, but I have had a test where they run a current through your arm to determine where the nerve is pinched.
On the other hand though, I have had lots of surgery for various things (medical conditions). It is not ad bad as you are fearing. I don’t mind being in hospitals at all. The only thing is when you are groggy afterwards, but you tend to sleep most of that off. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.
I just wanted to offer some moral support. I’m sure you will be fine.
TTFN
Rick
andygirl, I don’t have much to say that others have already said. They ARE right, the drugs do help(well, the Demerol I had just one time for kidney stones made me almost want the stones back, so I could have more of the stuff). Guinastasia was right on with her recommendation about silly videos. Any project that you have to concentrate hard on would be good to, because if you get deeply into a great book, hobby or whatever you tend to push away other things. Keep us posted.
andygirl, you are welcome to use my strategy. Just cry your eyes out until the drugs knock you out. That’s what I did. I was so scared. I was not really scared of the surgery itself, but just getting put under. When I woke up, it was as if no time had passed at all. In fact, I asked them what happened and how come I didn’t have the surgery. They showed me that I did. So basically I spent a couple weeks worrying about it for nothing… which you probably will as well and there is nothing we can say to stop that. Just want to give you a big hug though and tell you everything will be just fine- 'cause it will 
I hope it’s outpatient. I’ve had surgery three times, and the worst thing about it for the two times I had to stay there was the hospital food.
So, yer gittin’ yer elbow Roto-Rooted, huh? Bet you’ll feel better some time after they finish it.
Surgery is nothing big. You go in, you go to sleep, they fix the problem, you wake up, and then–or maybe a day later–you go home. Piece of cake; you could (and do) do it in your sleep.
Good luck andygirl! I’m sure it will go fine. And if you need silly movies to distract you, before or afterwards, I can recommend a considerable number of them.