The word 'hospital' conjures up fear in many people. Why? Most likely because a hospital houses the sick and the near dead and it is where millions end up dying. No one wants to imagine themselves in that situation. But hospitals arent just for the dying.

There are plenty of other reasons one might be in a hospital. Surgery is the main one. Again, ask 10 people how they feel about routine surgery and most likely 9 out of 10 will be fearful. Getting tests done is another reason for visiting a hospital. X-rays, CT scans, MRI's, etc. No big deal.

Im writing this to tell you about my own personal experiences with surgery and hospital stays. Hopefully after you read this, some of your fears will be alleviated. Im still alive. :)

The first time I was ever in a hospital was when my son was born. I was 19. This was a normal "have a baby" visit. Everything went perfectly fine.

The next time was when my daughter was born, 4 years later. Again, everything went according to plan.

About a year later I decided to have my tubes tied. I went in early in the morning and went home a few hours later. I was in a ton of pain when I woke up from the anesthesia but I was ok.

A few years later, I went to the doctor for stomach pain. It was determined by ultrasound and other tests that I had some larger than normal cysts on my ovaries. I went in for surgery to have them removed. They hooked me up to an IV, put me to sleep, did their thing and I went home an hour after I woke up, feeling perfectly normal.

A couple years down the road, more stomach pain. Went in for an exploratory laproscopic surgery. A laproscopic surgery is when they make a few small cuts on the abdomen (in my case) and go in with a tiny camera to look around and see what the problem is. Minimal pain and discomfort unless they use the gas to inflate the stomach. The painful thing about this is afterward when the gas is trying to escape your body. This isnt like the gas youre probably imagining. It doesnt always come out where gas normally would. It goes up into the ribs and shoulders and causes a lot of pain. Ive had this with all of my surgeries. Sometimes though, they add a little something to your IV to counteract the ill effects of the gas. This works well. I didnt even know they "blew me up" until I asked afterward. No pain this way.

My next surgery was an emergency appendectomy. I went into the ER with, guess, yep, more stomach pain. They admitted me within an hour and the next day I had my appendix removed. This surgery was also laproscopic, as all of mine have been and only required 3 small incisions. The pain when I woke up however was pretty bad. They ended up giving me an IV drip of a strong painkiller so I was getting medicine all day and night long. I stayed a total of 3 or 4 days then went home. I was down for about a month from this one and also in a lot of pain the whole time.

My last and biggest surgery happened after being treated for more than a year for ovarian cysts, endometriosis and lower stomach pain. In March of 07, I had a full hysterectomy. I trusted my doctor completely and we had a great relationship. I went into the hospital in the morning and in for surgery a few hours later. This wasnt the old style hysterectomy that your mom had, this was only 2 small cuts and everything is gone. Still a lot of pain after and I stayed about 4 days.

Obviously, in an ideal world you would never need to be hospitalized or have surgery, but it is a fact of life. Ive always gone into these surgeries with an open mind and not a fear in sight. Id say the worst thing about having surgery and having to remain in the care of the hospital for days after is that you always get one really b*tchy nurse. One that thinks she is too good for her job title and doesnt have time to do anything for you at a time when youre almost completely helpless. This gets frustrating. What I did the last time I was hospitalized when I encountered this nurse was to pretend she didnt exist. I never pushed my call button when she was on duty and when she came into my room I ignored her. She finally got the hint after Id been there for 6 days and started treating me with some respect. You DONT have to put up with this nurse, you can ask for another one.

If youre afraid of needles as I used to be, well, its time to get over that fear. I used to tense up at the mention of getting a shot or blood drawn, forget about the IV! Now Ive been poked so many times that I know just which veins like the needle and which ones absolutely hate it. I tell the nurse where to stick me for the best results. If you watch them do it, youll get over the fear soon enough.

So, surgery isnt that bad. It's afterward that I find to be the most unpleasant. If youre the type of person that cant stand hospitals and starts sweating when they tell you you must have surgery, relax. Think about why youre actually freaked. Its most likely something that is ingrained. You can overcome this with practice. Especially when you know there really isnt much to be afraid of.