What can I do to get past the anxiety before surgery?

I was scheduled to have a revision done on 8/30/00. I was in pre-op hooked to the iv, had everything ready to go and my Dr. came in and asked me to sign the consent form and at that moment I freaked out. I decided that I wasn't sure that I was ready to risk the complications. My best friend had a dream that I died in surgery, and I kept thinking about that and the fact that I don't want to leave my wonderful 6 year old son motherless - and I just wasn't comfortable with my decision right then, so I asked them to unhook my IV and I said that I would call and reschedule. I will be meeting with my doctor in a week, but how do I get past that anxiety? Those same feelings will come back again when I am in pre-op just waiting for my turn! Anyone have any suggestions or experiences they can share? I really don't think that I am scared of the actual surgery or the complications - I'm scared of what the pain will be like when I wake up. I would love to hear from anyone that can offer some insight on how they felt or what they did to get through those moments of "second thoughts".

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