Wow! This thread truly demonstrates how wonderful this group of heart buddies is. Peter reminds me of an astronaut and all these other people are working with/for him to prepare him for launch!
It's hard to add much to what everyone else has contributed here, but for me, the most important thing pre-surgery is taking time, freeing up time, for the preparation. I succeeded at that to some degree, but wish I would have had more.
Of course, extra time can also be a problem if one has trouble focusing and keeping busy with the preparations. So, I think for some people, it may be better to just continue to be absorbed with the regular affairs of life.
However, knowing you a little bit now, Peter, I think you are the type of person who will certainly take very good and positive advantage of any time you have for preparation, so my advice is to free as much time up for it as you can.
Also, just before surgery, I did begin to get cold feet. That is not normal for me, as I'm generally fearless and have done a lot of public speaking and have faced many other dangers, etc. in my life. I had no difficulty dealing with it, but deal with it I did have to do. So, that's something you might want to be ready to overcome, just in case you encounter it too.
Also, keep positive however you can, both before and after surgery. There are many causes for concern and worry, but don't let any of them get you down. Otherwise, that could become the biggest cause for concern.
Although not a psychiatrist, I am an administrator for psychiatrists and see a lot people with depression, etc. Although not prone to it myself, I must admit that, post-surgery, I did feel that I was vulnerable, especially when it seemed that the recovery was going really slow. And, in my case, my recovery was going really well so imagine the test someone must go through if their recovery is more problematic. So, even though you might not encounter depression or be overcome by fear, etc., these problems are not that uncommon and you should be prepared to recognize and deal with them effectively if they do occur.
Your surgery will be upon you before you know it and soon you will be over that mountain and on the other side to be welcomed by all your well-wishing heart buddies here. Prepare as best you can and then, blast-off!
