Catastrophising

Based on own experience and what I’ve heard from other Autistics, I’d say that’s likely fairly common. I recently had a client with Autism who had a surgery coming up for a failed organ and what started as a bit of anxiety over the procedure snowballed into a massive downward spiral over a week, leading him to becoming imprisoned. I know that’s a pretty extreme example, but that’s at the front of my mind right now since it literally JUST happened days ago.

My advice is tell people that you trust how you feel. Make it clear that you want your fear validated, but also accept it when they offer realistic views of how it will probably actually turn out. I think validation is important; You’re not crazy, bad things do happen. However, after getting validation for that fear it is important for you to open up to what are the realistic expectations for this operation. If you don’t, well, I’ve just seen what happens when you deny reality or ask for help too late.

All that being said, I do hope that the procedure goes well for you.

Many thanks, profdanger. The thing is, it’s not just the operation itself, but if they keep me in overnight for observation, all the old fears of unpredictable noises will come back. I do have noise-cancelling headphones, and on my cellphone, I have a couple of masking apps I can use with Bluetooth earbuds, but you can’t really wear those all the time.I keep hoping they might release me later the same day, though it’s quite possible they won’t. I guess it’s the uncertainty that’s the hardest to handle. I might ask if it’s possible to recuperate in a quiet place, which feels a bit cheeky, but there’s no harm in asking - even if it won’t be completely noise-free.

Many thanks, profdanger. The thing is, it’s not just the operation itself, but if they keep me in overnight for observation, all the old fears of unpredictable noises will come back. I do have noise-cancelling headphones, and on my cellphone, I have a couple of masking apps I can use with Bluetooth earbuds, but you can’t really wear those all the time.I keep hoping they might release me later the same day, though it’s quite possible they won’t. I guess it’s the uncertainty that’s the hardest to handle. I might ask if it’s possible to recuperate in a quiet place, which feels a bit cheeky, but there’s no harm in asking - even if it won’t be completely noise-free.

Ah, I see! That makes a lot of sense. Fear of the unknown AND anticipation for discomfort are at play here, given this information. It sounds like you are doing the right thing: Instead of simply dreading the inevitable you are considering possibilities to ease the potential discomfort. I don’t think it is healthy to dread the upcoming hospital stay, but workshopping ideas for ways to mitigate what bothers you is brilliant.

Again, a close friend/family member could be useful for two reasons in this case:

1) Potentially thinking of more options similar to your idea of bringing noise-cancelling headphones or asking for a quiet space to recover.
2) Potential to advocate on your behalf to get you more comfort. Ex. Your idea of asking for a quiet recovery space may be even more attainable if you have an ally that can ask for that on your behalf.

Obviously I don’t know your home life or if you even have friends that live nearby (ex. I have plenty of family nearby, but zero friends that live in my area that I can count on). However, if you do happen to have a support system, use it!