Hi Ralph,
I too was so afraid of surgery. Except for an overnight in the hospital after early stage breast cancer surgery, I had never spent a night in the hospital either. But, I decided the only way that thing in my lung was going away was if I got to the hospital and did the surgery. It was terrifying to me too-it was everything I could do to put one foot in front of the other that morning walking into that place.
However, after the surgery they did a good job of managing my pain. And they got me up in the chair the second day. The third day they made me walk up and down the hallway. After the first walk, I realized that the quicker I got my strength back, the sooner I could go home. I walked all afternoon and evening that day. I guess it worked because I was sent home the next afternoon. Then, once home, I really recovered quickly.
It is scary, but take advantage of the opportunity to get that thing out while it's still small. After that, then you can get on with life-
Cindy