Worried about surgery and anesthesia?
Hi, I'm having shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in two days. I will be put under general anesthesia. I've never had surgery before, so of course I'm a little worried. I'm mainly nervous about being put to sleep. I've heard of anesthesia awareness where the patient wakes up during surgery, but isn't able to tell the doctors. How common is this? Will I wake up? What's it like to be put to sleep? Can you "feel" yourself falling asleep? My surgery is an out-patient procedure. If anyone wanted to tell me what happens from the time I get there to the time I leave, that would help. Thank you so much, and sorry for all the questions. I've just never experienced this and am nervous. I appreciate the help!
Valium before surgery (surgery anxiety)?
They usually give you something before they take you in to the OR to help relax you before giving you the general. I just had knee surgery on Thursday. If you never taken Valium before it should relax you and make you a little tired. If you are super nervous when you get there tell your anesthesiologist and he may be able to give you something earlier.I have big surgery anxiety, so I know how you feel.
Patients under-going general anesthesia for surgery recieve a curare-like drug.?
Yes, we do give drugs similar to curare (we used to use actual curare, d-tubocurarine, but it's no longer available). We call them neuromuscular blocking drugs, because they interrupt transmission between the nerves and muscles. Respiratory muscles are paralyzed - they don't work at all, and they are among the easiest to paralyze. To keep people alive, we breathe for them, usually with the aid of an endotracheal tube and a ventilator.
Is general anesthesia mandatory for lip surgery?
It depends on whether it's something small that can be numbed with a local anesthetic and will be a very short case, or not. It also depends upon the demeanor of the patient — performing an awake anesthetic and surgery on an anxious patient is a recipe for disaster.From the implied severity of "lip surgery" I'm going to assume this is not removing a small lesion. Therefore, my answer would be "no" — I would do a general anesthetic with an endotracheal tube or similar airway device (LMA), depending upon the patient, the surgeon, and the procedure.Medical disclaimer: since Quora won't allow me to create a medical disclaimer because I am not a doctor or a medical student (???), I'll make my own:I am not a doctor. You are not my patient. If you require medical advice or treatment, go to your doctor.
I'm scared to go under anesthesia?
I'm 15 years old and I'm getting my nose done in the summer time because there's a bump in it. I'm not really scared about the surgery, im just scared to go under anesthesia because of the whole "anesthesia awareness" thing, when your paralyzed but your still awake. Is this likely to happen to me? im so scared!
What does being under general anesthesia feel like?
There’s no feeling to it really.. you just lose consciousness in a blink of an eye, LOL. You don’t form memory nor notice any time passing while under. You only remember the last moment before you were sedated, and the moment when you wake up. Nothing in between. I remember when the specialist administered the anaesthetic drugs through the tube on my hand.. I felt a really cold sensation travelling from my wrist to my arm, very quickly spreading up my body. Although, I’ve only had this once so I’m not sure if it was just the type of drugs I was given that gave me this sensation.. I didn’t feel sleepy I just felt my eyelids were super heavy. So I thought to myself ok I won’t doze off I’ll just close my eyes. Next thing I remember was hearing chatter noise around me and an oxygen mask on my face. I couldn’t understand what people were saying but I thought to myself..I need to let them know I’m still conscious and that they should not perform the operation on me just yet. I tried to say something but ended up only moving my head and arms around. Then a nurse said ‘Honey, it’s all over’. I wanted to say ‘Are you sure??’ but it ended up only a thought in my head. I was slightly drowsy but very sleepy afterwards though, which was very nice because there’s nothing better than a good sleep after an operation.
I have anxiety and panic attacks. Upcoming day surgery with iv sedation is planned. What happens if I have a panic hyperventilation attack during the surgery? What will surgeon and anesthetist do?
Make sure you tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist about your concerns, because it is always good to make sure they are aware of any potential complications. However you are not likely to have any problems. The drugs used in anesthesia, especially in regards to sedation, are the same drugs used for anxiety - just in a much higher dose and mixed with other medications. I have several friends with severe anxiety disorders who have gone through both types of anesthesia (general and conscious/sedation) with no problems at all. And if they know you have issues with anxiety, they will give you something to help you stay calm right away instead of when you get into the operating room -just to help prevent any issues.
How can I calm my nerves before going under general anesthesia?
The most important thing to do to “calm your nerves” prior to going under general anesthesia, or any anesthesia for that matter, is to talk with an anesthesiologist, preferably your anesthesiologist, prior to your procedure. The day or night before is optimal as opposed to minutes before your procedure. Studies have shown that patients feel most comfortable when this is done as opposed to just taking only an anti-anxiety medication thought both the medication and the visit or telephone conversation is found to be most helpful. The conversation to alleviate the fear of the unknown is usually sufficient to “calm your nerves”. Many of use make an effort to call our patients the day before for a number of reasons including “calming their nerves”. In addition, we obtain important information pertaining to your health issues that have a bearing on providing the most comfortable and safe anesthetic.
How does anesthesia feel like?
i'm going under general anesthesia tomorrow for a tooth surgery. kind of anxious, what does general anesthesia feel like? i'm healthy and don't smoke, but still worried as this is my first time. plus being on the operation table makes it even scarier. experiences? thanks
How can I not be scared of general anesthesia?
This is such a great question. And this anxiety is very normal, especially when facing general anesthesia for the first time. The folks who help you prepare for surgery often miss the small reassurances that could really help.I had never had any kind of anesthesia or sedation (which is a similar experience) until I was 35 and needed to have an internal polyp removed.It was a short and simple procedure but I was terrified of the experience of being under anesthesia. TERRIFIED! And the closer it got to the actual surgery, the more afraid I got. I thought … what will it feel like? What if I wake up during the surgery? What if I die? It felt like danger was drawing closer and closer and I was running out of time to save myself. What should I do?“You don’t have to DO anything,” my good friend Paul told me when I confided my fears. “I enjoy anesthesia for exactly that reason. Because you can just rest and let other people take care of you.”This helped a lot. Whenever I felt the anxiety rise up again, I would just repeat those words to myself “You don’t have to DO anything. Just let them take care of you.”When I was actually at the hospital and the staff came to prep me, they gave me what they called “I don’t care” medicine. That took the rest of the anxiety away completely. I didn’t mind the idea of anesthesia at all anymore. I felt happy and curious.Since that first surgery, I’ve had another one, much larger and longer (8 hours), and those words got me through it again. “You don’t have to DO anything. Just rest and let other people take care of you.”The anxiety over anesthesia is similar to the anxiety over flying or any other event where your safety depends on someone else (like a doctor or pilot). You feel like proceeding (going ahead with the surgery or getting on the airplane) places your fate in someone else’s hands. You are giving up control. That’s tough to do, especially if you’re like me. I like to do most things for myself. But it’s good to let other people take care of you, especially in such situations where they are clearly more expert than you, such as surgery and air travel.You don’t have to DO anything. Just rest and let other people take care of you.