Worried about having a general anaesthetic

Frith

I'm off to the Royal Orthopaedic hospital again to talk about having my arm mended. (Nasty break around which loads and loads of new bone formed so I can't move the lower part of my left arm).

I'm not worried about the resulting scars (one of 25cm, one of 10cm!) or the pain afterwards, it the general anaesthetic that is scaring me to death...

I had a really quick anaesthetic to take 4 teeth out so I could have braces years ago but I've never had a "proper one". I'm almost convincing myself I'm going to the one in a million who dies under anaesthetic.

Has anyone had one? Does anyone know the real risks in a healthy person in her young 30's?!

I would guess the op would take up to an hour :-(

L

Soubrette

From what you say you sound like an extremely low risk - I had my wisdom teeth taken out under general and before the operation I said 'goodbye just in case' to all my family and mentioned to the anaesthetist that I was an organ donor - I swear he rolled his eyes at me

I think worrying about it is natural though - good luck and let us know how it went afterwards

Sou

mandragora_2

Try not to worry - I know what you mean, because I was in a similar position two years ago, as I had never had a general anaesthetic, and I got myself quietly panicked about it, but felt silly telling anyone what was going through my mind.

It is really not at all frightening, and so different to getting teeth removed at the dentists years ago. Speak to the consultant and anaesthetist as you are prepared for surgery about your fears, I'm sure they will put your mind at rest. I ended up needing three ops in the end, over that two-year period, and I can honestly say that it was a gentle, pain free experience, as was the coming round afterwads. They will take great care of you, promise.

beccam

ACEY....what can I say??
The risks are very minimal, it is estimated that 1 in every 200,000 cases results in death, compare that with 1 in every 100,000 deaths being murder then it seems fairly safe!

I have had quite a few anaesthetics and a couple of things under sedation and they've all been fine, no side effects, nothing horrible. If anything some are quite pleasant.

It will depend on your surgery, your doctor and the anaesthetist as to what exactly happens but it ususally goes like this...

(for morning surgery)
Fast from 12midnight
Pre med given about 30mins before going to theatre (this will be something like diazepam or temazepam which will calm you and make you feel a bit sleepy)
You will wear a hospital gown and usually be wheeled to theatre in your bed.
You will be wheeled into the anesthetic room or directly into the theatre.
A nurse will 'hand over' to a theatre nurse, check your details, ask you a couple of questions.
The anesthetist will have seen you prior to the surgery to ask you about past history and any allergies.
They will put a venflon in your hand (this may be done earlier on the ward) to give you drugs and fluid through.

A couple of different ways of putting you to sleep but along the lines of...
A drug given into the venflon which will relax you more, then one to prevent sickness and then the proper anaesthetic (some go straight to the anaesthetic which is my preferred method!!:D)
You might feel it for a second before you go to sleep, it really is the weirdest thing ever as you suddenly go from feeling fully awake to remembering nothing until you are woken up in recovery room.

Nurses in recovery will waken you, by this time you will have the breathing tube etc already removed, you may have some oxygen still on and IV fluids running, you will have a blood pressure cuff on and probably a probe on your finger which measures oxygen levels, you'll hear beeps from machines.

If you are sore at all the nurses can give you more meds and don't be afraid to ask for them, the less pain you have at this stage the better. You might feel a little sick but more docs are aware of this and will have already given you anti sickness meds.

Once you are stable and more awake you get wheeled back to your ward for further observation and get some tea and toast!

HTH, any questions feel free to ask....I get the pleasure of seeing it from both sides as a nurse and a patient!!

ETA....I really hope thats not all too much information, I tend to work on the theory that the more you know and the more prepared you are then the less daunting it is.

jackieb

I've had several. I never worried about it apart from the time I was waiting for the orderly to come and take me to theatre. I was reading a magazine article on how many people die under anaesthetic. I don't recommend that (it's rare anyhow).

My daughter had brain surgery at 4 and 8 days old. My dad had his ear removed and he has fluid on his lungs. My mum had a mastectomy last year and she's had part of her lung removed to TB, so she was considered high risk. They all sailed through the anaesthetic. Please try not to worry as it's very, very rare for anything to happen, and as you've already had a general, chances are you're going to be just fine too.

I don't think they give pre-meds like they used to, but I think if you're very anxious you could possibly get it. It should calm you down beforehand.

bank_of_slate

Discuss your concerns with the Anaesthetist who will come to see you before the operation. It's perfectly normal to be nervous and the 'what ifs' but you need to put your worries into perspective.
Do the potential benefits of the procedure outweigh the risks involved, will it make a real difference to your quality of life?
...Linda xx

MoneySavingStudent_2

Try not to panick! Everyday loads of people go under anaesthetic and are fine

I personally am allergic to anaesthetic and i decided when i was 6 that i would have my ears pinned back. I was put under anaesthetic and woke up fine I was sick a couple of times after but i do recommend the jam on toast for breakfast x

Primrose

Let me reassure you. I've had several major operations under general anaesthetic and I'm still here although I can understand your natural anxiety. Just be sure to tell the anaesthetist before hand of any allergies, etc and you'll be fine. It's normally the waiting period immediately before the operation that's worse for most people! These doctors are highly trained and skilled in looking out for anything that might be unusual during the time you're "under" and the risk to a healthy young person is absolutely minimal.

amilotte

I completely understand your fear! I was exactly the same when I have had to have GA's (and still would be now) and I think the fear may possibly be worse than the actual procedures! Theatre staff are really good however, they are used to nervous people and do their best to reassure you. You need to be open with them and let them know you are nervous and I guess try and stay as calm as possible beforehand (easier said than sone I know!)

Its funny that MoneySavingStudent should bring up about having ears pinned back, I would really like to have my daughters done before she gets to an age where children may start to tease her but my fear of anaethetics is stopping me, I just know I would be a wreck if either children needed a GA.

beccam

amilotte wrote: »

I completely understand your fear! I was exactly the same when I have had to have GA's (and still would be now) and I think the fear may possibly be worse than the actual procedures! Theatre staff are really good however, they are used to nervous people and do their best to reassure you. You need to be open with them and let them know you are nervous and I guess try and stay as calm as possible beforehand (easier said than sone I know!)

Its funny that MoneySavingStudent should bring up about having ears pinned back, I would really like to have my daughters done before she gets to an age where children may start to tease her but my fear of anaethetics is stopping me, I just know I would be a wreck if either children needed a GA.

Hate to say it but it's definately worse when it's your child and not yourself!!:o
I've had enough ops to be OK with it and was never particularly nervous anyway but my DD had to have a (very minor) op in April and I was pretty emotional!!
Wouldn't have been so bad if they just took her away and did it without me seeing but I had to hold her while they put her out and it was horrible!
Saying that it might depend on the age of the child as to how they knock them out and what exactly you have to do. I just had to keep thinking of the benefits and have to say it was all worth it when she woke up and could hear every word and has had no more infections since.:D

ETA, once it was over and she slept for a couple of hours she woke up asking for juice and to go play in the playroom and doesn't remember a thing other than having fun!

Frith

Thanks, everyone.

My oldest son had a GA when he had his adenoids out/grommets put in. He was fine afterwards (if thats any help to amilotte!) Once he was properly awake and had had a drink he was allowed home and you would never know he had been asleep.

The only bit that was upsetting was I went into theatre with him (was not expecting that) and he was put to sleep whilst sitting on my knee. Handing him over to the anaesthetist to be put on the table was the worst bit. However, the same man had been doing magic tricks a moment before (making cotton wool swabs disappear!) and that is the only thing my son can remember!

The pros do far outweigh the cons. Its my hand that I can't turn as the 2 arm bones are basically mangled and locked together. So I can't put my palm upwards (as though to have change from a shopkeeper) or palm downwards. I can't do handstands, play the violin or guitar any more, open things, use a can opener etc. I can use my whole arm to hold things against me (like to carry things) but thats about it.

L