General anesthesia

socal78

socal78

Well-known member
I am putting this under Health as it pertains to surgery to keep one healthy.

For those who've had it done, what is it like being put under general anesthesia?

I've never had any surgery and am due this summer. I need to be peeled off the ceiling, first!  :-\

I am very scared of them knocking me out and playing Knick-Knack-Paddy-Whack with my insides.

I will be going to Hoag hospital. Not sure yet if it's the Irvine or Newport location.

Would love to hear from those who've been anesthetized.

 
I have gone under twice.  once for my wisdom teeth and another for an endoscopy.

Both times I would say it was pretty nice.  They told me to count backwards from 10 or whatever then all of a sudden I'm awake after the operation.  Its like that nice feeling where you fall asleep on a plane or a long car trip and you wake up (drowsy and tired) at your destination.

Also, apparently you wake up more than once after it but the doctor/nurse needs to tell someone else the instructions because you won't even remember talking or waking up or anything.

Then I was pretty drowsy and helpless for about 4-5 hours.  Wheelchaired out both times, then someone had to drive me home and I immediatley just reclined my seat.  Its nice to be a little numb otherwise you would be in even more pain probably.  With the wisdom teeth, I couldn't go back to sleep cause of the bleeding but I just went to sleep after the endoscopy.  Woke up a few hours later and was starving although head still felt a little weird.
 
I've been put under general anesthesia twice... both for knee surgeries.

To me, it's just like going to sleep... the only side effect was having to go number 1 really badly because of the IV fluids they pump in.

My wife has gone under general a few times, but she has it worse than me as the anesthesia makes her really nauseous so she's kind of out of it for the next day or so.

I can understand the trepidation though... you never know what can happen when your knocked out but that's why they have several people/machines monitoring you and a separate, dedicated anesthesiologist to take care of that stuff while the doctor/surgeon concentrates on what he/she has to do.
 
Four times already.. once when I was 9, once at 16, once at 30 and last year for wisdom tooth (this is usually in small doses). Mr.CZ was under anesthesia for 5 hrs because of a complication- he did just fine in the end - shows that the Dr. are usually well equipped to handle emergencies. I heard he developed breathing issues.

All the times, getting out of it was hard- nausea stayed on for 24 hrs. Getting anesthesia is the easy part :)
Anyway, like IHO said, you will be monitored continuously and there is an anesthesiologist in the room till the end of the surgery. You will talk weird. You will tell Mr.SoCal a lot of things on your subconscious mind :p In short, it's like 12 Tequila shots and prescription medicine together- you will have almost no memory of what happened, but those around you won't forget!

Good luck! Come back and update us how it went, and if you need anything, I am just a call away. I can take care of the boys when you are in recovery- it's usually the recovery that's hard for me than the actual surgery..
 
Cubic Zirconia said:
You will talk weird. You will tell Mr.SoCal a lot of things on your subconscious mind :p In short, it's like 12 Tequila shots and prescription medicine together- you will have almost no memory of what happened, but those around you won't forget!
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Woah!! THANK YOU for the warning! Tequila happens to be my favorite. When I've had too much, I'm one of those sentimental drunks. I tell everybody around me I love them & how much they mean to me while getting all choked up. LOL. Anytime I've had too much, I ring up Mr.SoCal and profess my undying deep love & eternal devotion. That's when he becomes suspicious and starts searching for empty bottles while replying he loves me the same.  :) Hopefully this will only yield an identical predictable result! The truth serum will get no skeletons in the closet out of me!... save for a few new pair of shoes he doesn't know about and doesn't need to know about, either.  ;)
 
IrvineRealtor said:
Why are you having surgery? Inquiring minds need to know these things...
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I'm not quite ready to say why. Nobody in my "real life" knows about this except for the mister, and I may not ever tell them. Thank you for asking, though.
 
SoCal78 said:
IrvineRealtor said:
Why are you having surgery? Inquiring minds need to know these things...
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I'm not quite ready to say why. Nobody in my "real life" knows about this except for the mister, and I may not ever tell them. Thank you for asking, though.
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(I hope it's nothing serious)

Inigo Montoya - "I must know."
The Dread Pirate Roberts - "Get used to disappointment."
Inigo Montoya - "O.K."

I suppose we'll be left to speculate...
I'll start:
1. Kidney donation to one of Musick's finest.
2. ?
 
Me: "My name is Soylent Green, and I am a weenie."

Everyone: " Hi Soylent"

Me: "It's been 16 months since I last was put under....."

Frankly, I prefer anesthesia whenever possible. Really. My pain tolerance is probably a negative number. With anesthesia there are zero side effects for me, although I recognize it can happen. Because I'm a bit.... husky... they usually 1.5 times me the dose mere mortals get. The last time was something. I'm in a gurney, they jack the juice into my arm. I blink once. I blink twice and 2 hours later I wake up as if it was a third blink.

You shouldn't get nauseated, although some do. You probably won't hallucinate, few do.  Soylent Red's mother was a recovery room nurse at Hoag. They are key to bringing you up out of the ether and back into reality. You're going to be in good hands.

My .02c
 
I had to go under for a colonoscopy.  Overall, it was a very comfortable experience.  I remember talking to the nurse and then I woke up in the recovery room.  I had someone drive me home.  I then slept for a few hours in the afternoon and was fine.  They told me not to drive for 24 hours.  If there's an anaesthesiologist involved, give him/her a call and ask any questions you have.

If you like, let us know when you get closer to the date so we can send our prayers/good thoughts to you.
 
elgringo said:
If you like, let us know when you get closer to the date so we can send our prayers/good thoughts to you.
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Thank you!! The power of prayer is always appreciated. I will post the day before and post when I'm in recovery. Wait. Maybe recovery is not a bright idea, from the things CZ tells me.  :D I go on the 26th for a consultation with the surgeon and it will probably be very soon after that. I am scared but not as much as before from reading you guys' posts. I loved reading the stories. Thank you!
 
I have gone under general anesthesia twice, once for my tonsils 9 years ago and once for Achilles tendon repair last month. Both times, I was out before I knew it and woke up wondering where all the time went.

One recommendation, assuming you have no allergies, would be to ask for an anxiolytic, usually benzodiazepines such as versed or Valium after you've given all the approvals and are just waiting to go back to the OR. You'll likely fall asleep, and even if you're not asleep but wide awake, you'll likely not remember anything from that time period. I got versed prior to the OR with my surgery last month and I don't recall anything within about 2 min of receiving it.
 
I miss all you guys.  :'(

I had my surgery. They took out the gallbladder. Now, I've got no gall at all.  ;) Guess what - I had rocks in me box!

I am sore and nauseous. I have suffered some amnesia as a result of the anesthesia. It is a very weird feeling.  :eek: I am missing a lot of memories from before and after July 23. About the topic of this thread, anesthesia was no biggie going under but sure was no fun waking up. My muscle relaxers did not wear off completely before the doctor woke me up & took out the breathing tube in my throat. I could not breathe well on my own. I was suffocating, gasping for air. It was so scary. All the alarms were going off. It has changed any desire I had for future elective surgery. Not that I really had much. New boobs would be nice. Did I just say that?

You sure find out who your friends are when you're under the weather. Big thanks to Cubic Zirconia for staying in touch regularly, offering meals and errands, and checking on me. She is a very thoughtful person. {{Squeeze}}

I hope you're all doing well.
t4527.gif

 
**P.S. I learned you can play a trick on your anesthesiologist! After I got on the operating table and was all sprawled out, hooked up, and ready to go, we chatted a little. The whole team was standing there, ready and waiting to get to work. Even though I wasn't tired, I decided to close my eyes and rest to chill out so I wouldn't be nervous. He came close to my head and said, "Amber, are you out???" I popped my eyes open and nearly shouted, "NOPE! JUST PRACTICING!!" Everyone jumped back a few inches then burst into laughter. I didn't realize he had already injected me with the sleepy juice right before I closed my eyes.

That is the last thing I remember. I thought you weren't supposed to dream under anesthesia but apparently you do because they give you Propofol(sp? - you know - The Michael Jackson stuff.) I heard Doo-Wop music. Then, Frankie Avalon came to me in a pink, cloudy scene out of "Grease" when he sings "Beauty School drop out... go back to high school..." to Frenchie me except he wasn't singing that song. The song "Sh-boom" / (Life Could Be a Dream) by The Chords was playing and he was holding his hand out. This is proof I've spent too much time watching the Cars movie.  :) I'm not a big Frankie Avalon fan other than the Beach Blanket Bingo movies & other Annette Funicello duets & productions. I thought I might be dying and going to heaven and wondering, "Why, oh, why couldn't it be Elvis?!! Maybe he didn't make it to heaven.  :eek: Noooo!"

Then I woke up, thinking if I wasn't dying then, I am now, and wishing for Sh-Boom, Sh-Boom and have Frankie back.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W4BSEKrtsI&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRVAT2QSpmo[/youtube]
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Glad to hear you're okay... so I guess you forgot that you were going to give me $1mil so I can be an FCB?
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Not a problem, IHO. If I do recall, either Qwerty or Rkp was going to dip into his endless supply of cash and lend it to me.

Anesthesia sure is a trip. It's like having one too many margaritas. When I woke up, I looked at Mr. SoCal, all groggy, and the first thing I said is: "I wish this was happening to you instead of me."  :-X Whoops! I would never normally say something like that even if it crossed my mind.
 
SoCal said:
I miss all you guys.  :'(

I had my surgery. They took out the gallbladder. Now, I've got no gall at all.  ;) Guess what - I had rocks in me box!

I am sore and nauseous. I have suffered some amnesia as a result of the anesthesia. It is a very weird feeling.  :eek: I am missing a lot of memories from before and after July 23. About the topic of this thread, anesthesia was no biggie going under but sure was no fun waking up. My muscle relaxers did not wear off completely before the doctor woke me up & took out the breathing tube in my throat. I could not breathe well on my own. I was suffocating, gasping for air. It was so scary. All the alarms were going off. It has changed any desire I had for future elective surgery. Not that I really had much. New boobs would be nice. Did I just say that?

You sure find out who your friends are when you're under the weather. Big thanks to Cubic Zirconia for staying in touch regularly, offering meals and errands, and checking on me. She is a very thoughtful person. {{Squeeze}}

I hope you're all doing well.
t4527.gif
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Wow just saw this. I had a similar reaction last time I was under in 1998, and I have had several procedures since then that almost everyone gets general for, but I said HELL NO, so I stay awake. That includes endocopy and wisdom teeth. (Drugged up with pain killers but hell no was I going under again).

Back in 98 I had a routine procedure done and woke up, lungs full of blood (they had to jam the breathing tube down my throat because of a spasm), I didn't realize how serious it had been. It took a while to get my strength back after that and I think my lungs had some permanent damage done. Nothing major but they seem to lack the same capacity.

So glad I had not seen your thread earlier and commented on it. Unless it's a life or death situation I won't touch the damn stuff. For anyone else, don't let my experience scare you away, I think I am just an oddball with alot of common medical things and well just in general lol.

Glad that you are doing okay.
 
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