I work in the Operating Theatre. AMA

[1AnotherOne]

I’m an Operating Department Practitioner working in the private sector.

I work the majority the time in a senior speciality role as a scrub practitioner or surgical first assistant.

Sometimes I work alongside the anaesthetist.

ask me anything!

Great thread OP!

Are there any particular surgeries that you always breath a sigh of relief that it's not you on the table? Whether they're risky, difficult to recover from or just life changing?

I found it fascinating to watch the screen, I was the same when I had angiogram although I did have a small amount of sedation but was wide awake. I've seen plenty of what is going on in my body.

Ah that makes sense.
Thank you .
Interesting Thread.

What surgeries do you mainly carry out?

I've had a whipples procedure 6 years ago. Just wondering if they're as massive as
I've been told they are 😂

I had an emergency c section a few years ago, and was put under GA as soon as my baby was born. in my notes it reads as though I could feel pain and that's why they used GA. I dont remember, why don't I remember? I remember the mask going over my face but I do not remember the pain! before the section I had a spinal anesthesic which was great while it lasted then an epidural which I could still feel contractions through. I was still desperately inhaling the gas and air as they were wheeling me off to theatre. 😭

also like pp's I came round shivering and shaking so bad!

Love this thread, thanks OP.

My little girl had a bleed on her brain when she was very smell and she had a craniotomy.

On the top of her forehead, just below her hairline and right in the centre she has a scar which was like a hole when she first had her bandages removed. Would this have been caused by some sore of
clamp?

@1AnotherOne Ive been unfortunate to have had major surgery several times. One time my bowel got perforated whilst undergoing a laparoscopy. What should have been a 40 minute day procedure turned into a 9 hour event (under anaesthetic so long as they had to copter a bowel surgeon in). Left hospital 9 days later. Another time my spine spontaneously collapsed causing a compressed spinal cord, hence another nerve wracking lengthy operation. I’ve also had other gynaecological surgeries. My question is does the anaesthetic have a negative cumulative effect?

Thanks for starting a very interesting thread 👍

Interesting, I’ve just had an upper blepharoplasty but at a private cosmetic clinic. They said they are best done under local as they need the patient awake to ensure they mark up properly and can ask the patient to open and close eyes if necessary. 🤔

Can I just say thank you as having a good anaesthetic team really makes a difference if you have a serious illness and are prone to long, difficult operations (just has number 26)

Hi, OP.

I'm having my gallbladder out in a few weeks. I'm terrified of general anaesthetics and always have been, since my first op 40 years ago. I guess I'm scared I won't wake up.

I've been told to take my usual pain meds (Gabapentin, Zomorph, Naproxen) as usual the morning of my surgery. But after reading what you've said about Naloxone, some patients being slow to come round because of the opiates given etc, I'm now even more terrified. Maybe I should give my medications a miss that morning? I'd rather be in pain and alive than the other option!

I’m not remotely medical, but agree that pregnancy tests were done on me and my friend before procedures.

One friend found she was pregnant in early stages- by the test the hospital did- and she didn’t have the treatment done because of it.

What's the thresholds for the alarms in theatre? Are they on the cautious side and go off regularly? For 90 percent of my first emcs, the alarms were shrieking. It really panicked my husband, especially when it didn't stop when they got dc1 out.

Also they made me cross my arms over my chest? Any idea why that would be? My memories are very hazy as I passed out not long after that.

I’ve had varicose veins removed when I was a lot younger. How do they do this? I was too squeamish at the time to ask!

I'm the same, and I can't sleep for 2 days after
Awake and "can I have a brew? What time can I eat?"
Nurse "most people are still asleep..."

Had a 5hr op, woke up at 4pm ish, went outside for a vape and was eating a meal at 6pm. They discharged me the next lunch time after I spent the whole night awake

I too was worried ( as was taking a large amount of opioid painkillers & others pre-op)

You will likely have a meeting with your Anaesthetist just tell her your worries.

Mine was very reassuring, and said to just take normal prescription dose.

The drug ( Naloxone) that reverses opiates/ opioids is not dangerous, people in the community /Police &c carry it routinely if they work or volunteer in Drug services-To reverse opioid overdoses.

🙂

Sorry if this has already been asked! I was looking at this role earlier . What is it really like? Are the surgeons kind and inclusive or uppity? How much knowledge and training do you really have? Is it satisfying work?

Oh yes I remember after one op I was offered tea and toast, wolfed and they offered me more and I wolfed that and asked for a third lot. The nurses found it quite funny, the rolling off the table and scaring everyone was less amusing.

Do you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome by any chance? It’s not uncommon for ‘zebras’ to be resistant to anaesthetic.

Thank you so much, @oakleaffy. I'm so scared that I'm lying here crying just thinking about it.

I got a bit upset just before I was anaesthetised but the staff were so lovely. Asked me what I was worried about and I said not waking up. They showed me the monitor, I think perhaps measuring my oxygen and said look you can't get better than 100%. Then someone said to me don't worry we'll look after you. They were just absolutely lovely. I'll never forget their kindness.

Tell them you're scared. My first GA was age 30 and I went to pack my bags and leave
They persuaded me to have something to relax me and gave me midazolam and I ended up laughing

They said to me it's the safest you'll ever be because you're the most monitored you'll ever be, there are staff and drugs there right beside you and they don't want extra paperwork to do so they keep you safe!

Thanks for the thread op.
I had general last week and could really feel the anaesthetic burning on the way in (I think they actually gave me some local injections because of this) and experienced the same with the fentanyl in the other hand afterwards.

I also suffered from very sore swollen and itchy hands where they cannulas had been for a couple of days after and thought I might have an infection at one point.

Is this common and what causes it?

Hi @1AnotherOne have you ever did bariatric surgery?

what would be good tests for me to ask my gp for before surgery to make sure I’m fit for surgery I.e an ecg etc? Thank you in advance

I find this thread a bit 🙈 but fascinating.

my mum trained as a doctor and observed patients under GA getting aggressive and sweary. She’s very correct and finds bad language really off-putting, so she always reads a bible if ever she has a GA so that she will be a ‘good’ patient. Have you observed patients getting sweary or hostile before they go deep??

An upper blepharoplasty where I elected for local anaesthetic

I had mine done with a local anesthetic about 15 years ago. It was normal practice for my South African surgeon and a GA wasn’t mentioned at all. I found it all very interesting - especially the smell of my eyelids being cauterized during surgery. 😁

It was also done in the private sector but not in the UK and the hospital/medical staff were top notch.