To be terrified of having a general anesthetic?

[goatbame]

I need to have an endoscopy and they're giving me a general.

I've always been pretty hospital phobic and very needle phobic. I actually had a home birth because of it.

I'm terrified. I just burst in to tears when the nurse called me for my pre op phone call. Every time I think of it I start shaking and feel sick. I'm crying several times a day.

I know generals are very safe these days. My bil went in to the same place for one recently and said he woke up clear headed and felt fine.

I'm terrified I'll die. I know it's irrational and stupid. I'm going to be a blubbing mess and I'm so ashamed and embarrassed. I know a few people who work there and really don't want them to see me like that.

Someone please hand my ass to me and tell me to get a grip.

I used to be terrified of them too. I mean terrified. Until I had one - unavoidably - and now I wouldn't give it more than a passing thought. It was a pretty pleasant piece of cake.

I know how you feel, I hear you, but know that you have nothing to worry about.

Here's an example - a friend of mine has massive heart failure, and as a result, needed a contraceptive device. I had one too - a paracetamol was enough for me. Docs decided that that would be too much stress on her heart, so gave her a general anaesthetic instead. THAT IS HOW SAFE A GA IS

YABU. I love general anaesthetics! It's actually a really nice feeling when you go to sleep and when you wake up.

I have had about 10 over my life. You close your eyes and open them and it's all been done. Then you get two days or so of lovely dreamy snoozy sleeps. I am always a little bit anxious before I have one so I do understand but you will be fine.

YANBU. I have had several as an adult and have cried beforehand everytime. I'm still here to tell the tale though.

@goatbame I posted similar about 11 yeara ago on here before my first ga. I got amazing advice and support and rememebr the delight in coming back and posting afterwards I was ok.

Totally understand how you feel.

The anesthesatist was amazing and told me if was too much paper work if anything happened to me

I think worrying about GA is normal. It’s new and scary. Let the staff know how frightened you are. You certainly won’t be the first patient that bad.

I’ve had many operations/tests with GA but I’m still a little nervous even though I know what’s going to happen. I tell if I’m worried.

Ask for a sedative and ask to be started off on gas.

The anaesthetist stays with you throughout and is completely focused on your safety and wellbeing while you're under. They sit near your head and do nothing else but monitor your vital signs and level of consciousness and adjust things, minute by minute if necessary, to keep you safe and in a healthy state of equilibrium. It's probably just about the most intensely focused care you will ever get from a hcp.

I've had one GA and it wasn't a marvellous experience because I was bumped up the list and didn't get the sedative pre-med I was expecting. I was lying there thinking they'd be round with the nice drugs in a few minutes when two porters barrelled in with a trolley and said there'd been a cancellation so they were taking me down now. They proceeded to wheel me full pelt down miles of corridors while I watched the ceiling tiles fly by and thought 'holy fuuuuuck!'

So what I learnt from that was:

1. If you need a sedative you need a sedative and you should stick to your guns. I think most of us love the NHS for all its faults and don't want to be an inconvenience. Nevertheless your mental health is important too and should not be jeopardised for the sake of efficiency.

2. Think about how you will go down to theatre. My less than ideal experience was 20 years ago. I've got a gynae procedure coming up and have opted for a GA and was reassured to note that these days they prefer to walk you to theatre if possible. I don't know how you go down there if you've had a sedative - wheelchair? However you get to theatre, ask them to slow down if they are going too fast. That journey was the worst part for me.

The GA itself was peanuts - count down a few numbers and then you're awake and it's all over. The worst thing afterwards was a very sore dry throat but it didn't last long.

I had a GA for the first time at the end of last year and felt exactly how you do now. I have a huge phobia of being put to sleep, was convinced that I wasn’t going to wake up/that they would give me too much or not enough etc. You won’t be able to see it now because if you were like me anything anyone said wouldn’t calm my nerves (I was close to having a panic attack as I was being wheeled down to theatre!) however I promise you it’s really not as bad as what’s in your head now. The lead up for me was soooooooo much worst and once you wake up you will feel so relived it’s done. Sending hugs and positive thoughts 💝

Just for a bit of perspective, think about the times before the late 19th century when anesthesia became widely available. Back then people had to undergo surgery wide awake, usually strapped down to the table, with little or no pain relief. Suicide was fairly common as many simply couldn't submit to that. Many hospitals thought it was quackery and unnatural so it took decades to be widely accepted.

Surgery in a Time Before Anesthesia

I get Propofol every year for my annual colonoscopy (I'm at high risk for colorectal cancer). Every time I've had it I've come out wide awake, thinking that they haven't even started yet. You may feel a bit off for 8-12 hours and shouldn't drive, but that's the worst of it.

I was close to having a panic attack as I was being wheeled down to theatre!

They really need to look at patients' experience of that journey to theatre, don't they? I suppose they have to an extent by allowing people to walk there now if they can.

I had an endoscopy 2 weeks ago, I opted for sedation (not general anaesthetic) fell asleep super fast, woke up to a nurse talking to me telling me I’m fine and I don’t remember a thing about it. It was far less scary than I’d built it in my head to be

You mentioned sedation. In the UK we are generally offered sedation, but not a GA for an endoscopy. Are you confusing the two?
Anyway, good luck. An endoscopy is a very quick procedure.

I felt exactly the same when I had a colonoscopy. I was terrified, and cried while being prepped. I thought I was going to die- it felt like I was waiting to be executed.
But it was ok in the end - but you are definitely not being unreasonable!

I also have had a fear of this. Both times I've got upset and cried, both times I was out instantly, not aware of anything. You have a lovely deep sleep and feel fine when you wake up.
It's a fairly common fear tbh. Accept you'll probably get upset and take the pressure off yourself. They will have dealt with this before and support you.

It's totally natural to feel afraid

I was worried about GA when I had an op recently, but it was honestly awesome. Not scary & I felt so rested afterwards.

I wish they'd let me have a GA for my smear test

I can't work out why sedation is the routine option for some procedures but not others. The procedure I'm having is mostly done under local anaesthetic with about 1/3 opting for general. Sedation has never been mentioned.

My main concern is to not remember it and sedation would do that for me - I've had it for dental work and don't have memories. I'm assuming sedation is lower risk than full GA. I might ask about this as an alternative to GA.

Totally normal to feel scared. I've been under GA 3 times. My last time was August last year. I was petrified! Shaking like a leaf. But honestly... It was absolutely fine. As soon as they give you the medicine that makes you go to sleep, you feel on top of the world and the next thing you know, you're waking up in recovery! I felt like I only blinked my eyes for a second. I remember talking a load of shit to the anaesthetists before I actually zonked out though lol. You'll be OK ((hugs))

Having a GA isn't really like going to sleep at all - it's a different process involving different brain activity. That said it is very, very, safe - and the advantage it has over sleep is that it feels like it's over in an instant, whereas when you are asleep and then wake up, you are usually aware of time having passed.

The other thing I find reassuring is that, unlike sleep (usually!) there is someone watching over you and looking after you the whole time.

I do sympathise, I have only had one GA but was completely terrified too - I was literally gibbering with fear when they wheeled me into the room that they put me under. But as others have said, the experience itself was, if anything, quite pleasant! And over in a jiffy.

Hi OP, I am really lucky that I don't have any fear or worry about hospitals, especially given how many times I have been in there.
To date I have had 3 GAs, 3 spinals and 1 arm nerve blocker (lots of surgeries for me)

GA is by far the best as far as I am concerned. You can just absolve yourself of any worry of what is going to happen, lie back and go to sleep. When I wake up, I have this deliciously drowsy feeling which lasts for ages.

I am having another surgery in Feb for which I could have a nerve blocker but I have opted for a GA. I found that being awake for the surgery was uncomfortable, the room was freezing and I found the sedative just made me confused and anxious.

I had a c-section at a teaching hospital and the surgeon was talking to the junior doctor, discussing my internal organs whilst I was lying there. It was pretty freaky and if it wasn't for me wanting to have immediate contact with my baby and the need to BF as soon as possible, I would have preferred a GA.

You will be really closely monitored by a team of people who do this every day.

I felt a bit anxious about the GA too (not to your extent though!). The surgery itself I was fine with & I knew the healing process would be pain free as it was a minor procedure, so the GA was actually the only aspect that concerned me.

I was more concerned about waking up mid procedure vs not waking up at all.

But it was absolutely fine! I felt safe. The anaesthetist was very good. I told them that I was a bit nervous & said they would be constantly monitoring me for any changes etc and completely reassured me. When the time came, they kept asking me lots of questions to distract me and then asked me to count.

When I woke up after the procedure I was a bit confused, which is normal. I apparently was only in theatre for 10 minutes as it was that minor, so when I saw the time after I came to, I thought something happened that cut it short? But no, everything was fine. I was completely myself again within an hour. No one would have even though that I just had surgery.

@goatbame they have seen it all before.

I have had one nhs surgery and 2 private ones. The nhs anaesthetists were fantastic. I had a scrub nurse having a good ol’ chat to distract me, asking about children and holidays and all that. And meanwhile the anaesthetist is flicking my hand to get a vein (the worst part. Rather painful actually. I’ve never had that since. Infact my last surgery they gave me a local in my hand first) and I’m barely paying attention because there’s lots of people asking questions and fiddling with things.

Then I hear ‘this May sting as it goes in, completely normal’ and I glance down to see the big white syringe and wake up in recovery. So easy.

Nobody goes into surgery relaxed. They’ll see your heart rate and know you’re scared. My HR alarm kept going off on my last one. The anaesthetist just found it funny. Don’t worry about it all - you’ll never see them ever again! Xx

I’ve had 2GAs and they were lovely 😂

I was terrified when I had GA but it was absolutely fine. I was most worried about the feeling between having it and falling asleep. I thought it would be 10 seconds of feeling really weird and not in control. I didn't even get to count to 1. I was literally out quicker than you could turn a light off. I woke up completely fine and didn't feel at all sick or dozy. You'll only need it for a short time so it won't make you feel at all ill. The only thing that freaked me out is that I woke up with the stockings off. It felt very odd that someone had taken them off without me being at all aware!

I had my first GA sprung on me. I'd been given regional that didn't work so they put me out. It was blissful!

Why not ask for an oral sedative to calm your nerves before everything?

Because you usually have to fast for hours, nil by mouth, including water. But they can give you lovely drugs in your IV!

A few times with jabs I've hyper ventilated and passed out. Once I hit my head on the way down (have since learned to tell them before hand and sit although it's that's no longer really needed as I'm sobbing and trembling like a total twat.)

I called around a few other hospitals near me and they all do it with a general.

I really want to get this under control. I burst in to tears when someone asked me about it yesterday in front of ds which is deeply uncool.

I've always sent dh in with him for his shots because the first one I took him to I was hysterical, for some weird reason the phobia was doubled watching him get one. He had to have a blood draw recently and it was horrific, they had to get another two members of staff to hold him down and he was hysterical, (I wasn't there) he's not seen me like it so it must be a weird genetic thing or coincidence. I've recently found out my Dad is exactly the same, but positive I never saw him freaking out! Maybe it's just a super common thing.