AIBU to be petrified of general anaesthesia?

[keabby]

Hello all I'm scheduled to go in for a sinus op in two weeks time. I need a large polyp removed that originates from the cheek sinus as it is affecting my ability to breathe thru my nostril.

The closer this gets the more terrified I am! I hate the thought of losing consciousness and being on a ventilator during the op. It needs done under complete general as it is of the image guided variety and I need to remain perfectly still.

I feel a bit of an idiot because I know how much this is going to improve my life i.e. no nighttime woes like mouth breathing, congestion, snoring anymore but at the same time I think is it really worth the risk? I think well during the day I can breathe fine out of my other nostril etc.

I'm an anxious type and that certainly doesn't help. It all seems so serious as I need to go in for a pre-op appointment to make sure I can tolerate the GA (the need to do this makes me a bit uneasy)

I am petrified. Rationally I know many MANY very ill people go in to GA and surgery and they're fine but I keep thinking my heart will stop or I'll go braindead (more than I already am :D ) during the op. Or that I'll regain consciousness before my body is able to move again. Etc...

Any anesthesiologists on the board by chance? Or those who have gone in for an op?

I think one of the primary things is actually after the drugs are administered and before I go under, what is that like? People say the room starts spinning, I think I'm going to have a proper meltdown if that's the case.

I heard you can get some premedication for anxiety. Can anyone recommend that?

Thanks for letting me have a ramble xx

[borntohula]

I'm having conscious sedation next week and I'd rather be having a GA. It's understandably nervewracking when you've never had one but honestly, you're out that quickly, you barely have time to panic.

[HellSmith]

I’ve had about 20. I was terrified to begin with but once I had a word with the anae she was great & allowed me to sit up whilst they put the cannula in & until I was out, then they’d lie me down. I used to sing quite loudly in pure terror, some people would join in with me. My voice must be so bad that no sooner have I blinked these days I’m waking up again. No way am I going to be allowed to count to 10. After an op I’ve felt absolutely great & really lively & stayed awake all night. I’ve also felt crap & depressed after. You’ll be fine, just tell them how you feel & they’ll sort you out.

[fibeee]

OP I recently had a GA for an EMCS. I honestly have no memory of going under. I remember the Anaesthesiologist talking and then the next thing I remember is opening my eyes and my husband being beside me with our baby.

I was 41 weeks pregnant, very overweight and with high blood pressure and managed to live to tell the tale! I am an anxious person myself OP but it really wasn’t all that bad.

[Holothane]

I’ve had 8 now and no problems please don’t be afraid to say about your fears, you’ll be asleep when they put the tube down, also no ever remembers the tube coming out, you’ll wake up with an oxygen mask on .hugs.

[HaudMaDug]

Hi Op.
I've had a very similar op to what you are describing. The difference in my breathing and sleeping since has been a revelation. No more suffocating when I close my mouth. No more puffed out eyes in the morning. No more sore heads. Food tastes of stuff. No idea if I still snore as I've no one to witness it. The benefits of you op should make it an afternoon nap worth looking forward to.
I've also been under GA 4 times and every time has been a blissed out experience. The feeling of cold water running up our arm reaches your elbow and your already gone sucked into the comfort of the bed.
You'll wake up later thinking that its only been a couple of minutes hopefully to a nice cup of sweet tea and a bit of white buttered toast.
Hope all goes well for you.x

[PiggyPlumPie]

@Bouledeneige I loved the cold sensation, first in the back of my hand, then my wrist. It hit my elbow and that's all I remember.

I only had it the once but had more GAs and never heard of anyone else who experienced it.

[Kaykay066]

I’ve only had one, am a nurse though so look after kids pre and post op and also worked in theatres. I don’t remember much pre op, I had a pre Med that made me nice and relaxed that’s all I remember but usually kids tell me they don’t remember much before they go down but often depends how scared and upset they are as a cannula needs put in so they’ll have some gas whilst that happens then meds before being taken in, not a nice experience as a parent 😐 been the nurse and the parent. I think for adults it’s better as a line is in and it’s w bit more controlled.

Explain to staff you’re worried/nervous they should help you/answer questions you might have and just keep thinking of the end result the road to get there will be a bit bumpy but you’ll feel much better. But I totally understand I deal with kids worries all day and try to alleviate them (parents too) the unknown is scary but i hope all goes well

[dottiedodah]

Well I have had 8 operations, and every time the staff were lovely kind and caring to me .I am usually sick afterwards but thats just me .My DH had 3 ops and was never sick once! You will be fine OP just relax and have a nice rest!

[Picklypickles]

I've had around 7/8 GA's and every single time I've been terrified and sat shaking and crying beforehand, even though nothing has ever gone remotely wrong! It's normal to be anxious about handing over control of your body/life to virtual strangers, it is scary, but the nurses and doctors have always been brilliant, very patient, understanding and reassuring.

I hope the op goes well and you have a quick recovery.

[Nartl0ngNow]

Yanbu.
Bottling it up and then struggling with attending would be far more u.
Pre op assessments are a great time to discuss your worries.
You are not the first or the last to be so worried and they will talk you through everything and discuss your options.
If you're not ready, you can discuss postponing and the risks this cause.
You have a choice, it's your body.

[ClosedDoors]

I bloody love GA! Best sleep ever. Not keen on the sore throat from the oxygen, but other than that it's bloody awesome!

If you're lucky you'll get a shot of morphine when you wake up too, lovely stuff.

[GuiltyBark]

Another one here who found it oddly nice to get such a deep sleep. And yes it's normal to be a bit weepy and weird on the way in and out but I felt like someone had pressed a reset button after days, or rather weeks and weeks of pain and discomfort with injured leg. Woke up with it properly patched up and with pain relief could move on and heal up properly.

[SheldonSaysSo1]

First of all I will say that I was terrified when I had an upcoming op a few months ago. I was so anxious all day, so much so when they were prepping me they were concerned about how high my heart rate was. They switched off the monitor in an attempt to calm me down and were very reassuring. I can honestly say despite being super anxious it was over so quickly. I didn't feel the room spinning, once they administered the drugs I panicked but within seconds I couldn't fight it. They have at least one person whose sole job is to supervise your breathing and levels of consciousness. They are very experienced.

Secondly, the pre-op is nothing to worry about. It is literally to make sure you are as safe as you can be undergoing the op. Any issues and they won't just go ahead anyway.

[Stepoffthecarousel]

I was petrified before having GA. Honestly it was not what I thought at all and was absolutely fine. I was 'out' ridiculously quickly. There was no counting back as I was asleep faster than a second. When I woke up I didn't feel like I'd be under general. I felt like I was just waking up from a normal sleep.

Mine was quite a short op (about an hour) so a fairly light anaesthetic which helps I think. I never felt tired, sick or dizzy. No breathing tube required.

Within 15 mins of waking up I was eating toast and walking to the loo. I was out of hospital 45 mins after I woke up as all vitals were fine and I was in no pain due to a nerve block. They packed me off with a bag full of painkillers but I barely needed any of it.

I won't be worried next time.

[MummBraTheEverLeaking]

I had one for a laproscopy, was very nervous beforehand but no room spinning. Just remember thinking I feel fine when is this going to work? Then I said whoah because I felt a bit woozy all of a sudden, like when you've been drinking and don't feel drunk at all but out of nowhere the booze hits you and you think oh there it is. Then a few more seconds went by on the clock and next thing I knew I was coming round

[purpleme12]

I can't breathe through my nose either (the rare times I can it's a few breaths) but no doctor's ever been bothered. I do snore apparently and have a worse sense of smell compared to other people

I hope it all goes well for you

[Andante57]

I haven’t had a ga for ages but I would dread it because doctors or blood takers can never find a vein and prod around for ages.
If a patient is very nervous can they ask for a pre med?

[CherrySpritz]

I think anaesthetists are among the most skilled doctors there are. Anaesthetics are really very safe these days and I shouldn’t think you would need a particularly deep or prolonged one for a nasal polyp. Mostly, the induction is by IV injection so you won’t know about any masks, E/T tubes etc. You are asleep so quickly you really won’t have much time to think about it.

[BossBhean]

GA was on my 'non bucket list' after childhood experiences with gas and dentists. I needed emergency surgery so no choice and no time to think about it. Intubated through my nose as the op was in my mouth / throat and as that had to be done while I was conscious I was given a pre anaesthetic 'relaxer'. All done very quickly, smoothly, anaesthetist talked me through the whole thing, everything they were doing and why. Just tell them you are nervous and they will talk you through it if you want. When the actual anaesthetic went in, no head spinning, nothing. Just out like a light? Doubt I got to 7 counting backwards.

Woke up in recovery and aside from being very cold - got given extra blankets until I warmed up - nothing negative about the whole experience.

[SpiritEssence]

GA is nice I had to breath in a mask infect really relaxed n next thing inwas asleep

[SpiritEssence]

Infact

[Elphame]

I'm with you - the idea of a GA scares me silly. It's the thought of having a cannula in that terrifies me.

I've just had varicose vein surgery under local and all previous surgeries I've managed to wangle having just a local.

[PolloDePrimavera]

Think I could do with your op. I have 3 GAs, survived all... Stop googling, you will only see bad stories as nobody feels compelled to say they had one, it was fine. But it will be fine. The anaesthetic is delivered through the cannula, you'll think it won't work and boom, instantaneous sleep. No room spinning or anything.