AIBU to be scared of my op tomorrow and "going under"?

[ClairaE]

Hi, I seem to have gotten myself into a complete state about an op I am having tomorrow.

It really is minor. An ears, nose, throat endoscopic op to have a look at my eustachian tube and remove a growth way at the back of the nose. I cannot imagine this taking longer than 30 minutes. GA is the only way as the structures are so delicate.

Oh how I know this op will improve my quality of life, no more earache and being half deaf, breathing etc but I cannot get over the fear of the op. The general anaesthetic for some reason has my stomach in knots.

I have never had a GA before and my heart just pounds thinking about it. I am properly terrified I won't wake up from it or I am going to wake up with the tube still in and not able to breathe. I know that sounds over the top but this fear is so intense.

It's my youngest DD's 1st birthday July 24 and I am imagining a catastrophe and my not being there for it and both DDs. I think something got messed up in my brain when I became a mum!

Anything you can tell me or any tips are really appreciated. I am going to have a nice takeout with DH tonight (well before the midnight no food or drinks cutoff!) to try to calm down and do something nice for myself.

I was also reading they can give you some drugs beforehand to sort of take the edge off, what med is this? I think I'll ask for this, that is if it won't make things worse!

Ahhh! This feeling of absolute dread KNOWING this is going to happen tomorrow. Ugh.

Thank you, so sorry please go easy on me! I feel like a proper idiot!

Oh! And I think I've made it worse as stupid me read an article about someone who had a similar op and died due to the surgeon making a catastrophic error. Why do I do this to myself!

Didn’t want to read and run OP - all I can say is I had one when I was a teenager, DH had one a year ago and both absolutely fine no problems at all! It’s so routine you have nothing to worry about. It’s just like falling asleep you won’t even know what happened- definitely let them know your feeling anxious though.

All will be fine good luck x

It's hard because you've had time to overthink it but it is honestly quite a nice experience- you can't help but fall asleep and when you wake up you feel amazing!

Hi OP, I was in your shoes a couple of months ago but for breast cancer surgery. I also had only 3 days to prepare! I'd never had an anaesthetic either and was absolutely terrified. As it happens it was fine, I didn't even realise I was being put under and then I woke up. It was as if I'd had a lovely, deep sleep. I had no side effects from it and went home the same day. I hope that offers a little reassurance! Good luck!

It's very understandable to feel the way you do, I know I did when I had an operation last year. Maybe when you arrive at the hospital you could have a word with one of the nurses explaining how you feel so they can talk you through what will happen and are aware of your concerns.

I think it's a normal kind of worry once you have children that something will stop you getting back to them. I've definitely had those thoughts also over minor surgery.

One thing I would say is if your takeaway is salty drink loads of water before midnight. I once had an incredibly salty Chinese the night before an op and didn't drink enough and it was awful being thirsty and not being able to drink.
Good luck tomorrow, it will be over soon and you'll be able to relax and stay away from google.

Easy for me to say this but please don't stress. GA is very safe. I had GA a few years ago to have grommets in my ears (could have had local but the thought of being able to feel-but-also-not-feel people rummaging around my ears was too much for me).

It was all very calm and straightforward, anaesthetist told me it would feel like someone had just given me a GnT and the last thing I thought was "wow, it really does feel like that", before waking up in bed, completely fine and pretty alert. I actually wasn't disoriented at all and was quite surprised by how smooth an experience the whole thing was. I was discharged within a couple of hours.

I had a surgical procedure and was worried but it all went so smoothly. I was talking to the anaesthetist one minute, then suddenly I woke up and continued my conversation where I left off to whoever was pushing my trolley along.

If it is a day surgery department take some slippers and dressing gown for when You are waiting around and something to entertain you in case you are waiting for your turn to go in for the surgery. I downloaded stuff on my iPad to watch, they gave me a locker with a key so I could lock everything away while in there. Good luck, and I know and understand your anxiety but the risks are minimal x x

I know how you feel OP because I was exactly the same before I had a GA a few years ago.

In the end, it really was fine. I was so nervous I was in tears but the nurse held my hand and both her and the anaesthetist chatted to me in a really relaxed and friendly way, and in the end I didn’t even notice I was going under and I don’t recall the moment I dropped off. It was a gradual thing, not a sudden change, and then the next thing I remember I was waking up afterwards.

I think the thought of being unconscious under someone else’s control is alarming but in the end it didn’t really feel different at all to falling asleep.

Hope all goes ok and you feel better after the op

Just enjoy the feeling of having had a lovely deep sleep .

It's a bit weird as you go to sleep then wake like nothing happened in between. I woke up with oxygen mask on don't remember any tube must have been in and then removed while asleep

I feel very much like that since I had kids. But being put under is kind of nice and then you'll have a lovely, huge sleep tomorrow evening! Hope all goes well.

I had my first g.a. recently and the nurses and the doctor (can't spell the name but he puts you under) had been so at ease and laughing as they were joking around. Totally put me at ease as I was a cross between crying (d and c) and a bag of nerves.

Before you know it you will be in recovery and you won't be alone as again a nurse will be sitting with you to help as you wake up.

It’s normal to be anxious, but I genuinely LOVE a GA , that woozy feeling as you drift off is lovely.

I’ve had a couple of very pleasant GA recently. Especially the one where I got the fentanyl first and there was a pause whilst they checked the next drug - I know know why people abuse opiates. It was really rather pleasant !

Perfectly normal to be worried op.
I wrote letters to my kids before my op 'just in case'.
My husband thought I was a nutter.

I'm sure it will be fine.
Good luck.

I’ve had about a dozen general anaesthetics. Have been absolutely fine every time. You just need to relax, which I know is easier said than done, when you’re worried. Try not to get yourself in a state. 💐

I just turned 40 and had never had a GA but had to have one to correct my severely deviated septum in early March. The night before I was also feeling scared and worried about not making it through to get back to my children. On the morning of the op I actually felt a bit better about things but my heart was pounding as they started getting me ready for the GA. Every single staff member I met was very kind and reassuring and the anaesthetist said he was giving me something to help me relax before starting the GA. I remember thinking that I wasn’t feeling like I was going to go to sleep and then the next thing I knew a nurse was calling my name and I felt like I was waking up from a really deep sleep. It is quite surreal but equally was actually all fine. I also went home about 3 hours later and felt totally fine. About 3 days later I felt like I needed a day on the sofa but that was the only after affect from the GA that I noticed.
I’m sure all will be fine and the staff are very good at reassuring you. Plus everything feels better in the morning Good luck and enjoy your takeaway.

Hello! I had major surgery 4 weeks ago. It was my first GA and like you, I was very nervous - especially as I would be going into hospital on my own, which I had never imagined when this surgery was first booked (it was cancelled initially due to Covid-19).

I was also catastrophising! I actually wrote letters to both my small children in the event of a disaster, and told my best friend where they were - just in case! (I thought my husband would think I was being silly if I told him!!!) I guess that approach may not be for everyone as it's a bit morbid, but for me it gave me a little bit of peace of mind and I was glad I did it.

I also thought I might need tranquilizers beforehand. However, when it came to it, I was all right. I mean, I was jittery, but I spent most of the waiting around time just texting my friends to keep my mind off it (I'd brought a book but found that texting was more distracting).

I got nervous walking to the operating theatre, but I told everyone in the anaesthetic room that I was nervous and they were all very jolly. I went under while I was still talking to them so god knows what I sounded like! Woke up feeling like I'd had a bit of a nap, and it was all over - hurray!

Best of luck tomorrow. It will be over before you know it xx

@Helenluvsrob Was the fentanyl sedation? I’m having it in a few weeks for a breast reduction, they’ve told me it’ll be identical to GA for me, but they won’t have to put a breathing tube in. Means I’ll get in and out in one day!

OP I’ve had a GA nearly every year for the past 10 and they are incredible 😂 you’ll wake up feeling like you’ve had the best ever sleep, you’ll be starving and they’ll give you a sandwich and it was like it deserves 89 Michelin stars.

I had a minor day surgery operation, likewise I was more scared of the GA than the actual procedure. Receiving a patient information leaflet that literally lists “death” as a potential outcome is unnerving no matter how low the risk.

It was fine though, the anaesthetist was very professional and handled my concerns well. She kept making small talk and before I knew it, I drifted off.

It's totally normal to be worried, but it really is very low risk :) Talk to the doctors/nurses looking after you about feeling nervous and they will reassure you.

If it helps I had an operation on my finger a couple of years ago (not in the UK) and I was allowed to choose whether I wanted local or general anaesthetic. I originally thought oh local, definitely, and then I heard the description of what the local would be like (injection in the shoulder, numb for the entire arm) and it sounded horrible so I felt like general would be easier, but I worried that I "should" pick local because of the risks. I was very lucky to have a personal meeting with the anaesthetist the day before to discuss this, so I told him what I was thinking and he said absolutely don't worry about it - at my age and with no health conditions, it would be absolutely trivial to have a general anaesthetic, no riskier than local. That reassured me a lot.

The actual day it was fine. They prepared me etc before theatre and took me in before they put the drugs in. I remembered as a child having counted down from 10 when having general anaesthetic and asked if they wanted me to do this :) They said they didn't mind but I could if it made me feel better. I don't remember getting to one or even what number I stopped counting on. When I woke up it was just like I'd been asleep and I actually felt totally refreshed like I'd just slept for 8 hours! I talked some nonsense for a bit to a lovely nurse who was looking after me and then I was taken to another room to recover. I felt a bit sick but they put an anti emetic through my canula so that stopped immediately. I was actually really happy with the whole experience and would do it again - you know how you crave decent sleep when you have children!

The only slightly lasting effect was a slightly sore throat from the breathing tube, but even that went away after a few days.

When I was dreading surgery a few years ago I calmed myself by telling myself to 'let the pilot fly the plane' as often as I needed to. Meaning let the experts get on with it and be in charge, I did not want be in charge as I did not know what the heck I was doing. I did not need to ask if they had done x or y in preparation, as it had already been done.
Be the passenger. I totally get how you feel.
This time tomorrow it will all be done and you will be fine.

I’ve had one and so has DS a few weeks ago for an emergency operation. Anaesthetists rock - they’ll happily answer questions and put your mind at rest.

And yes, as others have said I wasn't aware of the breathing tube being in - they would have done that once I was under.