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Original poster

To ask you to explain what general anaesthesia is like...?!

261 replies

nonotquite · 03/01/2022 20:54

I'm getting a gastric sleeve surgery on February and I am TERRIFIED of the anaesthesia!
I haven't ever been put under before and so I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I'm praying it will all go smoothly and I won't freak myself out too much, but right now it's just consuming me and I'm feeling more anxious about it by the day!!

Is anybody able to put my mind at ease..!! What is is really like? Do you really wake up and feel sick and nauseous afterwards?! (I've got a terrible phobia of sickness)

Thank you for any help in advance!!

OP posts:
dollybird · 03/01/2022 21:21

@emsmar

It feels brilliant! I've had a few. I got really upset seeing my son put under though. Cried like a baby! So silly.
Me too, DS was 1 and was crying loads, so they knocked him out with a little gas first. He's had 6 up to the age of 14 (last one for a broken nose!), And DD had one aged 4, and you do get used to it.

I've only had one and I remember the doctors and nurses being really friendly, counting down, then literally shutting my eyes and feeling like I woke up again immediately afterwards.

Chesneyhawkes1 · 03/01/2022 21:21

I've had 4. I love the feeling of it going down your arm and just drifting off.

After I'm so tired and sleepy. And I'm sick a lot. It's got worse each time.

But I'd still have one if needed. Not worried by them.

Dodahdajdodah · 03/01/2022 21:21

I've had a few times and never felt sick. They just get you to breath through a thing they looks like an oxygen mask and you just black out real fast then next thing you are awake post operation.

ivfbabymomma1 · 03/01/2022 21:22

I really enjoyed the experience 😂 I was scared so the guy was chatting away to me and he said don't worry I'm not gonna do it yet let's have a chat, and that's the last thing I remember lol

Mummadeze · 03/01/2022 21:25

I have had a few. Slept for a while afterwards and then woke up completely normal. Try not to worry.

Iamanicepersonreally · 03/01/2022 21:25

I've had at least 20 general anaesthetics. Absolutely nothing to worry about. I quite enjoy those few seconds before you're completely "under". I hope it goes well

ivfbabymomma1 · 03/01/2022 21:26

I should add I didn't have it done with it a mask, they put something in through a cannula in my hand

SpecialchildSupermum · 03/01/2022 21:26

Ive had 9 GA,s . Never felt nauseous after any of them. In my mind I play a game to beat the countdown from 10. Only ever got to 6 ! I love the deep restful sleep. I drift in and out of sleep for hours and won’t be rushed to get up 🤣. You’ll be fine OP 💐

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 03/01/2022 21:27

I came to after GA and was in a room that had lots of soft toys on shelves. I felt something soft and thought aww someone’s put one in bed with me. But they hadn’t. It was a… well.. a lady-pad!

Pinkflask · 03/01/2022 21:27

When I had a GA the anaesthetist said it they called whatever they gave me the “gin and tonic” because it was like having a nice big G&T, and it was! Cool and made you feel that lovely woozy feeling of a big drink and then straight into a nice sleep. Very nice indeed. I was fine when I woke up too, a bit disoriented like a daytime sleep would leave you anyway but nothing worse.

alansjenskalaja · 03/01/2022 21:28

I had one for the first time recently for surgery. The going to sleep part was fine, one minute I was awake and the next I wasn't, can't remember falling asleep or even feeling sleepy. But I was very upset when I woke up, in a lot of pain and really really confused for a few hours.

Chloemol · 03/01/2022 21:29

I was concerned for my first, having had a bad experience many years ago at the dentist. It was private, and a number of years ago when I had to have one so they phone me and talked me through what would happen

Since then I have had a few. It’s a quick injection, I felt woozy, then nothing until i heard my name being called as they woke me up. Stayed in recovery for a while, then moved back to the room/ward

I have never felt sick, and after a sleep seemed to recover well

MarshaBradyo · 03/01/2022 21:30

I always wake up feeling great, really nice spaced out and a bit high

Icouldabeenalawyer · 03/01/2022 21:30

I had one a few years ago. Kept putting the procedure off due to being so scared. Didn't tell the anaesthetist, however they could tell and said 'we are going to give you something to make you less anxious' no idea what, but it was just beautiful, so relaxing 😌 Then told to do some gentle breathing into the mask and next thing I remember waking up.

Afterwards I Kept vomming so was given IV anti sickness, I was really sleepy, but it passed and I was grateful for the sleep (dc didnt sleep at the time) Nurses were so lovely. Oh and my bladder went to sleep so had to stay a bit longer til I did a wee. Was given tea and toast though so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Good luck OP, you'll be fine.

Tobleroney · 03/01/2022 21:30

You fall asleep and then the next second you are waking up, it is bizarre how you have no awareness of the time passing during surgery. Then feel groggy, but in a floaty sort of way, sleepy, not painful or sick

Laiste · 03/01/2022 21:31

I was the same as you OP.

They're all very kind, they say ''you'll feel a little scratch (inject you) and then i want you to count to 10''.

I didn't start counting, i said ''i don't even feel slightly sleepy! What if it doesn't w.....''

And the next thing i knew my eyes were closed and i was feeling a bit chilly. I opened my eyes to see i was in a different room and it was all over with!

It's mad. But fine :)

AmyandPhilipfan · 03/01/2022 21:31

The anaesthetist came to see me while I was waiting to go in for day surgery. He actually made me more nervous as he told me once I was asleep they’d put a tube down my throat - which I hadn’t realised. I thought I would just have a mask on. He talked about the very slight risk it would damage my teeth which made me a bit worried - it didn’t at all. He also said you have to be slightly waking up when they remove the tube and a very small amount of people remember that. I thought that sounded horrendous. I don’t remember the tube coming out at all.

The lovely drugs felt a little bit cold in my arm and the gas made me feel a bit woozy when I was trying to talk to them but all in all it was a very pleasant experience. I do wish I’d blown my nose though because as soon as the mask was on I realised I was a bit snotty and felt like I couldn’t breathe. But I said it was a bit hard to breathe and they adjusted something and it was easier straightaway.

I remember coming round and hearing their questions but still having my eyes shut for a few seconds. It just felt like being woken up from a deep sleep when you’re a bit disoriented. They were wheeling me to a ward for the night as I’d been waiting all day for the surgery and it had got quite late so were keeping me overnight. Once in the room they helped me into the bed but I could have done it myself by then as after that I felt perfectly back to normal. I never felt sick at all. I’d been fasting all day so hoovered up the sandwich they offered me. I was in my own room with an en-suite. It was my first night away from my kids since my daughter’s birth 4 years before. I felt like I was on holiday!

PermanentlyTired03 · 03/01/2022 21:31

It was fine, I remember the anaesthetist injecting me but don't remember falling asleep. Woke up feeling very sleepy and cosy. As it was back surgery they got me to stand up asap and I felt very dizzy and sick. The nurse gave me an injection immediately and all was fine again.
Don't worry you'll be fine Smilethink about it as a worrying occasion for you but doctors do it everyday!

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 03/01/2022 21:32

Going under is great!!! Laying there think ‘nope it’s not going to happen’ and then you get that lovely dreamy feeling and you’re gone!!

Love a GA!

MarshaBradyo · 03/01/2022 21:32

@emsmar

It feels brilliant! I've had a few. I got really upset seeing my son put under though. Cried like a baby! So silly.
I hated that for dd only little, she struggled against the gas and it was awful to see

But op so different for adult that’s really an aside, the whole thing is very pleasant ime

CockapooMum · 03/01/2022 21:32

I had a GA last Wednesday as I had a mini gastric bypass and gallbladder removal. I

I walked down to theatre and entered the anaesthetic room. Laid on the table. They put on an oxygen mask and I had to lay with my arms out to the sides. One side had a blood pressure cuff on and the other side the anaesthetist added a Canula to administer the drugs. They gave me 3 drugs I think. One to relax me. It stung a little going in. Another he said would give me a strange warming feeling down below and he was right, it was a strange sensation but not painful. Then I'm not sure if he gave me something else but I started to drift off.

Next thing I know the nurse was waking me in recovery and I was so tired I just wanted to sleep but she kept rousing me to stay awake and I was on my hospital bed being transferred back to the ward. I had staff coming in every 15 mins I think or it felt like that taking my blood pressure and I was also put onto a heart monitor overnight.

I went down about 12.30 and was back on the ward by 3.30pm but was still so out of it it was about 7pm before I managed to have a quick call home but just a short 2 min call took it out of me and I was sleepy all night really. I had help to go to the loo at 3am and was more with it by 7am and was able to walk around myself from then. I woke with these flowtron boots that inflate and deflate to prevent dvt's. Your hospital might use something different.

I've been doing well since then and am 6 days post op and nearly 2 stone down including liver reduction diet I did for 2 weeks prior. Hope all goes well with your op.

EncroachingLoaf · 03/01/2022 21:32

I also did have to walk into theatre and get on the table (They said something to do with covid meant the prep room wasn't being used as normal).

I never had the feeling of drifting off at all. One minute I was lying there talking to the anesthetist, the next minute I was waking up in the recovery room, I never even noticed any of the bits in between 😂

I did feel quite wiped out for some days afterwards, not sure if that was anesthetic or just healing though. Either way rest sorted it out. I didn't have any nausea.

All the best for your surgery op. I get that it is scary, I felt that way too. In my experience the theatre staff are wonderfully kind and reassuring.

nildesparandum · 03/01/2022 21:33

Purpledagger

I have had two emergency sections both under GA. The state I was in the first time was not very nice, I can remember the masked face of the surgeon shaking his head, then woke up somewhere and taking a long time to realise I had had a baby.
The second time I felt the needle going into my arm and a nurse telling she would write boy or girl on the strapping round it, then I was in a bed with a load of people round me and I was shouting out that there was a knife in my stomach as I became aware of the pain from the incision then remembering what it was caused by.
The two reasons for the GA are now grown up.

bedheadedzombie · 03/01/2022 21:33

I was also terrified but won't be the next time. They told me when they were going to give me the aneathesia and then I panicked because I was still wide awake a minute later and everyone had told me that it was mere seconds. So I panicked, started crying and the next thing I know was waking up while being wheeled down the corridor, all done. It took longer than a few second s for me and I didn't feel when I fell asleep. It was just one moment I'm lying there, the next I woke up being wheeled down the corridor with some pain at the incision site (not too bad). Honestly, it was nothing. Quite literally, no feeling of time passed, just lights out, lights on. Like magic. Please don't be scared.

Notwithittoday · 03/01/2022 21:35

I’ve been put under six times. I only got massively anxious once but that was because of the type of surgery I was having. Never felt sick afterwards or particularly weird apart from once which was down to the type of surgery I had not the GA, think of it as the safest sleep you’ll have because you’ve got professionals monitoring your every breath and response. They’ll look after you

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