To think this can’t be that unusual before a General Anaesthetic?

[GeneralLevy]

Teenage son, at the stage of eating all he can see, had a GA today.
He wasn’t allowed to eat after 4am. He set his alarm for 3:30am and cooked a small meal. I gave permission, but didn’t wake.
Everyone has treated it like it’s the oddest thing to do, and they keep mentioning it- like it’s never happened and laughing (they ask you many times to check you haven’t eaten before surgery so it keeps coming up).
I get him. He LOVES food, feels dizzy easily. Also the operation was delayed 4 hours so I think it was quite a prudent choice- otherwise he wouldn’t have eaten since 6pm. I know people do fast, but he’s a teenage boy and they really don’t tend to like it.

Many people rise in the night to eat and then go back to bed, just ask a Muslim person how they manage Ramadan when it falls during the Summer!

Love this!

Hope he's feeling much better tomorrow.

My teenage son would have done the same. I wouldn't have, but would have maybe had a bedtime snack. When I've been in hospital it was usual for someone to wake me for a drink at the cut off point for eating/drinking.

I don't think what your son did was that unusual. People do all sorts of things!

That’s so cute, bless him! How’s he doing?

I think he is very smart! I had to have unplanned surgery after a post parturition haemorrhage and was told not to eat before anaesthetic but unfortunately it kept getting pushed back and pushed back and kept getting told not to eat which went on for 2 days. I was so weak and fed up. If I ever have another GA I am taking a leaf out of his book 😂

Not all all odd. When I had a GA earlier this year I wasn't allowed to eat after 6am so DH woke me up for a light breakfast (they told me what I was allowed to have if I chose to have breakfast before then) then I went back to sleep for a few hours! The hospital staff didn't bat an eyelid.

whenever I have surgery and I’m told I’ll be nil by mouth after midnight (apart from small drop of water to get my tablets down at 6am) I always have a a small supper like a sandwich or tea and toast.

I used to work in pre assessment and we would tell people to have something light to eat and continue drinking water till right before their fasting deadline. No benefit at all in him fasting for ~12hrs unnecessarily and actually counterproductive if he'd also abstained from fluids for a long time as he'd have been at higher risk of dehydration and needing more IV fluids intra and post op.
I think he's perfectly sensible.

I always eat close to the cut off time- if you know you’ll get hungry or lightheaded it’s just a smart thing to do!

Not weird at all - I did the same before a planned c section!

I get really thirsty so I ate and drank up until the time to stop
Woke up and was still in the recovery room asking for a cup of tea and eating a full meal 2hrs after

I love food but prefer sleep. I can understand why he's done it. Good for him if it's helped to manage his anxiety about his op, it's not like it's a regular occurrence.

ds(19)'s eating has calmed down a lot now, but between 15-18 he was a machine and sprouted before my eyes to 6ft 3in and has stretchmarks across his back from how quickly he grew. He went between normal weight and skinny through the whole process.

He also felt dizzy and unwell if he hadn't eaten regularly, so I absolutely get the need for food part. Not sure ds would have had enough forethought to work out when he could last eat and plan to get up and eat just before it!

Hope your sons surgery went well.

bless him. teenagers need their calories. totally understandable. not common prior to a GA except in the paediatric population especially those <5 years. mostly because ppl prioritise sleep over food. he did the right thing though, waiting is inevitable.

I've had quite a few GAs myself as well and every time wished I had eaten something in the middle of the night!

My DDs best friend is Muslim. When her family is fasting she gets up in the middle of the night to eat so she has energy for school.

Fully back on form. Texting me about snacks and using the same emoticons in messages I do, which he finds hilarious
😊😘

He’s also had noodles now and is eyeing snacks, I think he’s sorted!

My son does exactly the same.. it’s long enough for him to be without food before his frequent ops so I always make sure to leave him something to eat just before cut off time..

I probably wouldn't have done it OP - but I really really value my sleep, but I do think it's a very sensible thing for your teenager to do. I hope he's recovering well.

I've been on children's childrens/adolescent wards with ds and have heard nurses asking young patients if they want to be woken up for food before they have to start fasting for an operation. OK its usually toast, not a full meal, but if that's what your dc wants then why not?.

My DS never did, but he's not bothered about food!

For my procedure last week I was wheeled to surgery in my bed by my consultant no less. There are now a few more scratches on the walls of Barts than there were before!

I had nerve blocks recently and had to be nil by mouth from midnight, with only clear fluids up to 6am. I set an alarm and downed 2 cups of black coffee - not having it would have been worse than not eating for me!
As it turned out 'they don't do sedation there' so starving was a waste of time. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Knowing that I couldn't eat made me ravenous- I'm not usually that bothered. (I went straight to the hospital café afterwards. 🤣)

Starving is still advised even if plan A is a nerve block in case the block fails (and needs to be converted to a GA) or in case of major complications due to the block that might need GA (very rare).

Its normal, I do it every Ramadan

@Greybeardy, they didn't cannulate me either?