To ask you what general anaesthetic is actually like?

[RainSoakedNights]

I’m having functional endoscopic sinus surgery soon. As far as I can tell the recovery is going to be fine - a bit like a head cold (if anyone has experience of this operation though please let me know!). But I’ve never had so much as a blood test (I’m 26). I’m on Mounjaro so used to injecting myself but I still hate needles (I know, I know!)

Any experiences would be appreciated!

Do you think this will ever change? Obviously not for my op but just in general, do you think they’ll develop better drugs?

I had bowel prep (gynae surgery) and they told me fizzy was fine - I mixed my prep with lemonade
although to be fair I didn’t drink any in the morning as i am not a lemonade person at 5am!

Bowel prep is normally the day before surgery not day of.

I don't know of any anaesthetist that would electively GA someone within 6h of fizzy drinks

(I'm also traumatised from a small child who sneakily drank coke preop without his parents realising, and had oxygen levels in the high 60s for far too long from aspirating it during their op)

What do you mean by better drugs? Modern anaesthetic drugs are amazing, it's human physiology of gut emptying that determines fasting guidelines.

Although we've had huge progress now on allowing sipping of water preop having done many national studies showing evidence of benefit and no increased risk

Google pre-assessment phone number and the hospital they're the best to ask

I see now that it is dependent on hospital - but it certainly was the case two years ago.

I mean to drugs that won’t induce vomiting etc.

the fasting rules are nothing to do with post op nausea and vomiting - it's to do with the physics and physiology of having a stomach full of food/fluid at the time that you're about to become unconscious and have your airway reflexes obtunded.

The most commonly used anaesthetic drugs these days are very much 'cleaner' in terms of nausea and vomiting than ones used historically, however, respecting that vomiting slows down recovery we usually give one or more anti-emetic to higher risk customers to minimise the chance they'll feel nauseated post-op (risk factors including sex/age/what the pathology is/what the operation is/past history/etc).

The drug that a lot of us would use routinely for ENT surgery actually has anti-emetic properties.

Maybe they just thought I looked like someone not likely to drink lemonade in the morning!
admission was 7am and I was clear fluids until 5am
it was pretty shitty as no food from the morning before until the morning after so 48hrs without food (they brought me toast but I choked on it as it was too dry after a full day under GA)

My point is that if you are as anxious as this then I think you should be talking to the GP about this or the team seeing you.

Terrifying. And it is not a "good nap". You are drugged heavily to stay unconscious, you don't sleep. You come round feeling exhausted and disoriented.

Not my experience, at all.

Around 12 years ago, I had a haemorrhaging uterine polyp removed under GA.

I can remember the walls looking a bit squiffy for a few seconds as I was coming round. Was given an oxygen clip for a few minutes, offered a drink and a pain killer (not that I was in any significant pain) and shortly afterwards wheeled back to the ward. Had toast and coffee. Got dressed and went to the loo by myself, was seen by the surgeon who had performed the procedure and discharged to the "departure lounge" for collection. I didn't feel at all exhausted or disoriented.

But perhaps you spent a longer time under GA. The OP isn't having a lengthy procedure.

I’ve never felt that way. The only side effect I have is I can’t sleep for about 48hrs after as I feel a bit wired
my shortest op was 30 mins and longest 8hrs 37

Ah brill

I’ve tried to reach out to my GP, they’re not arsed one bit

What do you mean by "reach out"? Have you made an appointment?

When you talk to your preop nurse ask if an anaesthetist wouldn't mind talking to you for a min.

GPs don't really have the insider knowledge to provide the reassurance (same as gp stuff is way outside of my scope)

That's certainly not the norm, most describe it as v pleasant but yea it's not true sleep. My recent pt amused me as was v annoyed at me waking him up declaring "why couldn't i sleep longer I was having an amazing time in india playing cricket with a fish" haha

I’ve had three appointments for my mental health this year, it’s all been the same - “it must be work stress, we’ll sign you off and you’ll be better”

It's not like sleeping. You just switch off like flipping a switch, mid-sentence if you're talking.

You will be catheterised during a long op. If you pee beforehand, you are unlikely to wet yourself during a short one.

It counts as clear fluid if you can see through it. So weak squash. Don't guzzle drinks, just sip them, you don't want to fill your stomach up with fluid, just enough so you're not dehydrated.

No extentions because they are metal and in the even that they have to shock you or use anything with an electrical current, they will burn you. No underwired bra if you want to keep it on. Sports bras are usually fine. Nothing with any metal in it.

Knickers will often be removed once you're under if they need to run a catheter in.

I have been under general anaesthetic four times. Each time felt very standard. They may or may not give a sedative before. Then they put the cap over and within a few moments it is blackout. I don’t recall dreaming or being aware of anything. Waking up for me was groggy because I seemed to have low blood pressure as a result every time. Other than that, after the first meal I felt more energy and all good.

I wasn't meaning to talk about the actual op - I was meaning to address this what seems to be acute health anxiety.

@RainSoakedNightsdo you think you will go through with this or pull out at the last minute?

I have not had a GA, but assisted anaesthetists lots (I trained as an ODP).
We used to get patients that asked what it was like. I just said it is like time travel. You blink and then you are hours into the future. I lost count of the amount of patients that woke up properly in recovery and asked if they had had their op as they thought it went by too fast.
Some people really love a GA.

Please don't use AI for medical advice. I see it has told you that you wont be intubated because your procedure is short. If you are having a GA, you will be. But you wont be aware of it at any point.

My DP had a hernia repair last year. He had a GA and was intubated, and his op was only about 20 minutes. I went to get him... met him outside the hospital and he marched out like nothing had happened.

Love the going to sleep part, not so much the waking up