Fear of general anesthetic?

[Maria971]

I'm posting in AIBU for more traffic...

I've never had any form of anesthetic before, and I'm really scared of it. I know it's very safe, especially for a young, fit person (I'm 30), but I'm just so terrified of that tiny possibility that I might not wake up!

Could anyone share their experiences with being put under/how afraid or not they were etc.

Its just like going for a nap. Yes there is a risk, but there is also a risk of not getting to the other side of the road alive every single time you cross it. Statistically GA is very safe.

I wanted to laugh react to this. I don't intend on having any more cosmetic surgeries.... 😂GA does put your body under pressure, but probably far less than it did years ago.

I've had 30 plus surgeries in my life- the first ones over 50 years ago when things were not as amazing as they are now shall we say! I've never not woken up 🙃 yet! I have to have a couple more soon and I'm more pissed off about blood tests, cannulas and the after surgery stuff than I am having a lovely sleep!

Dh, 69 had a skin cancer removed from his nose, and his nose rebuilt from bits of his ears, and a large graft from his forehead. He was out for 9 and a half hours. He knew nothing, really sympathetic staff, a bit of banter n he was out. Next thing he knew was waking up. No real after effects.. no sickness. No pain.

When I had surgery for the first time, I thought there were two possibilities. 1. I wake up - great. 2. I don't wake up...well, I am not going to know about it, am I?

I was terrified too, shaking and crying before it. He started counting down from 10 and i thought it wasn't going to work for my. Heard 7 and the next thing I knew i was awake and completely fixed. Best decision ever. Good luck!

I really am surprised by the "drifting off" stories. I felt like there was enormous weight on my chest and I was suffocating. I panicked and the anaesthetist said "it's normal to feel intense pressure on your lungs". I didn't drift off at all. It felt like my lungs had been crushed. And I wasn't even slightly nervous until then.

I really am dreading going through it again.

that sounds like the opioids hit a bit hard...it feels weird but isn't dangerous and just because it happened once doesn't mean it'd ever happen again.(anaesthetist)

Thank you for replying @Greybeardy

I had a bad reaction to morphine during my first emcs and can't have Codeine for example as I also react badly to it.

Do they always give opioids as part of an anaesthetic? Is it worth raising this at my pre-op next month?

Could be worse I suppose; DD woke up during her first GA!

I think for breast implants you'll be fine but be aware that you cant lift anything/stretch/reach for a few weeks after and you'll be tired, so tired.

I think everyone has a fleeting fear that they won’t wake up - it’s human nature.

But you will be fine.

Ex theatre nurse here.

Not only have I never seen someone not wake up, I've never met someone who has seen it.

I hope that's reassuring!

I'd mention it, but I wouldn't necessarily expect anything very different (they might want to see if they want/need to get hold of the anaesthetic chart if it's different Trusts)...they might tinker a bit with how they do it, but probably not masses (unless it's an operation that could be done with just local/a spinal injection...and then you might want to think about that just to avoid a GA if you feel really strongly about it). Opioids are an important part of the induction for most general anaesthetics and not all of them cause the sort of sensation it sounds like you described (morphine and codeine for example wouldn't cause that problem).