General Anaesthetic

[Amz6219]

Not sure if right place to post...

I have laparoscopy tomorrow and I’m getting very nervous about GA, not had one before

Anyone have experience of the procedure/run up?

Thanks! X

I had laparoscopic surgery a month ago - dead easy, they wheel you into surgery on a trolley bed, you pop your arm out on a little prop for them and the anesthetist says "here's your gin and tonic, madam!" with a cheery wink and gives you a dose of sedative into your arm cannula and asks you to count backwards from ten. I was dead proud because I made it all the way to nine this time before the lights went out, so to speak.

Then you wake up in recovery with a charming nurse who gives you a quick run down on what went on during surgery and who dabs at your bone dry lips with a little sponge on a stick ( they put a big breathing tube down your throat after you're out cold and your mouth gets as dry as dust.) When you've come round a bit they wheel you back to the ward and give you IV fluids and oxygen. Top tip: there is no need to try to climb off the bed yourself and attempt to get back to the ward under you own steam, as I did, twice, otherwise said nurse will have to hold you down whilst giggling hysterically and saying "it's ok love we'll push you no need to walk!"

The main problem I had was trapped CO2 gas under my diaphragm - they pump you full of it during laparoscopic surgery so they can see where they are going - although they try to get it all out afterwards if there's any bubbles left in there it irritates the nerves that run up through your diaphragm and into your shoulders and neck. This doesn't happen to everyone but it caused me some sharp pain in my right shoulder/neck and meant I couldn't lie flat for 48 hours. Top tip from a nurse on my ward - take charcoal tablets to help absorb the gas, but don't take them within two hours of any medications as they will absorb them too.

You will be allowed home the same day as long as a) you can do a wee and b) you have someone at home to look after you. My bladder stubbornly refused to function so i had to be catheterised and that meant I was kept in overnight.

Otherwise recovery has been uneventful aside from a bladder infection caused by the catheter.

Good luck - I'm sure you'll be fine :)

Hi. I have mine this week too and very nervous. Never had a GA before either. @Cailleach do you go dizzy or feel weird before you go to sleep? I'm worried about that (as well as everything in fact).

Good luck with yours @Amz6219. Please post on here afterwards to say how it went if you remember to.

I had my first one 2 years ago and was terrified. You get wheeled in on the trolley and they normally start attaching the equipment to you. In my case I had a blood pressure cuff and stuff to keep my legs warm. After that the anesthetiser will either give you a relaxing Injection first or the main injection. I was told to count to 10 and was asleep before they even put the mask on my face.

You will slowly wake up after it’s done. Normally you have a nurse right by your bed aswell just for you. I felt sick and in agony after mine. Luckily my nurse picked up on it and I was given anti sickness and pain relief. It’s quite normal and you can have a problem going to the toilet for a few days afterwards but it does come back.

Other then that good luck and rest up afterwards. I recommend peppermint tea for the wind pain you’ll get.

@Satsunday No, you feel it kick in for a split second then you're out like a light. It's bloody good stuff - you feel like you've had 8 solid hours kip when you come round!

I was watching the staff in the operating theatre all chatting and joking, double checking stuff, bustling around, everything running like clockwork, and I thought how calm and jolly they all were - and it did not cross my mind to be frightened, because basically this is what they do day in, day out, year in year out, and the collective level of education, training and experience in that room will have been phenomenal.

Don't stress, you'll be fine! I've had very little pain afterwards - apart from the gas pain - that the beauty of keyhole!

I've had a laparoscopy and gall bladder removal. I was so nervous about having general anaesthetic that I worked myself into a bit of a frenzy but it was really okay. Nothing to worry about from my experience.

You may find that you're quite thirsty after or a bit itchy as it wears off but that's it 😊

Drink lots of peppermint tea after the laparoscopy to remove the trapped wind as that can get uncomfortable xx

In terms of actually going to sleep, they put a cannula in your hand, put a flush in and then put the GA in and then you're gone.
Last surgery I had time to say "see you on the other side" and then woke up in recovery.

I'd love another GA, best sleep ever. Woke up was given pain relief. No nausea or anything. Back home in my own bed that night.

Thanks everyone! Much appreciated!

Really don’t know what I’m scared of in particular, just the initial hit I think - seems such a strange thing 🙈

And waking up with no glasses and panicking (I’m -7.00!)

Guess the anticipation is probably worse than the event!

I’ll keep you posted @Satsunday

I've had a few GAs and the initial "hit" as you describe it has always been lovely for me. It feels as though someone is lifting me to fly, feet first, up to the clouds. As for waking up without glasses, that's ok (minus 6.5 here). Although I did wake up in the recovery room a couple of years back asking why they kept a lion, which turned out to be a stuffed version for their younger customers. Hope all goes well, OP.

I have had GA a few times. Works so quick, injected through cannula,feels cold going in, looks white, sometimes oxygen/gas before, the next thing you know is waking up in recovery. It’s just total blackness, nothing like sleeping/dreaming etc. You wouldn’t have any idea of the length of time that has passed. Try it to worry OP, it’s understandable to be concerned. Perhaps ask pre-med if you feel anxious. Good luck.

Back as promised @Satsunday :)

Actually GA really nice!!! Quite lovely feeling when you’re going out...

I had local anaesthetic into hand then cannula in, obs (sticky patches for heartrate and blood pressure monitored, weird leg boot things put on), then a sedative which was lovely 😆 then they asked me about my favourite ever holiday and (un)lucky for them they only got ‘so we flew to Vegas’ ....

Woke up shivering in recovery to them saying my name, asked if shivering normal which she said yes then soon enough was back in my room. Felt sick when trying to eat so had an anti sickness then ate soon after.

Let home after all obs ok, eaten and had a wee. In at 7am, surgery was about 8am - 11am, and home by 18.00 (just got back) xx

@Amz6219 glad it went well! Thanks for updating us, now take it steady for a few days.

Glad it went well! Hope you have a very quick recovery xx

Thanks for the update @Amz6219. I'm glad it went well and it must be so nice being home again.

I've got myself into a right state today worrying. Just not sure I can go through with it. Combination of ocd and the lack of control GA aspect isn't good. Hopefully I can pull myself together on Thursday.

Honestly @Satsunday it’s fine. I considered cancelling so many times!

Fellow OCD and control freak here (with health anxiety thrown in too!) and it’s really not bad. The anxiety leading up to it is far worse than it is! I promise.

I just tried my best to relax, and before you know it you’re done!xx

Thanks @Amz6219. I have health anxiety too. And horrible thoughts about it that make me think stupid upsetting things (caused by ocd again I think). But if I cancel, the health anxiety will kick in big time as I have a cyst that will be removed (I will keep worrying about it otherwise). Every time the phone rings I hope it's them cancelling though!!

Thanks for your replies, it does help to hear from someone who has similar anxiety over it and that it was ok.

So pleased to read your update GA is really weird isn’t it? it’s the hardest thing to try to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it. I can remember thinking that won’t put me to sleep, counted to two & I was out!

@Amz6219 I did it!! Had to wait 5 hours. But I still did it. I have been afraid of having a general anaesthetic all my life. But it was the least bad part when I went under. Awake and then asleep and then awake. If anyone else is scared and reading this at any point, as people have said on here, it is actually ok. The worry is alot worse than the actual anaesthetic.

Thanks for updating Satsunday. I am about to go to bed. I am having a GA tomorrow. Decided to have one last look on here before I go to sleep. Very reassuring.

@shiningstar2 I'm so glad it has helped. I hope it goes really well tomorrow. One thing I did do was ask them to tell me exactly what was happening and when (i.e. which medicine and how I would feel) and to make sure I went to sleep fairly quickly. I found that it gave me back some element of control. I didn't want a premed as again as I like to feel in control but there is always that option. I would think that however you go to sleep it is ok though and so much less of a scary thing than it may seem.

Please update on here if you remember to, it's always good to hear how people got on. Honestly the wait and the thinking is ALL of the bad bit, not the going to sleep.

Yay!!! @Satsunday I’m so pleased for you!!!

Knowing how hard it is, you’ve done amazingly!! Xx

Thanks @Amz6219. And so have you, we definitely need to treat ourselves after all that worry!! I hope your recovery is going well (I'm not liking the gas but not doing too badly).

@shiningstar2 I hope it went well for you today and you're feeling ok.