Can you tell me what happens when you have a general anaesthetic for surgery

[iQuitToday]

I am due to have surgery in a couple of months and I am terrified. Never had surgery before and the thought of being put to sleep panics me.

it a pretty big op and will be life changing for me so in my best interest to have the surgery but at the minute I can’t see me going through with it. How do you feel after the anaesthetic wears off?

Are you going in overnight or day surgery? You get taken to the anaesthetists room, and you are on the bed while they chat to you, make you feel at ease. They've literally seen all sorts of people- most people are very nervous so completely normal and they are used to it.

I actually can't remember the actual how it was given part but essentially, you are talking to them one second and the next you wake up in the recovery room. Absolutely no recollection.

There's usually lots of nurses fussing over you as you wake up, lots of beepy machines. You don't really feel anything initially, no pain, just you aren't quite awake yet. It's not uncommon for people to say funny things - I think I was chatting nonsense for a few minutes. Totally normal.

After major surgery you are usually given a clicker in your hand to allow you to self administer morphine, its set to a limit so you cannot have too much, that keeps any pain under control and you are still fairly sedated for the first few hours. At some point the surgeons come back and see how you are and let you know how it went.

I've had two one for knee, and one for a major organ. Main thing is more the recovery back home, staying on top of any soreness with pain relief, lots of sleep etc. You will be fine.

I have had quite a few operations. I’m going to leave out the operation element because that will determine what levels of pain you may or may not wake up with. But I experience the whole aspect of the anaesthetic as very relaxing. Usually you are on a hospital trolley bed. They wheel you towards the operating theatre but you go into a side room, not the theatre itself, which you will never see.

More checks on things like heart rate and blood pressure, and I’ll ask you your name and date of birth for the 1 billion time. Then they’ll set up ports in your hands to administer the fluids. They’ll say things to you like countdown from 10 and in my experience I’ve never gone past about seven.

Then you magically wake up later.

Personally, I have no general anaesthetic after effects. Some people are really knocked out by them for weeks afterwards.

try and look at it as something like an opportunity to relax.

I've had several, the most recent a couple of months ago.

You are admitted, then have a pre-operative check where you answer questions about your general health and they weigh you so they can calculate the anaesthetic correctly.

When it's time for surgery, you are taken to the anaesthetist who explains what's going to happen and puts a cannula in.

You then lie back and they tell you when they are administering the anaesthetic. If you have any aches and pains you are briefly conscious of them all disappearing which is bliss; there's also a cold sensation in your veins - but it's very, very brief and basically, two seconds later (it seems like) you are waking up in the recovery room.

You are kept in the recovery room for about an hour and they check your SATs etc. then you will go back to your ward or be discharged to go home depending on what procedure you have had. You might feel a bit sick as the anaesthetic wears off, and tired for the rest of the day.

I personally enjoy a GA just for that bit where all my aches and pains vanish for a split second.

I've had GA a few times and like others have said it's fine. The nurses and Drs are lovely in my experience, very reassuring and talk you through everything. Waking up is a little disorientating for a few seconds, there is a quick where am I then you realise and go oh I'm alive, that's good(my surgeries were emergency ones so this may just be me). I wasn't in any pain after my surgeries, there were lots of people fussing over me to make sure that I wasn't.

It sounds scary and if I had know my surgeries were coming up I would have been really nervous too but honestly it's fine, everyone is lovely and very reassuring throughout.

I had my gallbladder removed yesterday, not going to lie, the waking up afterwards was pretty bad, I shivered so much, no pain but feeling very sick and out of it. Curious79 explains the pre anesthetic procedure spot on, once they said they were going to start I was completely out, closed my eyes and I was fast asleep. In recovery I had 3 doses of anti sickness meds and they put a heated blanket on me, I was probably there 30 minutes, then wheeled back on my room where I slept for at least an hour and woke up so much better.

Thanks all, I’ll be expected to be an inpatient for about 5 days, depending on recovery. I’m a panicker so I know I will be soooo anxious just before and even when I wake up I can imagine being anxious then. I hate that i have to have this surgery. 😭

I’m always fine until I get to the anaesthetic room bit and then panic but I think they’re obviously very used to it!
last time she asked me loads of questions about my job and pets and tattoos and distracted me so much the next thing i remember is waking up. So definitely tell them if you’re really nervous

The best sleep you’ll ever have

When I had a hysterectomy a few years ago I was given options. For example when I took my underwear off (you got changed in a cubicle) and was given some bloody good drugs before I even went down!

I woke up in recovery 5 hours afterwards (think surgery only took an hour!).

Then next thing I knew it was 3pm and I was wheeled to the ward!

In recovery you’ll be aware of others around you and can communicate but you’ll likely be very “out of it” and it can be daunting.

I had these things on my legs that pumped up and down when I came round which I wasn’t expecting so ask about anything drops or drains or anything you might get so you’re prepared.

The staff couldn’t have been nicer nor more caring. I felt informed and that I consented the whole way through.

The only thing that took me by surprise was how narrow the operating bed was as they prepped the anaesthetic 😂

Probably worth remembering that not all GA’s are the same - we do a lot of tinkering to make it the right thing for the specific operation and the individual patient. I wouldn’t be 100% surprised if the sort of surgery that came with a planned 5 day stay in hospital might come with a slightly different anaesthetic to the basic ones that most pp’s are describing. Anaesthetist should be able to explain it all either in preassessment clinic or on the day.

It’s the best sleep I’ve ever had. Obviously you’re going to worry but going under is blissful for me. Your team around will explain everything and as a busy mum, even though I had a buggered up ankle, they took away every ounce of panic I felt. I felt a little light headed when I woke up and so thirsty but recovered fully from the effects by the next day. Depending on the surgery, pain levels should be nil once you wake up- then it’s just managing it once the IV painkillers wear off. You’ll be fine - wishing you a speedy recovery xx

1000% this!

best nap ever! No issues after waking up!

I'm a registered nurse and did 1 month in operating theatre.

You wait around a fair bit, we roll you in, do the checks. Anaesthetist gives you nice mixture of meds that'll give you the best sleep. The team all have roles, no extra people allowed. Atmosphere is very calm, relaxed. Some surgeons play very relaxed YouTube music playlists.

Everything is done in such order that by the end of the month I honestly felt like I've been doing it forever.

By the way because of the keyhole surgeries these days, we mostly look at the screen 80% of the time. Anaesthetist chills in the corner. They get paid a lot but my god they must feel bored most of the time.

They'll ask you to count to 10. You will think it's obvious you won't be asleep before you get to 10. You'll get to 4 and it will be the next day. You'll feel groggy but wonderfully relaxed.

maybe if you find yourself in theatre again it'd be worth chatting to the anaesthetists about what they're doing.... 100% promise that even if it may look pretty chilled most of the time, but there's quite a lot going on😉

Don't let your fear put you off @iQuitToday . I was the same the first time I had a general anaesthetic. I'm a single parent and had convinced myself I would die on the operating table, leaving my children alone etc etc etc. I'm usually fairly logical and rational but somehow terror got the better of me.

The theatre staff and the Anaesthetist were all incredibly kind and reassuring. They saw that I was shaking uncontrollably and utterly petrified and after checking with the surgeon they said they'd put me under asap. For me the anaesthetic itself was so much easier than the build up. You just lie there and they tell you to start counting and you briefly think "oh, this will never work" as you start counting and then the next thing you know, someone is telling you it is time to wake up!

Good luck. I hope the op goes well for you.

The only annoying thing for me is I can never sleep for 2 days after! I wake up and that’s it, I’m wide awake

Tell the staff you are nervous and they will give you a pre-med to relax you before you even leave the ward. Usually the anaesthetist will chat to you beforehand.

@Greybeardy of course I chatted a lot to anaesthetists - what do you think we did for 6+ hour surgeries

Plus I was anaesthetic nurse for a portion of my placement.

Sometimes anaesthetists 'worked' on their iPads in the corner but everyone knew they're watching movies. This is in Australia.

Their responsibility is huge especially as vitals start going down. But they do chill most of the surgery.

Before the operation you'll have lots of tests, bloods, breathing etc, and you'll probably be assessed by the anaesthetist who will be looking after you.
Follow all the instructions you are given about when you can eat and drink on the day of the op.
Immediately before the op you may be given an injection to help your blood, and you might be given a pre-med to help calm you, the anaesthetist might visit you also.
If you've got any crowns or bridge work on your teeth, tell the anaesthetist (or your nurse if the anaesthetist isn't available) about them.

As everyone has said, you will quickly and easily drift off to sleep as you count backwards from 10!

Afterwards, you will probably feel woozy at first, but as you rest post-op you will soon start to feel better. There will be tests to monitor your recovery, eg to make sure you are breathing properly.

You might be offered tea & toast some time later when you have woken up fully, and I can tell you it will be the best tea & toast you've ever eaten!

You might like to start a thread about what to pack to take into hospital? All best wishes for a speedy recovery.

If you are nervous tell them and ask for something to help with that.

I've had a few ops.

Before the op they will put a canula in your hand or arm so they can give you meds in theatre.

You will be wheeled in to the anaesthetic room, be given something in to your canula and then a mask on your face and sometimes they ask you to count backwards from 10, if you are stubborn you might get to 7.

Then you will wake up and it is all over.

Shortly after this you will be offered a cup of tea and some toast. I'm not a fan of hospital tea and toast so I pack a sandwich and a coffee in a flask.

Try this to see what the anaesthetists do

It's the best. I remember lying down, next minute I woke up and it was all over. Had a little snooze and then got driven home. With anything there are risks so do your research, but ime it was great.

🙄

The going under is dead easy. Waking up can be variable. I've had GA several times and a couple of them I woke up angry, disoriented, and yelling at the nurses! I apologised and they assured me that it's not a rare reaction. But after a few minutes I was fine albeit groggy.