What is it that makes you so very afraid of a GA?
Do you drive with him in the car?
I think every parent of a child who has to have an operationfinds it scary, but I promise you (and DS has now had 5 GAs) that the anticipation of hospital stuff is usually a lot worse thn the ectuality - and that children sail through it while we feel the pain.
The procedure is very simple and straightforward and the staff will know exactly what to do. They will make it very matter of fact for your DS.H will start with 'magic cream' on his hand or elbow - which effectively numb the skin and underlyin tissue while they pu te canla in. You will be allowed into the room with him, and depending on his age he will sit on your lap while they put the canula in. If your DS is v yong, they may use gas before the canula.In oung children some anaesthetists will aft the gas tune under thei noses s tha tey feel very woozy before the mas goes over their nose.I older children they may tell them t lok at the monitor and tell them tha only a few children can breathe in enough to make the reading reach 100....of course the faster and harder they breathe, the faster they go out. Whn D was a baby, it took less than 10 seconds before he was fully unconscious..now he is it was actually much much quicker because he was trying to breathe hard enough to make the monitor go up.
Now comes the hard part. It is really emotipnal seeing your child unconscious on the trolley and every parent i have seen come back from leaving thier child in theatre has tears in thier eyes. They just look so vulnerable - and also you will have been keeping calm, keeping all your own anxiety well hidden and once they are asleep it all comes out.
You will be asked to remain on the ward until your DS is in recovery. They will call you down - a nurse will go with you - and you will be taken into recovery as your DS is regaining consciousness.
Use the time when your child is in theatre to have a snack - you might have been starving yourself in solidarity to encourage them, and need to regain your strength!
Your DS may be sleepy on recovery, hungry, thirsty - or quite simply raring to go within a v short time. If he has been given a morphine-based painkiller he may feel sick / throw up - ask the anaesthetist about about post-op pain relief whe he'she comes for the assessment chat, and if there is a morphine drug, ask fo anti-sickness medication at the same time.
After the operation you will want to giv your DS 100% attntion - don't have loads of relatives and friends all calling you on your mobile - let one contact know that he is OK and get them to tell everyone else.
The staff will all be really ood - and as expert at making us arents feel saf as they are at looking after the children.
Good luck - I hope it all goes well.