Come talk to me about what happened after my anesthetic

[giraffesCanRunA10k]

As reccomended on here I told lovely anesthetist I didn't want tube in mouth when I woke up and she said she would make sure it was gone and it was So thanks for that tip.

Have sinus tachy, being investigated - awaiting echo and monitor, had repeated ECGs. was tachy pre op anyway (always am tachy)

When I came round I was very happy/giggly saying "YAY I am alive!" but did tell them I had chest pain and it got quite bad, they put me back on 02. It felt like a big heavy book was on my chest and I couldnt breathe, i felt like I was being squashed. I kept telling them "someones put a yellow pages on my chest and is standing on it" thats how my drugged up mind described it but its fairly accurate description! Had monitors on and my heart was racing, was flung back to lye back further, and all these people came running in. I couldnt move half my body, and saw black spots and kept closing my eyes, I could hear them and would give them a small reply but I wanted to sleep just felt out of it. Put me on a drip as BM 3. After I came round a bit from the black spots thing I was hysterically sobbing and was trying to push this "weight" off my chest. Stayed on 02 for a while as well and gradually felt better.

BM up to 14. Soon went back down again. Fed biscuits, went up...soon went back down. Fed tea with sugar and buiscuts - still too low. So fed sandwiches and juice. They have put on my letter to GP that I need a fasting BM test as it was erratic.

I also collapsed at one point and had ECG - showed same as previous ones.

Sorry long! Quite cathartic writing it all, was scary feeling like I couldnt breathe.

That sounds really terrifying

I'm not sure what is supposed to happen but I wouldn't have thought this was par for the course. Are you able to ask someone there to talk you through the reasons you felt that way?

What is BM btw?

Oh blimey, I knew I shouldn't have read this..

I don't know what you have had done, but I am having a general on the 1st September and I am already worrying aboutit

BM = blood sugar levels but not sure exactly what it stands for but its the wee test they do when prick finger

bella I have underlying heart probs. I was petrified but nurses were fab. What you having done? DO you want to ask anything about what happens? I wanted to ask loads before mine! The bit where I felt awful was over in half an hour, after that I felt ok was just my readings/monitors werent great but were better than at my worst.

The staff were so lovely, it honestly wasnt as bad as I thought despite that. the being drunk feeling was quite nice!! And at no point was I in pain from post op stuff. So honestly I know I cant stop you worrying as everyone said it to me but its not as bad as I thought. Infact in a way I know this sounds wierd but Im glad I had a heard episode on record now, where as before I was having symptoms and tachy but was very very tachy there much more than usual and Im glad someone saw it iyswim. Also next time will prob be kept on O2 for longer etc. So despite what happened I wont be as nervous next time as I was that time, it was more the fear of the unknown.

Please ask anything bella if you want.

Flight - am awaiting heart echo scan thing and a monitor - poss 24 hour one. And then to see Gp about BM monitoring. Hosp were asking if I wee alot - yes. And said I should get tested for diabtetes, im not convinced but will get tested anyway.

How long were you under for? It sounds awful. When I woke up from my GA I was v confused and my blood oxygen level was erratic but that turned out to be because I kept forgetting to breath!

bm = blood sugar/glucose monitoring.

Giraffe,maybe your blood pressure dropped,and in combination with having a low blood sugar this accounted for you seeingblack spots.Possibly you were also a bit hypoxic (o2 deprived) following anaesthesia and the crushing sensation and not being able to get your breath was part of it?

Just a guess.Glad you are ok now though.Hope you get some answers re tachycardia.

Wasnt under for long at all, got taken to get put under about 2ish and then when I was coming out of recovery I remember saying "ooh its 3.30 you are so efficient well done"

giraffes - I am having arthroscopy surgery to the knee (cartelidge). I am just wondering if they will put a mask over my face to put me to sleep or an injection.. thinking about the mask now makes me all claustrophobic . And that feeling when you wake up - eurgh. Did you feel woozy or sick, I know everyone is different, but I just know I am gonna feel like that.

Sorry to hear you were feeling so rough.
It sounds to me like your tachy was causing the symptoms of chest pain. It's a bit of a vicious circle - as your heart rate increases, the muscle needs more O2,so the heart rate increases to try and meet the O2 demands but if it's going really really fast, then it simply can't keep up which is what causes the chest pain, hence putting you on the O2. The tachycardia can also cause your BP to drop, which is why the staff would have laid you down flat.
I would have thought that the tachy could have contributed to your low BMs as well - you would have already starved for theatre, then had this episode of tachy - whatever stores of glucose you would have had would be burned out.
Hope you're feeling better now!

Bella thats what I had!! But on my wrist. I had an injection and that seems to be the way it is for adults, they did but something over my face as I was falling asleep but it was fine. If you mention to them you are scared about that then I really think they could put if off for a few seconds more until you are asleep. But it was definetly the injection that put me to sleep - and mask just felt like an oxygen mask.

I was very worried about waking up and feeling awful, I was terrified id feel sick etc. At first I woke up and I felt worderful, I felt happy and drunk and was really cheerful and so pleased to be alive. Then I had that issue and I felt so out of it and the adrenaline was probably going so it seems so scary looking back on it but your body takes over and its just happening, its so fast and as soon as they realised there was a prob they fixed it very fast.

I did say a few times Im going to be sick but I wasnt, and I only felt sick for about 5 min in hosp - honestly that was it. Much later on way home I felt like I was going to be sick in the car, felt like morning sickness. But I wasnt ever sick. And it passed when I got in and was sitting down.

I did feel a bit dizzy when walking but this is an issue for me sometimes with heart thing. But I didnt feel awful with it and it wasnt constant.

To be honest apart from the dizzy spell thing I felt fine. I actually had a lot of energy was quite cheerful. I had swine flu the other week and felt so much worse with that, you know that "ill/blah" feeling i really didnt have it after op.

If you feel clostrophobic with mask thing could as your anesthitist to do what mine did andmake sure tubes out.

Anything else you want to know - poss specific to arthoscopy? If you do think of anything let me know. I understad=nd how you feel I was petrified and so happy to help.

Thanks giraffes, I will ask that they use the mask when I am more or less out of it - think it is that gassy/dentisty smell that makes me feel like that - when I was 5 I had to have 7 teeth out in one go and I can still remember the mask now...

Will definitely ask for the tubes to be removed before I come round.

Hope your wrist is healing ok.

Oh no this didnt smell at all, I really wonder if it was just oxygen then they put on me. Perhaps someone else will know.

stan & wrinkkly thanks for those explanations