Question General anaesthetic

[itcheh]

I've just found out I need to go to hospital in a few weeks and will be put under general anaesthetic ... which for some reason scares the crap out of me more than the procedure itself!

Never been a patient before ... barely had the need to see a GP for the last 36 years ... but it seems that you hit your mid-thirties and the NHS starts hitting panic buttons for the smallest of issues

Any experiences / advice the Freddy crowd can give would be most welcome!

 

[Raven]

It really is nothing, the worst part is the big fuck off needle they stick in your hand. After that you go unconscious, you don't dream and then all of a sudden you are awake, a little confused and a bit dopey. The last time I had it I woke up in a corridor covered in my own blood which was a bit of a surprise to say the least, I had all 4 wisdom teeth out under general anaesthetic. They were growing too close to a nerve and they only had about 1mm of room for error so general anaesthetic was the only option. You feel groggy for an hour or two then you will be fine.

 

[DaGaffer]

Nothing to it these days, used to be like the mother of all hangovers when you came around (even 10-15 years ago when I had my appendix out), but new techniques seem to have got rid of all that from what I've seen recently (my girlfriend had a GA about a year ago with no side effects and my Dad had three big surgeries and was amazingly alert and lucid straight after all of them).

Do know one friend of my parents who had quite bad hallucinations when he came around after throat cancer surgery a few years ago; attacked the nurses!

 

[MYstIC G]

When you wake up, don't try and sit bolt upright like I did, there may be cables attached!

 

[old.Tohtori]

You go out and then you most likely will wake up to the sound of sirens, distant screams and feel a bit out of it.

When you finally make your way through the hospital, that's all sorts of f*cked up, loose wiring, busted down doors and blood every which where, you'll notice that the zombie apocalypse has begun.

In a nutshell that is.

 

[Scouse]

When you wake up, don't try and sit bolt upright like I did, there may be cables attached!

This

Don't worry about it. Been under a few times. You won't notice going under - you notice the waking up. I was a little startled each time upon waking and the last couple of times I've thrown up a couple of hours down the road.

Just lie down, look at the tits of the nurses, trust the surgeon to do the job he's probably already done twice that day and enjoy the groggy feeling you get when you awake.




Edit: I wish that what Toht said happened to me. That would have been cooooooooool!

 

[MYstIC G]

Just lie down, look at the tits of the nurses

If you watched Russell Howard's good news yesterday, this is apparently good for you.

 

[Tom]

Check your arse hymen is intact when you wake up.

 

[Chilly]

doing a poo would be problematic if we all had ahymens.

 

[chipper]

do yourself a favour when you wake up dont try get out of bed. i needed a wee and tried getting up only to find my legs didnt work, needless to say i face planted the floor altho on the upside i did get 2 fit nurses pick me up

oh ye and when they put the heart monitor cables on you (its standard dont worry) dunno if they still put em on ya chest dont tap em it sets off all sorts of alarms.

as said the worst part is the needle in the back of the wrist unfortunately its just not nice do yaself a favour and just look away

the anaesthetic is just weird it feels like someones running cold water down the inside of your arm and then about 4 seconds later your unconcious

 

[Billargh]

Don't get the gas (if they even still allow it these days), it tastes awful!

 

[old.user4556]

They will sedate you before hand which will make you feel drowsy, rather drunk and in a sort of "don't give a fuck" mood. They'll give you the stuff to knock you out, then you'll wake up.

I've have 2 GAs in my life and was terrified before each, but there is nothing to be worried about really.

 

[Gray]

Don't get the gas (if they even still allow it these days), it tastes awful!

Had the needles a few times for various things, but when i was younger i once opted for the strawberry flavoured gas.

Never. Again.

I was 10x worse with the gas than the actual needles, was sick all day.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Don't get the gas (if they even still allow it these days), it tastes awful!

Yeah and the hot nurse ladies don't like it when you push their heads under the cover to savor it either.

 

[Bahumat]

Just eat a curry the night before, fart and give yourself a dutch oven. Should knock you out for a couple of hours.

 

[MYstIC G]

Oh, it'll feel cold as well, which will weird you out.

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Sorry Itcheh,

version 1)

they're going to put you under then use you for horrible genetic experiments. Also, while you're unconcious, the nurses will laugh at your little willy. Several days after you leave hospital you're going to give birth to a genetic freak that will destroy civilisation as we know it.

version 2)

Man up. They're giving you legal drugs and even if something bad happens you're family will get lots of wonga.

Hope this helps

 

[Kryten]

It's cracking good fun. I always see how long I can remain awake and try and beat them counting down for me. Never worzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

[mycenae]

Really no biggy these days. If you can swallow your pride enough to talk to the aneasthetist on the day of the op ( which everyone has to do) and tell them your fears, chances are they can allay most of them for you. The kind of anaesthetic you'll get depends on the kind of surgery you're going to be having and how long you'll need to be out for.....par for the course now, they almost NEVER use gas...except for children and emergencies, for the pure and simple reason that it takes too long to kick in on an adult.

You will have to have a cannula inserted, most likely into the back of your hand, which, I'll admit is not pleasant, but its over within seconds. Again, if you're truly terrified of this, tell the anaesthetist and they may be able to offer you some cold spray or numbing cream.....if you're not ashamed to ask for it, they won't laugh about giving it to you (we use it as routine for all the kids!)

You'll get wheeled into the anaesthetic room....or they may ask you to walk in then lie down on the bed. They'll attach a 3 lead heart tracing (on on each shoulder and one just below your left nipple), a sats monitor (a finger clip with a red light in it) and a blood pressure cuff, all of which is routine.

As someone does all this, they will also be putting the cannula in. They may have given you a pre med.....if they have, you'll be dopey at this point so probably not notice much. Once all the monitoring is on, they'll put a mask over your face which will be just oxygen and ask you to take a few deep breaths. You'll then be given a white medicine into the cannula which will feel like your arm is slowly being immersed into cold water.....once that feeling hits your shoulder, you'll be out for the count and won't know anything until you wake up again...when the nice nurses can give you lots of lovely morphine and you can have a nice kip, followed by tea and biscuits.

Its really not so bad.....and I both do this for a living and have been on the receiving end quite a few times
Message me if you have questions...am happy to help

 

[old.Tohtori]

Hmm, sounds almost like my last visit. With the mask on, laying in bed and all, except that it was a clip on the left nipple and a cannoli going in.

I'm not sure it was a real hospital

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Aye, Anaesthetists are highly trained specialists. Not just any old hospital johnny allowed to perform that part of the procedure. Should be fine, good luck with the op

 

[Sparx]

imagine if your surname was Anaesthetic, and you were a general in the Army...

 

[Rubber Bullets]

and a cannoli going in.

I'm not sure it was a real hospital

If it was a cannoli going in then it probably wasn't a real hospital.

RB

 

[Zenith.UK]

imagine if your surname was Anaesthetic, and you were a general in the Army...

Along with Private Parts, Major Asshole and General Mayhem.

 

[Sparx]

What a strange platoon that would be

 

[Jiggs]

Had hiccups for 3 days solid last time I had an OP, the pipe they use bruised the inside of my throat.

Ice cream was the only thing which helped

 

[mycenae]

Had hiccups for 3 days solid last time I had an OP, the pipe they use bruised the inside of my throat.

Ice cream was the only thing which helped

Its quite common to have a sore throat post op....but a bruised throat wouldn't give you hiccups....more likely your diaphragm suffered a bit of trauma which is what caused it.

 

[Turamber]

I was very scared when I had my emergency procedure back in July. I'd never had an operation before and not even had any teeth removed at the dentist so it was all a new experience to me.

If you explain your fears the medical professionals will talk you through what happens and re-assure you. When you are in the antechamber to the operating ward they will check your reaction to the anaesthetic.

Only strange part I found was forgetting where I was when I was woken up. Felt like a very very deep sleep.

 

[Tom]

Its quite common to have a sore throat post op....but a bruised throat wouldn't give you hiccups....more likely your diaphragm suffered a bit of trauma which is what caused it.

That would be the erect penis being rammed down it.

 

[Lazarus]

are you a smoker?

post op, they vacuum out all the gunge in your lungs using a vacu-jar. if you are a smoker - it will come out all brown and shit looking and probably give you a sore throat afterwards.