Afraid of General Anesthesia

I've been put under multiple times. I usually get sick afterwards, as I have a rather weak stomach. I too am one who wakes up swearing at people to leave me alone, to let me sleep. They give you something to relax you before putting you under. It really helps.

It's perfectly safe. I let them put my 4 week old baby to sleep. He did it again at 13 months. If they can put little babies to sleep at such a young age, they can easily do you :-)

I can tell you that I've been under GA more times than I can count and have never had any trouble and that the anesthesiologist has done this thousands of times (which is most likely true), but I don't really know if that will bring you much comfort, because this time it's happening to you.

It might help to know that the anesthesiologist has one job, and one job only ... to keep you as comfortable as possible throughout the entire process. This is not someone who is going to give you a shot and then walk away. This is a doctor that is going to spend a few minutes getting to know you and your medical history, will be by your side the entire time measuring your vitals, adjusting your meds if need be and watching for any signs of distress and will be the doctor giving instructions to the nurse who stays with you in recovery.

Remember the first time you had to have a pelvic exam and your mom and other women told you the doctor has seen it all? The nurses in recovery have seen it all, as well. The nurses who work in recovery see many patients each day as they slowly wake up from surgery, so they see all kinds of reactions. You won't do anything they've never seen.

You really are going to be fine, but please know that it's ok to be nervous and it's ok to ask lots of questions.

I've had general anesthesia a few times. You go under quickly, and then you wake up. The worst thing is them waking you up when you just want to keep sleeping. Kind of like how I feel every morning when my alarm goes off.

You won't wake up during the surgery, you won't die, and you won't wake up screaming. It will be fine.

As far as being embarrassed by anything about surgery -- remember, doctors have seen it all. There's nothing to be embarrassed about.

Don't worry, they've done zillions of these things, and laparoscopic surgery is pretty minimally invasive, it will be fine.

Think of it this way: Is the stuff we worry about EVER the stuff that actually happens? No!

Welcome to mamapedia, A.!

I'm sorry. I know what you are feeling. You are not alone.

I've had several surgeries (wisdom teeth removed, teeth removed for braces, several knee surgeries, colonoscopy (that was twilight), three D&Cs, tubal ligation, hysterectomy). Each time I've had a different response.

You need to talk with the anesthesiologist to let them know you are scared and have NEVER been under general before. There is a sedative they can give you to help you as you go under as well as when you wake up.

They will tell you NOT to eat or drink from midnight on - DO NOT eat or drink.

What I can tell you is that you need to relax. I know..I know...easier said than done. I get a tad nervous every time I've gone under and it's normal.

The chances of you waking up during surgery are slim - unless you lie to them about your weight and any other health conditions you have.

Please understand the nurses and doctors KNOW how to handle situations like this. I cried and was begging for my mom when I woke up after having my teeth pulled. My mom was laughing. Thank God we didn't have cell phones then!!! I've woken up laughing and crying....

Just know you are NOT alone in your fears. The doctors and nurses are there to HELP YOU and are TRAINED to help you.

Tell the anesthesiologist your fears. It's REALLY okay. He or she will come in to see you PRIOR to your surgery. He or she will ask you if you have any concerns. He/she will tell you EXACTLY what they are doing and using (they have for me). Your doctor will also come in and talk to you.

You've got this. You will be fine!

These kinds of bad scenarios are very rare. You probably have more of a chance of getting in a car accident on the way there than this happening. Please don't worry yourself. I have had to go under general anesthesia multiple times (5) and it's a non-event. Pleasant even. Coming out of it was also fine...no weirdness, no craziness, nothing. This is the experience you are most likely to have...you are given the anesthesia and people are talking to you and making sure you are doing ok...you blink and suddenly you are in another room with someone saying you are all done. Please do not be so afraid. You will see...it will be just fine. You will feel a little sheepish afterwards that you had this much fear because it really will be fine.

QAsk for valium. Start taking it now/on Monday. The anesthesioligist can help you deal with this fear.

I've had several major surgeries with general anesthesia and all went well. The nurse always gave me valium 30 minutes or so before going into the operating room. You can ask for it sooner.

Of course you're nervous. You have to let go of all control and trust the nurses and doctors. I suspect this will be more difficult for you than for someone without an anxiety disorder.

As to coming out of anesthesia, confused, crying and screaming. The nurses are trained for this. They expect this from a few of their patients. You need not be embarrassed. Doing this has nothing to do with who you are. It's a reaction to the sedative. Again, I suspect your fear is related to you thinking you have to be in control to be safe. Accept that for surgery, you have very little control. You have some control in that you can ask for help. Definitely ask for help.

If you postpone the surgery you will just be anxious for longer. You must have the surgery. Do it now and get it overwith.

it's sensible to be concerned about surgery, and anesthesia. it's good to gather information and make sensible decisions.
it's not sensible to go to the worst case scenarios and wallow there. nor to put 'embarrassment' as one of your reasons to postpone the surgery.
if your own mother is not a safe enough person to handle seeing you in a potential post-anesthesia state, don't take her with you. the irrationality that SOME people experience isn't a character flaw. it's a temporary medical situation.
yes, anesthesia carries risks. you need to weigh the risk of using it under the professional auspices of a trained and competent anesthesiologist against the risks of ignoring your doctor's advice and letting the cyst remain. i know what i'd choose.
both of my kids came out of the GA screaming like banshees. it was pretty horrifying. but i'm their mother, and didn't make important decisions about their health based on a brief period of angst for me.
tell your doctor about your through-the-roof anxiety and get him to prescribe something to calm you down.
khairete
S.

I've been put under GA a few times. My experiences have been good. For me, the whole experience of going under was like being hugged by a happy little sleep cloud. :) I was groggy when I woke up naturally, but when I got home, I took a killer nap and was fine after that. Don't postpone the surgery over something like this. Dermoid cysts don't go away on their own like simple cysts and can continue to grow. You don't want any complications down the road. If you don't understand what a dermoid cyst is and how it's different from other types of ovarian cysts, you should ask your doctor to explain.
It will have to be done eventually, so get it over with now.

I've been put under once, and I was very nervous just like you. But it turned out great. I spoke with the doctor and the anesthesiologist beforehand and told them how nervous I was. He gave me some anti anxiety medicine through my IV that really calmed me down beforehand. Then they wheeled me into the room, and explained what they were going to do, then asked me to count backward from 100. The anesthesiologist stayed next to me the whole time. I remember seeing everyone prepping around me, got to 96, then felt super tired and fell asleep. It was an 18 min procedure, but when they woke me up I felt groggy, but like I just had the best deepest sleep of my life. Like someone hit the reset button, haha. You'll be fine. :)

I have been put under twice, once when I was 9 and once when I was 16. I have a very high tolerance for medication. I woke up during the surgery when I was 9. It was not that big of a deal. I was only awake for a couple of seconds, the medication was immediately readjusted, and then I was out again. I woke up groggy and wanted to just go back to sleep. When I was 16, I woke up in the last few seconds of the surgery as they were finishing stitches. Once again, not a big deal. It's more common to wake up in surgery than you would think and in most cases, the person is perfectly fine and you aren't awake long enough to feel anything. If you have a high tolerance for medication or vice versa, a low tolerance, let the doctor know so they will be aware. You will be fine!

There are old stories about medications that used to be used, especially for women undergoing childbirth in the 1950s and 1960s. Some of those caused bizarre behavior. When I worked in a women's health clinic, some of the older nurses used to talk about how patients behaved in the old days.

But anesthesia has come a long way. People You are not going to be "under" all that long, and you are having laparoscopic surgery which is as minimally invasive as possible. You're not having a ton of anesthesia like someone who undergoes a 4 hour major surgery. So you won't need as much anesthesia or for nearly as long.

They will probably give you something to relax you - through your IV. When you meet with the anesthesiologist, please do express your concerns so that the doctor can reassure you. You'll be asked about allergies and so on, so be honest and forthcoming. These doctors frequently see people who are anxious. While you don't have to go into details, you can say you have a lot of pressures at home and minimal support, so that feeds into your anxiety. Please DO say that you are afraid of acting irrationally, not waking up, or waking up during the surgery so the anesthesiologist can explain to you what he/she will do so that doesn't happen.

Please understand that you will be monitored at all times during your surgery, and you will be brought "out of it" as soon as is feasible. But if you seem to wake up during the surgery (if your eyes open, if your breathing speeds up, etc.), there is someone right there to help that. But you're not going to wake up completely and be entirely aware of things - that just doesn't happen. You will also have a nurse with you before, during and after who is highly experienced at helping people manage with their nervousness.

Some people might get a headache from some anesthetics, some may feel a little nauseated, but you may not. If you do, they can help you. When you wake up, they will still be giving you something for the abdominal pain so that you stay comfortable.

I had a laparoscopy and never had any problems at all. I remember nothing.

In my personal and clinical experience, I never heard of anyone doing anything wild or crazy or embarrassing in the last 30 years of anesthesia.

I'm so glad you will have your mother with you. Don't feel you need to put on an act for her or for the staff - no one would blame you for anything you said while groggy or sleepy anyway! Good luck with everything!

I have had two D&Cs and one laproscopy under GA.

You go in and honestly the worst part is getting the IV put in. After that they give you a little dose of something to relax you, then you don't really care what is going on. It is a lovely floaty feeling and then when they get you in the OR and on the table they have you count backwards from 100. You get to 99...98...and then you are waking up.

When you wake up it is to the nurse talking comfortingly to you in a recovery area and sometimes the doctor will be there to give you a run down on the surgery and how it went...you will remember maybe 25% of what he says so have your mom take notes when he talks with her. Then I would drift off again for a while and wake up with my husband talking to me in a different recovery section. I would stay there until I could drink some juice, eat some crackers (keep both down) and go to the bathroom to pee. I never had nausea or vomiting. Usually I was hungry because of all the pre-op fasting required.

Even in recovery with my husband I would drift in and out still a bit groggy. Finally I would be awake enough and pass the discharge tests and go home.

I would sleep on the way home and spend the rest of the day in bed sleeping and watching tv off and on.

If you tell them you are so very very nervous they will probably give you a little sedative asap to help you relax. Oh the paperwork can be very scary signing about all the things that can go wrong...just skim and initial, then sign.

You can do it!! Good luck!!

I've been put under a few times. It was never a problem. I woke up after each one a bit groggy, but that's all.

I had a lumpectomy done 3 years ago (my most recent surgery) and the OR was backed up, so my morning surgery didn't actually get done until late afternoon. I couldn't eat before the surgery, so when I woke up, I was STARVING! My husband brought me a pizza and the poor nurses were like "Oh, please don't eat too fast, you might vomit from nausea". They were so worried. I told them "Don't worry, ladies, I'm FINE!" and proceeded to polish off the entire pie. It was delicious! And I WAS fine.

You, too, will be fine. It's ok to be afraid of something you've never experienced. Go through with it anyway. Dig deep and be brave. You can do this.

I would think that finding this cyst at an early stage is a good thing.
And I think having it removed is a good thing.
Just remember that having it out before anything ruptures or having an ovary twist is really good.
General anesthesia is great.
I've never had any problems with it.
I never had any problems with an epidural either - mine worked flawlessly when we had our son.

Just push the emotions and drama aside and deal with it matter of factually.
It's not an incurable situation - you don't have cancer - you won't lose your hair or go through radiation or chemo.
You've got your whole life ahead of you with much to look forward to.
Think about it this way - this is the tiniest little speed bump in life and you will sail through it with not one bit of difficulty.

Take a deep breath - relax - smile - move forward!

We cannot calm you. All we can do is tell you, it is ok to feel a bit nervous, but in reality you will be just fine.

Be honest with the anesthetist. Remember these are professionals, usually extremely bright people, this all that they do. They are held to very high standards and are always learning the newest information,

But you have to have faith you are going to be just fine. Place your energy into something productive. Play with your children, create something, plan projects, plan a vacation..

I am sending you strength!

I had major surgery in January to fix a knee issue and I was terrified of being put under with general anesthesia too. I still need to have surgery on my other knee and I can tell you that after having general anesthesia, that is not even on my radar of things to be concerned about. They gave me some kind of "happy medicine" as they were wheeling me into the operating room and I don't remember ever being so content and happy in my life😊. I was very sick to my stomach after the surgery despite the fact that they gave me anti nausea meds before waking up. Although I didn't feel good, I have felt much worse however with a regular stomach virus or sinus infection.
Best of luck! You are going to be just fine though!!! Seriously, try not to worry.

I've been under general a few times. No problem. One thing that really gave me some perspective was that I had recently watched a film that depicted a surgery before the invention of general anesthesia. In other words, this woman had a breast removed with a sharp knife and a bunch of people holding her down. They gave her something to bite down on. Now let that sink in for a minute. Now turn your fear into graduated. Be grateful for general anesthesia. It is a blessing, a gift, and a miracle!
To be honest Ann, you seem like someone who's perspective is off course. When bad things happened to me, I'm often confronted with how someone I know or know of has it worse. With that, I'm often able to feel gratitude for what is. Try it. For example, instead of a cyst, you could be dealing with a metastasized ovarian cancer. So feel grateful for the cyst. Feel grateful for anesthesia, feel grateful for modern medicine, feel grateful that you have access to modern medicine.

Scares me to death too. I've been put under for the same thing you mention 3 times. All went well but as they wheeled me away, I started crying and couldn't stop. It IS a scary concept. All 3 times, everything worked perfectly. I KNOW it's scary but it will be okay. Make sure the information given the doctors is completely accurate so they have the info they need to take care of you. I'll pray for you. It WILL be okay, promise.

I had GA probably 15 years ago when I had my tubes tied....

Very easy..... and yes, I did wake up! As far as I know, I didn't say anything stupid.

They know what they are doing.... it looks bad if they lose a patient!

We can't do anything to remove your fears, but just remember.... it is much better getting it taken care of when the cyst is small, instead of later!

Well the other option is to just be awake. GA is relatively easy and the doctor doing it has a lot of experience.

Follow their directions and you will be fine. From someone who has has too many surgeries to count.

Incidences such as people waking up during surgery are rare, which is why they make such great medical drama fodder.
Same for not waking at all.
I have been under GA numerous times, and it's really no big deal.

They put a drip in you, and give you meds in the drip to make you sleepy. Sometimes the meds burn a little going into the vein. But after a few seconds, you're asleep.

They put a tube down your windpipe to deliver gas anesthesia - it also keeps your tongue from blocking your windpipe and keeps you breathing.

When they're done with the surgery, they turn off the sleep gas and continue to give you oxygen for a little while before they remove the tube. After effects from the tube are a sore throat for about a day.

When you wake, you will be groggy and probably nap on and off the rest of the day while the meds finish working their way out of your system.
I have never been confused or disoriented after GA - just really groggy, but I knew where and who I was, and what I was there for.

It is so rare to wake up during GA - please put it out of your mind. And stop Googling horror stories if you're doing that.

I've have GA twice and both times woke up so groggy that I opened my eyes, looked around and conked back out for a few hours. Your situation will be quite similar.

Now, when I have had twilight sedation (not general anesthesia but sedation to knock me out for oral surgery and a colonoscomy) I woke up from those all teary. Women's hormones tend to kick in and make them cry. But far from everyone. Just some people.

So for your GA, please worry NOT!! You'll be fine. Here's the drill, you'll go in at your scheduled time and they will have you change, you'll be asked lots of questions, get an IV. And you just need to go with it. And let the nurses know that you are VERY anxious. They will reassure you. And tell the anesthesiologist. He might knock you out a little quicker if you let him or her know you are nervous.

Good luck - and update us!

General anesthesia via IV isn't like anesthesia where they just gas you to sleep. It's much safer and has way less side effects. Gas stays in your system for a while and you can smell it in the air you're breathing out. That's how you get it out. IV anesthesia goes out of your system as soon as they take the IV out. It is much easier to wake up from and get over.

If you're still worried ask the doc to give you a couple of valiums. They can give you one to take in the evening before then another at midnight so you'll be groggy when you get there. That way you will be really really calm. They might just give you one though. Many dental procedures and out patient surgeries are done and they give the patient a liquid to help them relax and be less anxious.