During surgery, are we all the way under?

[Crazycat]

I was out 15.5 hours straight under an operative microscope. Woke up in the ICU completely intubated. I couldn't talk because of a feeding tube but was so out of it at the time I couldn't understand why. I eventually got a hold of my surgical report and it referred to "endotrachial anesthesia". It took a while for my voice to get back to normal.

[leapyrtwins]

I'm not a doctor, or a nurse, or an anesthesiologist, but I've never heard of AN surgery being done without general anesthesia - as in, you are definitely knocked completely out.  1) AN surgery is very invasive and 2) it's typically a very long surgery.

BAHA implant surgery on the other hand, can be done with local anesthesia; I had mine that way.  General anesthesia is also an option though.

Have always been wide awake for all my MRIs.

Jan

[james e]

My wife is a drug rep and used to sell a drug that disables your muscles during the surgery. You may have read about people that have had that drug, cannot move, and then they were never given the medicine that knocks them out, and they are awake during the surgery, suffering as they are operated on. They cannot defend themselves because they cannot move. They do not give you this drug during this surgery. They stimulate your facing nerve during the surgery to determine that it is still working, and they need your facial muscles to move. Other than that, you are out BIG TIME.

I had a BAHA abutment implanted during my surgery, and it was closed over and not exposed. Three months later I had another surgery to expose the abutment and scalp the skull tissue around the abutment. I was given verset (sp) to knock me out, but I woke up during the surgery and spoke with the doctor and his staff of nurses...they were a little suprised. My scalp was so full of some drug that there was no pain. I think most people even get a BAHA just under a local, and never get knocked out like I did.

I have had several surgeries and every time I get put under, it feels like I just blinked my eyes and then woke up. There is no concept of time. It is not unpleasant and there is nothing to fear.

James

[stephSF]

I am feeling confident about going under now.  Thank you for the replies

[mindyandy]

Could someone tell me if they meet their anastesiologist(sp?) during pre-op? Or just right before surgery? I want to let them know that my past surgery (eye surgery) I woke up vomiting from the anastesia. Yes this is how I woke up 
I want to make sure they give me something to help prevent this.

Thanks

[Jim Scott]

Could someone tell me if they meet their anastesiologist(sp?) during pre-op? Or just right before surgery? I want to let them know that my past surgery (eye surgery) I woke up vomiting from the anastesia. Yes this is how I woke up .  I want to make sure they give me something to help prevent this. Thanks

Mindy ~

I met my anesthesiologist about a half-hour before my surgery.  I believe this is the standard protocol in most all hospitals.  I was asked about any problems with anesthesia in the past (like you, I also had experienced severe nausea) and they were noted.   I did not have any nausea problems after my AN surgery.

Jim

[mindyandy]

Thank you Jim. I sure hope that they give me something for it. I understand nausea but I don't want to wake up throwing up again. That is an awful way to wake up 

[New girl]

Hi Mindyandy - I met with an anethesia nurse at my pre-op and then met the anethesia MDs just prior to surgery.

[JAndrews]

Any procedure I have ever had done I met with the anesthiologist prior to surgery. I have had issues in the past of not waking up quickly enough. With the brain surgery I didn't meet the doc until about 30mins prior to surgery. I thought it was strange....but everything turned out fine