Surgery: Have you ever been put under with a 'general anesthetic'?

[Mysteria]

Doesn't always go away at all. While practicing as a chiro I had a pretty comprehensive intake form, and SO many of the women I dealt with who had had spinals or epidurals had lasting, years-later, migraines that they had never had before their spinal cord space was invaded by needles and extrinsic fluids. Very very common. MDs might not want to hear it, but others do.


OP! I used to say I had GA for my wisdom teeth, but I've since learned that true GA involves a breathing tube. Tehreofre, I did not have it for my wisdom teeth, nor for my tonsillectomy (how could they get to the teeth or to the tonsils if there is a breathing tube in there????).

Nevertheless, I have rotten nasty BAD (just kill me now feelings) reactions to whatever it is that's in those things. But I don't actually know about GA.

I'm lost. What things? So you wake up feeling like you want to die from those things?

 

[JennaTX]

I have had it once with no problem.

The last thing I remembered was them wrapping up my hair, and saying something that I felt like I was in a spa.

DD has had it 5 times with a broken arm and infection, she only had problems one time and that was more with demerol and being allergic to it right after the surgery.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Yes, twice. It was a c-section both times. With the first one, I ended up with pain in my shoulder, no problems the second time.

 

[Piecey]

I've had general anesthesia before, and it always makes me wake up feeling very nauseous. This time, I told the anesthesiologist (sp?) beforehand, and she gave me some sort of meds that helped a lot.

They ALWAYS give me nausea stuff before they put me under. I've been put under general anesthesia three times and then whatever they gave me for the c-section. All 4 times I was given something for nausea. For the c-section I was given several somethings.

Did you have your wisdom teeth removed in a hospital or the dentist's office? I only ask cause I was 100% sure I was put under with general anesthesia for my wisdom teeth extraction (they were all bony impactions), but turns out I was not. My husband is an anesthesiologist and has assured me that dentists (including mine who was an MD in addition to being a dentist/oral surgeon) cannot put you under in their office, an anesthesiologist has to do that in a hospital/surgery center. Additionally, with a general anesthestic you would have to be intubated (tube down your throat).

Apparently what I had was sedation and then an amnesiac drug so you forget everything that took place, but I was actually awake the whole time. He's working overnight tonight, otherwise I'd ask him what the names of those medicines are. My husband does that a lot for various procedures (like colonoscopies). I still taunt him and say I was put under, but he says that is not possible since my wisdom teeth were removed in the oral surgeon's office with no anesthesiologist.

My wisdom teeth were removed in the oral surgeons office when I was 15 and I WAS put under general anesthesia.
It was my first encounter with general anesthesia and I remember being required to watch some video about the possible side effects of it and the surgeon grilling my mother and I about family members having adverse reactions to general anesthesia.
What your DH is saying might be the case now, but 7 years ago- in WVa.- I definitely was put under to have my wisdom teeth out.
I've not ever been intubated when I've been under general anesthesia, either.


..anyway, I've been under 3 times.
It doesn't bother me at all. I had my wisdom teeth out, a breast reduction and my gallbladder removed.
The only issues with any of the surgeries was discovering I had an allergy to Percocet...

 

[OK!]

I had general anesthesia when I had my tonsils removed at 18. I didn't have any bad side effects, but I did think, right as I was coming out of it, that I heard my nurses talking about going out and getting wasted on Wild Turkey that night after they got off work.

Oh, and I also went under to get my knee scoped. No weird hallucinations that time though, darn it.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

In the "you learn something new" category, I did not know they intubated or otherwise stuck a tube down your throat for general anethesia. The only time I was put under I woke up horking and pretty much lost everything I'd eaten since about the 4th grade or so. (I don't get motion sickness, but I do suffer from nausea pretty frequently. . .) I thought my sore throat was from THAT!

Huh. Who'd'a thunk it.

 

[Feralpeg]

I've had general anesthesia 15 times not counting the twilight used when I had my endoscopy, colonoscopy and when I had my ruptured implant removed. Every time, I would tell the anesthesiologist of my prior experience which always included being extremely nauseous. It never seemed to matter. No matter what they gave me, it made me sick. The twilight was so much better. I hope to never need anything else!

 

[justhat]

My wisdom teeth were removed in the oral surgeons office when I was 15 and I WAS put under general anesthesia.
It was my first encounter with general anesthesia and I remember being required to watch some video about the possible side effects of it and the surgeon grilling my mother and I about family members having adverse reactions to general anesthesia.
What your DH is saying might be the case now, but 7 years ago- in WVa.- I definitely was put under to have my wisdom teeth out.
I've not ever been intubated when I've been under general anesthesia, either.

True general anesthesia requires some form of a breathing tube. You need to protect the airway as there are no protective airway reflexes when you are under general anesthesia (like coughing) and the drugs used to sedate you can cause your breathing patterns to be irregular. There are alternatives to the endotracheal tube (which is intubation), but most of those still include a tube of some sort, though they do not protect against aspiration the way the endotracheal tube does.

The wisdom teeth thing, I had mine removed 11 years ago, but still, an anesthesiologist needs to be present for general anesthesia so you would need to have the wisdom teeth removed in a hospital or surgery center for that. During any surgery with general anesthesia, the drugs given can cause heart rate fluctuations, blood pressure changes, etc. It would be pretty challenging for the dentist/oral surgeon to monitor your vitals while removing your teeth. The anesthesiologist's sole job is to stare at those monitors while you are under so they can give the appropriate meds in the event your blood pressure crashes or whatever the incident may be. And that is possible for wisdom teeth, but unless the oral surgeon's office had an anesthesiologist on staff, it is likely that it was heavy sedation, or this twilight anesthesia that people are talking about. You 'go to sleep' and don't remember anything and 'wake up' just like you would with general, but without the tube down your throat.

 

[justhat]

Doesn't always go away at all. While practicing as a chiro I had a pretty comprehensive intake form, and SO many of the women I dealt with who had had spinals or epidurals had lasting, years-later, migraines that they had never had before their spinal cord space was invaded by needles and extrinsic fluids. Very very common. MDs might not want to hear it, but others do.


OP! I used to say I had GA for my wisdom teeth, but I've since learned that true GA involves a breathing tube. Tehreofre, I did not have it for my wisdom teeth, nor for my tonsillectomy (how could they get to the teeth or to the tonsils if there is a breathing tube in there????).

Tonsillectomies absolutely have breathing tubes because blood could get into the lungs. Every single tonsillectomy my husband has done has been done under general with a breathing tube. I guess they just work around the tube, but I really have no idea. My friend's daughter just had a tonsillectomy and before she went in for the procedure she had asked my husband about it and she later confirmed with the anesthesiologist who did her daughter's anesthesia. She received general with the breathing tube in to prevent aspiration.


While I am sure those migraines could be related to the PDPH, people also get migraines for other reasons. My husband, for example, never had migraines then when he was 21 they started and he got a ton of them over a 6 year span, when he started daily prophylaxis. He's never had a PDPH but yet they came on out of the blue.

 

[onelilspark]

I wake up from surgery with severe nausea and vomiting that is difficult to control. Last surgery they used scopolamine patch in conjunction with other strong Antiemetics. It seemed to last forever. The anesthesiologist met with me and told me for future surgeries I was to request EMEND prior to my surgery. It worked like a charm when I had a total thyroidectomy.

I have severe motion sickness and there seems to be a link with that and general anesthesia for myself.

Oh yeah, I also wake up with the uncontrollable shakes and warm blankets are very welcome!

This post was really helpful!

When I wake up from anesthesia, the first thing I do is vomit...and vomit some more...and then oh, vomit again. A) I didn't know they had anything to help it now (last time it was used was a good 8 years ago) and B) I didn't know there was a link to motion sickness. I'm heading for a cruise for the first time and guess I'll be packing some Bonine!

To the OP: I vomit (as stated, yuck!) with anesthesia. When I had my tonsils out 15 years ago (I was 8 or so) I couldn't keep anything down because the anesthesia just wreaked havoc on my body. It looks like today it's a little bit of a more common side effect and they know how to counter act it. I think if that's the worst of it, you'll be fine

 

[Nik's Mom]

I have had general anesthetic once but the only side effect that I had was that I was freezy cold and couldn't stop shaking. Also, I just kept falling asleep for the next day. I guess that's normal though.

DH said he kept throwing up after his general anesthetic.

 

[disfan07]

I am actually going under one thursday for the 6th time in 2 years. This time i could be under for anywhere from 4-8 hours, depending on what they end up havign to do. I'm concerned because ive never been under longer than 3 hours.

I always have massive headaches that linger for about 3 weeks after. I also always have heart and breathing problems afterwards b/c of my asthma.

I never have any problems being put under but i always have problems while i'm under and coming out of it.


We found out that i am allergic to eggs after being put under the first time 2 years ago. They used propofol as one of teh drugs and it contains egg emulsifier....i had an allergic reaction after i was under