anesthesia

Ariel · August 7, 2006

There is a small small possibility of awakening during surgery but rest assure most general anesthesia goes on without a hitch and gsp princess story doesn’t match up with the way general anesthesia is preformed. General Anesthesia takes three parts: unconsciousness, the inability to move, and the inability to feel pain. So in princess story the anesthesia failed in all three parts. That is highly unlikely. In most cases when a person “wakes up” they only regain consciousness they are unable to move and they are unable to feel. She said that she tried to touch the surgeons scrubs well if she could move the surgeons would notice a difference in the her muscles both in the abdomen and in the body as a whole, the muscles would go from completely relaxed to tense and they would immediately stop the surgery and check the anesthesia levels. Princess seems to be using a scare tatic and given the fact that she has not come back online and posted makes her even more suspect.

lisah25 · August 7, 2006

Another cause for suspicion: Usually during surgery, the patient's eyes are taped closed to protect them from drying out and causing corneal damage.

I was wondering about that, I seem to remember that they tape your eyes closed. I also wondered about the angle we are on the table, if we are lying back beyond a certain point, would we be able to see what is going on?

joliesmom · August 7, 2006

The first part of her story that doesn't make sense is she doesn't mention if she was in pain. There is an incidence of people in the US also that are not put under anesthesia correctly. When you undergo anesthesia for surgery they first give you something "to sleep", then they give you a paralytic and have the vent breath for you. Once you have the paralytic you cannot move voluntarily. There are people that report that they were asleep and wake up and cannot move from the paralytic but they feel all of the pain. This is rare. There are also people that are awake on purpose for surgery and feel no pain IE: c-sections, joint replacements etc. The OP is not clear which sounds shady.

foodstampchamp · August 7, 2006

Both my c-sections were emergencies. So much trouble that since I had to have my tubes tied. But I was still awake to witness both the births of my children with no pain whatsoever with the epidural. They can do the epidural surgies in both emergency and non-emergency.

GE Mom · August 8, 2006

This is off task but I don't want us to mix up a c-section under epidural anesthesia with lap band surgery under general. It's not common (except in certain circumstances) for a hospital that has anesthesia coverage to use general for a c-section. Certainly, it happens but not often. Whereas lap band surgery is most often done with general anesthesia, which raises the possibility of awakening.

Yesterday, I asked my anesthesiologist about wakening and he said, yes, it can rarely happen but most often with much longer procedures, like hip replacements and coronary bypass surgeries. My own anesthesia went just fine, and I'm home today with my spanking new lap band.

joliesmom · August 8, 2006

This is off task but I don't want us to mix up a c-section under epidural anesthesia with lap band surgery under general. It's not common (except in certain circumstances) for a hospital that has anesthesia coverage to use general for a c-section. Certainly, it happens but not often. Whereas lap band surgery is most often done with general anesthesia, which raises the possibility of awakening.
My surgeon doesn't use general anesthesia for the Lap band. I was only trying to point out that there are certain types of anesthesia that you're awake for such as a C-section or joint replacement. I agree that general anesthesia is only used for c-sections in emergency situations. I just think that the OP was not clear with her situation.

NurseTeresa · August 8, 2006

Ok.......have just a few points....usually during a colonoscopy you are just twilited and not out completely. Secondly....during surgery yes your arms are strapped out to the side however they do tape your eyelids closed with either tape or tegaderms. The anesthesiologist is at your head monitoring blood pressures heart rates etc. and always there to make sure things are going how they are suppose to. Is it possible to awaken during surgery...yes but very unlikely and I dont see how the person could have seen someone next to them if the usual drape between neck and head is up and it cant be seen over the top. Only person at the head is the anesthesiologist. I spoke with the bariatric surgeon at my hospital and one of the anesthesiologists and they both said that it is almost impossible that the person could have experienced the things this person stated. The anestesiologist also stated that if the anestesiologist was doing their job correctly it would have never gotten to the point this person stated. They would have been given more drugs to put them back under. Specially with all the barriers to keep someone from seeing things if they did awaken. So........that said.....don't freak out...chances are slim to none that this would ever happen. As others have said...is this person credible being that they haven't given names of hospitals or surgeons?

Bettina · August 9, 2006

This is off task but I don't want us to mix up a c-section under epidural anesthesia with lap band surgery under general. It's not common (except in certain circumstances) for a hospital that has anesthesia coverage to use general for a c-section. Certainly, it happens but not often. Whereas lap band surgery is most often done with general anesthesia, which raises the possibility of awakening.

I guess it depends what state you are in, I see you are in Illinois, here in NJ it is quite common to be put completely under for a C-Section. ;-)

Dody · August 9, 2006

This is off task but I don't want us to mix up a c-section under epidural anesthesia with lap band surgery under general. It's not common (except in certain circumstances) for a hospital that has anesthesia coverage to use general for a c-section. Certainly, it happens but not often. Whereas lap band surgery is most often done with general anesthesia, which raises the possibility of awakening.
Yesterday, I asked my anesthesiologist about wakening and he said, yes, it can rarely happen but most often with much longer procedures, like hip replacements and coronary bypass surgeries. My own anesthesia went just fine, and I'm home today with my spanking new lap band.

It may be possible to awake, but I'm doubting it seriously....I had a 6 hr. bypass surgery and don't remember anything till I woke up in rocovery still on the ventilator but paralyzed. At that time I was in some pain because the ventilator was breathing for me and was squeezing my heart. I needed some IV pain medication. My hand started waking up and I was trying to write on the bed "hurt". A nurse immediately told me once my eyes were open and they had flushed the vent out it would be removed and it was....probably the only operation you wake up from wishing for a moment you haden't. The pain of the next few weeks is immeasurable and I only hope no one has to endure this and the long recovery period. My red blood cells went on vacation and didn't return for months and I was anemic. If they could keep me asleep for 6 continual hours for heart surgery I'm sure the 1/2 hr. to 1 hr. it takes for lap-banding is a piece of cake.

leenabeena · August 9, 2006

I am going in for my consult today. Im nervous enough. if this is a joke its pretty sad. She must watch nip/tuck they had an eisode where the woman lied and said she was awake and sued them.

get a life