General Anesthesia - Thoughts of the Day

[Skywalker 170]

Spoke to a MH counselor again about the WL surgery issue and we tossed around a LOT of ideas.....ranging from nutrition to religion/death. I'll come right out and ask you guys:

Did the prospect of dying under general anesthesia or surgical complications ever hinder or worry you guys, or was it just kind of rolled into the choice and filed under "acceptable risk"? This is something I grapple with, more some times, and less others.

[mi75 1,241]

i am a nurse and worked in surgery, so the thought of anesthesia was very real for me.

however, i have great faith in the anesthesia team at the institution where i had surgery and i knew they would look after me.

one of the main things is to make sure your cardiology clearance includes the topic of anesthesia clearance and it should be fine.

on the other hand, i KNEW if i didn't do this i would die in the next few years anyway.

[finallyfree101 39]

The risk of surgery far out weighs the risk of not having it for me! Pun fully intended.

[InfiniteButterfly 438]

The pros outweighed the cons. Yes, I thought about dying under anesthesia, or complications post-surgery. And as I'm prone to anxiety attacks, those worries tended to be amplified an uncomfortable amount. But my quality of life was diminishing as my body started breaking down (my knees and hips ached unbearably when I walked, I couldn't make it up the stairs without pausing for breath half-way up, so on and so forth). Nothing was going to get better without taking a drastic step, as it was to the point where I could no longer sustain enough exercise to make a difference (I did yoga daily, but I was rapidly losing flexibility there as well).

The risk was acceptable in my eyes, because the alternatives were far, far worse to me.

[fat_free 463]

I have a terrible time with anesthesia, but regardless of the complexities I knew I was I. Good hands and that if I didn't do this surgery the I was heading into some of the worst years of my life health wise. It has been the best decision I have EVER made!

[Fluffnomore 1,235]

I considered it and then made a conscious choice not to think about it anymore. After all, there are a hundred ways to die, including continuing down the obesity path. But there seemed to be fewer options for turning my life and health around.

[RellaBelle 29]

Like @@InfiniteButterfly, I have anxiety issues and have absolutely thought of dying under general anesthesia being a possibility. The reality of where I was headed was a bigger concern as others have said. I have 4 year old twins and one broke their arm this past May that required her to be put under to have pins placed. I cried/snotted everywhere as I watched them put the meds in her IV and watched her go to sleep. 1.5 hours later I was visiting her in the recovery room while she sported a very stylish pink camo cast.

I say all that because as nerve wrecking as that situation was... it helped me get over that fear, at least a little bit. I think it helped because the reality of her situation was go under and have her bone properly set and casted or not go under and forever have issues with that arm and lack of movement of her fingers.

The unknown is a terrifying thing but I can't let it hinder me. The pros far outweigh the cons for me in this situation as well.

[kd5wzr 108]

I don't plan on ever dying at all, but assuming I have to at some point, I decided I would rather risk going out on the operating table while trying to improve my life than inevitably wasting away from being morbidly obese.

(PS: I think I've read that you have a higher probability of dying from a hip or knee replacement than you do from gastric sleeve.)

[EmmaKathleen 28]

I can kind of echo what a lot of people are saying. The risk of dying due to anesthesia (or any other complications really) is so minuscule next to the risk of living with obesity. I also deal with major anxiety disorders and I definitely have my "Oh my god what the hell am I thinking??" moments, but a chance at a new, better life is just too enticing to give up because of fear. Don't let it hold you back.

[Forsythia 882]

In a word, nope. I could die crossing the street tomorrow. I could trip down the steps and break my neck, forever altering my life. I could have a miserable life at 312 lbs or take the chance for a better life after surgery. I was diabetic and had high blood pressure at 37. I opted for the surgery. I trusted the anesthesiologist to do his job, just like I trusted my surgeon to do his job.

[crazzeescrapper 125]

I don't plan on ever dying at all, but assuming I have to at some point, I decided I would rather risk going out on the operating table while trying to improve my life than inevitably wasting away from being morbidly obese. (PS: I think I've read that you have a higher probability of dying from a hip or knee replacement than you do from gastric sleeve.)

Kd5wrz, love your avatar! Heisenburg, LOL.

I too agree with what everyone else is saying. The odds of dying under anesthesia is very low, I would rather take the chance to improve my overall health.