What does it feel like under anesthetic? I'm afraid of never waking up or waking and feeling pain during it.

Question

I got a broken nose in April this year and the plastic surgeon who examined me said he could fix a droopy eyelid and insurance will cover it. Also thinking about straightening out my crooked nose as well but scared of going to sleep and never waking up or waking up during the surgery and feeling pain and being paralyzed not being able to tell the doctor...

Answer 1

Can't say that there isn't a chance of not waking up...all surgery has a risk factor. I have been under anaesthesia before.....you get sleepy very quickly, then you are gone. Nothing, no sensations at all.

You wake up groggy and if there is pain, they will give you a pain reliever. It'll take time to recuperate.

Talk to your Doctor about your fears......have him explain everything to you. You should be fine.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Wow, you sound like me....the fearful part that is. I am terrifed of dying and I suffer from panic disorder, so for me to go under general was a real feat!

It was weird, the surgeon, nurses and anaesthesiologist were all trying to calm me down....I was totally freaking out. I don't think they gave me a sedative for some reason (my heart rate was like 138 instead of a normal resting 80 or 90) and I was hyperventilating.

The all tried to sooth me before the mask went on. They told me to take in two deep breaths and then everything would be ok. The stuff smelled kinda weird. I remember struggling and yelling: I don't want to die....PLEASE, I want to live....no no no no! After about 4 seconds I was out. I remember my head feeling really heavy before I went to sleep....an insane pressure on it....like it was pushing me through the bed and I was falling down a dark tunnel. It was surreal. Next thing I know, the nurse is waking me up. It took me a second to realize what had happened....I then knew I was in recovery. I had a horrible case of the shakes, which can be caused by the anesthetic. After injecting something into the IV, they went away in about 2 seconds, which was amazing. I didn't feel sick or anything....just very thristy and hungry. The dizziness was unreal, but kinda fun as one of the nurses wheeled me from the recovery room to where my boyfriend was. I could barely move my legs without falling over and was taken down to the car in a wheelchair. Throughout the day, the dizziness disappeared and I ate something. I didn't want to sleep at all, and was just eating like mad. I hear this is exactly opposite of what people do....I guess I'm weird:-) I recovered really quick and felt fine after....

Don't worry about it, just relax. Think about something nice right before you go out....that's what the nurse told me to do. When I woke up, I asked: Am I ALIVE!??!, so I guess she wasn't kidding around....

With a 'real' anesthesiologist your chances of not waking up are like 1 in 200,000. You have more of a chance of getting hit by a car or getting in an accident. I think that statistic is like 1 out of 100.

Hope it all goes well for you:-) I'm sure you'll be just fine!

Answer 3

I know when I had surgery, I had an IV also, they gave me something in the IV to relax me and then wheeled me in to surgery put a mask on my face and asked me to count backwards from 10 while taking deep breaths (at least from what I remember). I think I said 9 but can't remember. What I do remember is the nurses waking me up afterwords asking me how I felt and I said "mad, cause that's the best sleep I had had in a while" they gave me another dose of pain reliever in the IV and I woke up in my room. (I still say it's the best da** sleep I've ever had. But I would talk to the "Sleep" dr. about your concerns. He will be able to help relieve them some.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Going under anesthetic is like being very tied and going to sleep, you won't wake up during the surgery because they will watch you and give you more if needed.

If you can have someone go with you, try to stay calm.

I had to go though this years ago, I was very scared and wasn't going to have the surgery because of this. I know what your feeling.

Good Luck

Answer 5

Dont worry I have had many surgerys not cosmetic ones though but you dont feel a thing your so out of it afterwards its weird you dont dream or anything I say I think thats how you are when you are dead you dont think you dont dream you dont even feel a thing the time going by nothing then you just get woken up like nothing of course you may feel sore afterward once they are done but thats normal Im sure you will get pain medicine for that though but dont worry and get done whatever you need to get done at the same time so you dont have to worry about it again good luck

Answer 6

I know exactly what you are feeling while you are awaiting a surgical procedure. I have had four major adominal operations, 2 at age 15, one at age 17 and the fourth at age 25. (Lucky you...getting something done that you can look forward to happy results) I met with my anesthesiologist before EACH surgery, & each one of them made a point to come visit with me beforehand. You also will have 'your anesthesiologist' come visit, who will at that point have learned a great deal about your health from reading and discussing your records with your Dr. He/She will ask you about any concerns...questions...you may have. You are normal to be frightened about going under, most people are. It's a weird feeling to know you will be given drugs to make you go to sleep, and that you will have a team of strangers working on your body. An anesthisiologist is a medical doctor too. They have to go to med school just like all Drs. do. It is a very specialized field and trust me, they DO know what they are doing. They are watching you every second of your procedure, taking your vitals and never allowing for the chance you'd wake-up or NOT wake-up. They are incredibly in tune with you, the patient. Before I had my last surgery at age 25, I had read some negative things on surgery and anesthesia. It caused me alot of anxiety beforehand, and so 'my' anesthesiologist was told of my apprehension. He came to talk to me for awhile before the surgery started, he was really reassuring and told me he not to worry..he said he had a shot of something he thought would help me relax..he gave it..told me to count backward from 100..I remember saying "Onehun..." It was lights out. Needless to say, I survived and you will too. Tell your Dr. about your concerns..meet your anesthesiologist..don't focus on your fear. Let it go & get on with being happy & thankful for being alive in these times when medicine is incredible. Hope I helped.. Good luck & God Bless

Answer 7

I wouldnt worry. You can't feel nothing under the anesthetic. They give you something to relax you, put a mask over your face and count from 10 backwards. YOu won't even make it to 8. and then you wake up and that time insurgery is lost too you. You'll be alright.

Answer 8

It is natural to have these concerns. I agree that you should talk with your anesthesiologist about your fears. Have him/her show you their credentials and give some background history on where they went to college etc. One thing you have to remember too is that it is their job to watch you during surgery. Not only to give medicine but to keep an eye on your vital signs and eye movements which will tell them way before you are concious that they need to adjust the dose. Unless you are going to some back alley clinic, you shouldn't worry too much. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Answer 9

My brother has gone through anesthetic thrice. You will feel nothing at all. The time where you were asleep will have seemingly disappeared, and when you wake up, you will feel most relaxed, but also pretty dizzy. I understand your nervousness though. He was nervous every time. You should also talk to your doctors and have them reassure you.

Answer 10

I've been under a general anesthetic only once and tried my best to remember the "going under" part. No memory what so ever. Darn! Don't worry - what you're concerned about is extremely rare from what I understand.