What does it feel like to be put under general anesthesia? Read on plz?

Question

I am curious what it feels like right as your going out, is it like blacking out, fading away, etc... I am having anxiety over this and would like some answers from people who have experienced it!

Answer 1

I've had it twice, and both times it was a pretty quick fading out. The anesthesia doc said "Okay now I want you to count backwards from 100" and I said "Okay, nnnn..." and that's all I remember! The second time he said "Okay I'm giving you something to make you sleep" and I said "Oh, wow, that feels..." and it was like a warm blanket just fell over me and off I went. Both times it was a very restful sleep. I woke up without any weird feeling or hangover or anything. Your anesthesia doctor is your guardian angel. While your surgeon is doing everything they need to do, your anesthesiologist is making sure you're okay, paying attention to every little thing about you on their monitor. Trust them; they are amazing. I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 2

Don't sweat it!!!

It usually knocks you out before you even realize what is going on. I have been put under twice. Once with the mask and once with the shot. The mask made me panic a little because it seemed like it was hard to breath in the anesthesia. It felt like I was running out of air. But then I started counting backwards from 100-1. I got to 98 then that is all I remember. You don't even remember fading out. I personally recommend the shot if you don't mind a little pinch. You just fall asleep really fast and wake up not remembering anything about going to sleep. You remember seeing the needle but nothing else.

When you wake up you may not know where you are or what is going on. You will feel like you are floating around and may not be able to lift your head for 10-20 minutes. Just relax and breath. Someone will always be in the room with you so when you wake up they can monitor you right away.

Good Luck and I hope everything goes fine for you!!!

Answer 3

Not unpleasant. My memory of it just breaks off at the point when I was looking up at a light fixture very shortly after they started the IV and feeling very cold - operating room suites are aggressively air-conditioned. You will probably get a pre-op drug called Versed, a strong hypnotic that will keep you from stressing about what's going on or remembering much after you get it. That's why you won't remember actually falling asleep. The last thing you remember before you wake up will be whatever you were perceiving just before the Versed takes effect.

I didn't wake up disoriented or sick. I did wake in a lot of pain from what they'd been doing while I was out, very glad I hadn't experienced it conscious, and very, very thirsty, and the nurses were very quick with water and pain pills. I didn't find the anesthesia at all traumatic. Try not to worry. If you are like me, you'll find it something of a non-experience.

Answer 4

hi. i've had general at least 5 x's in the past 7 years. the most recent was 3-27-07. all of those times it was the same feeling for me. when they give you the anesthetic, you get real sleepy and drift off to sleep. when you awake it is like you just took a quick nap as far as time goes. for the most part afterward for the day of surgery, i was really groggy and slept alot. hope this answer helped you and good luck.

Answer 5

I just went through it for the 1st time in March. They put my IV in, I sat around and waited... they finally came to take me away, I was fine until that point, then, like you, I started getting nervous. Once I was in the room, they injected something silly into my IV and told me I was going to feel like I had crashed a fraternity party... I waited and felt nothing. Just as the fear that it wasn't going to work started coming into my head, it hit me like a ton of bricks, she was right about feeling like I crashed a party. I remember slurring, "oh, I think I feel it now" I heard them laugh and then I woke up and my surgery was over. That's what I felt right before I went out... drunk and silly!
Good luck with what ever you're having done and try not to worry too much.

Answer 6

I've had general anesthesia many times, and it depends a lot on the anesthesiologist how you lose consciousness. Talk it over with him, he can put you out slow and peaceful, like going gently to sleep or he can knock you out like the lights going out. It's whatever you want.

Answer 7

Stop worrying. It's like falling asleep while watching TV or a movie. The nurses or doctor keep you talking while they administer the anesthesia -- you're listening, next thing you know someone is calling your name and telling you to wake up.

Answer 8

You just fall asleep like you might on your pillow every night.

You are completely out. You won't wake up until everything is over. Then there will be this annoying nurse who keeps saying, "Breath.... Breath..... Breath...." And if you don't breath the little oxygen monitor on your finger will make an alarm go off and she comes back to say, "Breath.... Breath.... Breath...."

Eventually, maybe 10-15 minutes, you breath out the remaining anasthesia in your lungs (or maybe your body metabolizes the rest of it) and you don't have that problem anymore.

Answer 9

what got me was waking up. I had completely forgoton that i just had surgery. In fact, didnt even remeber going to the hospital at first. I thought i was getting out of bed and going to the shower. Thought that the interns where my bed sheets stuck on something so threw them of and ended up hurting a couple of people. This whole delusion lasted about 2 minutes.

The going under part is embarassing. your naked under the robe and they are poking proding and looking at you and you cant stay awake. If your really lucky, right before you go under they undress the part of you for surgery and start shaving the area before your out. What a nightmare. And that was only knee surgery. Feels so helpless.

Answer 10

I recently had knee surgery and had to be put under a general anesthetic. To me it didn't feel like anything. It's like changing channels on the TV. One moment your in the operating room and the next your waking up in the recovery room.