Local or General anesthetic?

[Alan]

But that does sound like a scary procedure. Let us know how it turns out for you!

I was counting my blessings for 2019 and one of them is that I haven’t had a single instance of AFib for over a year now. After a couple of quarterly checks I was discharged and put on an annual checkup unless it returns.

 

[REWahoo]

I was counting my blessings for 2019 and one of them is that I haven’t had a single instance of AFib for over a year now.

Really nice to hear!

 

[W2R]

Really nice to hear!

+1

Wonderful outcome!

 

[Bamaman]

For a lot of us with enlarged prostates, heavy sedation can result in problems. Often, the bladder "goes to sleep" during the procedure and is very slow to wake up. This requires a catheterization for several days which is a real treat!

My wife's bladder always goes to sleep under sedation. She tells the anesthesiologist to give her Valium and it relaxes her bladder enough to empty out. It sure beats a catheter.

As far as having sedation for a tooth implant--it's not needed. I was shot up with novicane on my implant, and it didn't even take 6 minutes to complete the procedure. It's a shame doctors charge such a fortune for simple implants as they're quicker than doing a filling. (Our local rate is $2200 for an implant only.)

 

[Katsmeow]

SOme years ago I went in to have a procedure and it was going to be under relatively light general anesthesia. For complicated reasons they were unable to do the procedure after putting me under anesthesia. So, I woke up with no surgery having been performed. I felt awful for two days.

Later, I went back to have the procedure and was offered local anesthesia. I accepted it and the surgery was actually done. I didn't remember anything about what had happened during the surgery although it was local anesthesia. Anyway, I woke up and felt great. I realized then that sometimes what you think is feeling bad after surgery is really feeling bad after general anesthesia. Sometimes general anesthesia is needed but I now avoid it when I can.

 

[Rianne]

I've been under GA 4 times. 3 of the times I must have had an unskilled or poorly trained anesthesiologist. Awful, frightening experiences. The one good time I told the anesthesiologist how scared I was of GA and had bad experiences (was almost crying). This time was for a burst appendix. I had no choice. That was a good experience, woke up feeling great, refreshed. I pray never to have to go under again. I would take local A over GA anytime.

Has anyone heard it's as close to death as you come?

 

[Chuckanut]

My knee replacement consists of cutting, sawing, drilling, pounding and other various torture of both the bone and surrounding tissues. They gave me a spinal and then put me to sleep with a more gentle general sleeping medicine. No point in being awake while they do the above to you. And I was not subjected to the possible negative side affects of a powerful general anesthesia. Sometimes powerful anesthesia can really mess with the brains of we older people. The combo worked like a charm.

 

[Nemo2]

I always fall for the "Look, Squirrel" ploy - I'm still looking for it when they tell me the op is over.

 

[W2R]

My knee replacement consists of cutting, sawing, drilling, pounding and other various torture of both the bone and surrounding tissues. They gave me a spinal and then put me to sleep with a more gentle general sleeping medicine. No point in being awake while they do the above to you. And I was not subjected to the possible negative side affects of a powerful general anesthesia. Sometimes powerful anesthesia can really mess with the brains of we older people. The combo worked like a charm.

I had a general anesthesia for my total knee replacement and thank goodness was completely unaware of the pounding, sawing, hammering, and so on.

For weeks after the surgery and after getting off the opioids, I had extreme problems with my sleep patterns - - during a 24 hour period, perhaps three or four one hour naps with several hours in between (and that was the longest I slept). As you might imagine I was constantly exhausted and desperately sleepy, and so on. Maybe that was due to the anesthesia? Or perhaps due to very mild pain that I didn't think was severe enough to take pain medication. I don't know. Luckily now that four months have passed, my sleep patterns are pretty much back to normal. Well, almost.

I googled just now to find out what negative side effects a powerful general anesthesia can have in older people like us, and among other tidbits of information here and there, I found this frightening sentence: "Hospital-induced delirium is a common cognitive after-effect of hospitalization and general anesthesia, particularly for the elderly. " Eek. I should ask F about how much of that behavior he did or didn't endure while being my post surgery caregiver. I wasn't aware of cognitive issues, but that doesn't necessarily mean much.

 

[MRG]

I was surprised when I asked about my retina attachment I received general. Oddly I seem to remember a bright green light during the procedure. I've also been thinking I'm losing my memory ever since the surgery. [emoji848]

 

[davebarnes]

I hate anesthesia in general.
I have had 8 crowns installed (grinding + insertion) without it.
But, sometimes, it is necessary. As in having 14cm of my cancerous colon removed. I do think the anesthesiologist overdid it though.

 

[folivier]

My back pain doc changed to a different firm this year and now can do nerve ablations and epidural injections in his office under a local. I feel a little bit of pain, some pressure, but certainly much better than having to undergo general A. and the recovery phase. Kinda fun to be having a conversation and then watch him and his assistant quickly step back a few feet while he performs the nerve burn.
But yeah if they're cutting me open put me under!

 

[Katsmeow]

I googled just now to find out what negative side effects a powerful general anesthesia can have in older people like us, and among other tidbits of information here and there, I found this frightening sentence: "Hospital-induced delirium is a common cognitive after-effect of hospitalization and general anesthesia, particularly for the elderly. " Eek. I should ask F about how much of that behavior he did or didn't endure while being my post surgery caregiver. I wasn't aware of cognitive issues, but that doesn't necessarily mean much.

Christmas two years ago a family member fell and broke her hip and some other assorted bones. She had surgery and seemed OK immediately afterwards. Before the fall she was mentally sharp (late 80s) but was a little thin.

After surgery two things happened. She had a lot of trouble eating (some of this was related to prior unrelated medical treatment but it became worse) and she started losing weight (she was already thin). And, mentally she started deteriorating. For all the world, within a few weeks it looks like she had dementia. She was so thin that she was eventually put on hospice. It was shocking because she had been so sharp.

Long story short after having caregivers at home and it becoming clear she wasn't OK she went into a nursing home. By then, she had started eating a little better. Within a month of going to the nursing home it was clear she didn't belong there with the other patients. She was mentally much sharper.

She recovered completely and was discharged over a year ago. And, removed from hospice. She is fine now. The best anyone has been able to determine was that this all started with a combination of the stress of surgery, the general anesthesia and her weight loss.

 

[W2R]

How awful, Katsmeow! I am so glad to hear that she recovered after that ordeal.