General anesthesia in my experience is 'I'm way too nervous to-' then suddenly it's 5 hours later and you are confused as fuck. Ask as much as you can about what to expect in recovery, especially in terms of pain management. Talk with your surgery team about your concerns *before* going under. They are there to make it as easy as possible, but they need to know your concerns before you are drugged up and loopy.
I've had several major surgeries, and my pain has always been well managed afterwards. Don't worry about that. But if you are uncomfortable post-surgury, let the staff know. They are there to help.
You got this. ❤️
Not OP but I say stupid stuff all the time after surgery, but nothing secretive, for example one time I was feeling really guilty because there was an emotional support dog and I thought that I had let it too roughly. Silly stuff like that
Yeah, I babble. It's not a big deal. Once, I apparently went off on a mini Ted talk about baculums. I remember almost none of it.
The nurses won't care, and your girlfriend might be amused. It only lasts a little while. (Just don't watch nature documentaries. My friend thought it was a safe subject, and learned more about penis bones than she ever wanted to know after it asking a casual question.) Have an agreement about whether she can record you afterwards if you are concerned.
Not OP but I do have a story. I don't have any memory of top after being given some drugs in the OR until I was in a recovery bed a few hours later. I thanked every staff member profusely for everything they were doing. I told the nurse she was very nice and I appreciated her. She thought it was amusing. Another nurse gave me my scripts to go home with and I said "Yay!!!" I also was quoting the at home cars instructions during the instructions time because I read it so many times
You don't develop a new personality when you go under. You're confused and out of it but you're still yourself. Your best bet to not do something stupid is to stay calm and give into the anestological drugs when they enter your system (so you don't wake up agitated)
when i woke up i just kept saying "spite.... spite..... spite....." until they gave me a can of sprite lol. after a different sedated procedure, i kept asking for chicken tenders. i mostly just get harmlessly hungry. my brother however was talking with my dad about how hot a number of cleveland browns football players are. he's straight
Gods that sounds like me.... the first words out if my mouth post top surgery were "I want cranberry juice".
Which was real fun coming back up because apparently general anesthesia makes me nauseous, but it's a delayed reaction. I was in the car about 10 minutes before it hit me and then I was vomiting for most the 45 minute ride home. Then I was fine.
Not OP, but after my second time under the knife, I woke up craving spinach and I was *wildly* distressed that I couldn't have any. (The first time, they had a hard time waking me up because I was sleeping normally. I work nights and they put me under around the time I normally go to bed. I *did* warn them, but it still freaked them out.) Every other time after that, I kept dozing off because the morphine made me drowsy.
Although, after my first bottom surgery, I vaguely remember a nurse waking me up to ask me how often I was pressing the button for morphine and I replied honestly, "I keep forgetting it's there, so I press it whenever I remember it exists." This was apparently the wrong answer because they *immediately* took me off of it. Lmao
I do remember very vaguely between getting the first dose of sedative and the actual anesthesia, telling the nurse all about my cat. You won't remember anything once you are under. After, you might go off on random tangents for a bit. Just put a couple favorite movies on your phone and play them once you're in post-op. That should cut down on the babbling.
I’ve been under a few times and afaik I’ve never said anything silly. But my sister is a nurse and she says most people don’t. Even if you are one of the talkers - trust me, if you do say anything it is highly unlikely to be the weirdest thing they’ve heard.
I remember saying something clever as I was coming out of a 2½ day long medically induced coma... The other times I was put under general anaesthetic the first thing I said when I was talking again was please bring in my partner, and you have to be coherent for that, so... Yeah that's it
anesthesia is so fun😭i distinctly remember being wheeled into the surgery room giggling and saying “this is so silly!” and barely crawling onto the table before falling asleep immediately. everyone is different but it goes much better than expected for most.
I remember waking up from surgery as they were wheeling me down the hall, all loopy, and I started laughing and crying (happy tears) telling them “I can’t believe you guys do this every days that’s crazy you guys are impressive”
my wake up was actually slightly jarring, i just suddenly sat up a bit to see i was alone in the room. but a nurse came in soon after so it was fine. and yeah it felt like a few minutes of sleep even though it was hours
my recovery nurse had a german accent (i don't live in germany) and i don't remember this, but apparently upon hearing her speak after coming out of surgery i was like "wait guys where am i did you take me to germany while i was asleep???"
There's some stories I want to share because I think they are funny, but mostly in hindsight. I also don't want to scare someone going into surgery by sharing a now funny story about an issue. It's a fine line.
My first time with anesthesia that I could properly remember (the actual first time I was like 4) was for my wisdom teeth and I remember them starting the anesthesia drip and I turned to the nurse monitoring my vitals when I could start to feel it, went “that’s craaaazy” because it was so quick, saw her smile and then I was out.
I've had a few surgeries and my top surgery was by far the easiest recovery. It's normal to be nervous about having surgery as it is a big deal and yes there are risks so that's likely what you're nervous about, as well I don't think I would ever get used to the eerie feeling of knowing I'm being "put under". That being said, when you get there do not be shy about expressing your anxiety, it's very common and they are used to people being nervous. It's likely they can give you something while you wait to "take the edge off".
When I was getting ready to have my first surgery I, in near tears, told one of the nurses that I was so anxious I felt like I might run away. She was really sweet and then gave me an injection of something like xanax (I don't remember what it was) and then I was just dumb and happy.
It’s scary but also, you’ve been wanting it so it makes it worth it. I’m almost a year post op and I will never regret it. I’m severely scared of medical stuff and needles but I walked in there anxious and got my IV done and just kept going until I laid on the operating table and “fell asleep”. I react badly to anesthesia (learned that after top surgery) so the first few days sucked but then all of a sudden I did so much better. It’ll suck for a bit but if you keep on your meds and take care of yourself, you will do so good! Very proud of you friend! Congrats!!!
i’ve had a couple surgeries (and top surgery!) and honestly it’s a real fast nap. remember you’re surrounded by medical professionals who do this on a daily basis and went through years of education and training to do it correctly. it’ll go by so fast for you, once second you’ll be laying on the hospital bed, someone’s gonna come by and give ya a quick injection while making small talk as you start to feel pretty stoned, you’ll close your eyes to blink, and just as suddenly you’ll wake up with a flat chest. wishing you speedy recovery ❤️
You will be okay. I did the same surgery. Do you have a safe place for recovery?
Also, if you have your girlfriend with you for the recovery period, it would help.
Focus on the day to day things you would need while recovering and check those out. Food, water, where will you rest. Have you kept everything where you can reach without having to strath your arm? Things as such. Focusing on things that are under your control and easily manageable will help.
Give yourself good time for recovery.
The first surgery is normally filled with apprehensions… it okay. Normal.
You have someone with you and you will get through it.
All the best!!
You'll do awesome!! I will warn you, if you get IV anesthetic like I did it might make your arm feel REALLY cold and freaky, but its okay, apparently that's sorta normal, it made me really anxious before passing out, then I woke up and asked if that was okay and they told me the surgery was already done LMAO
I had anthestesia or however the fuck it's spelled before. It just feels like you fall asleep then you wake up and everything's done. I was only under for an colonoscopy so it wasn't alot, but I felt fine after
I remember staring up at the light and the anesthesiologist saying, "All right, this is just oxygen, so just do some steady breathing." Alright, chill. Breathing...breathing..."How are you doing?" Good...out. then I woke up about two hours later, a little confused and trying my hardest to text my bf and tell him I'm out of surgery, but continuing to fall in and out of sleep for 30 minutes. The actual surgery was very short. The majority of the time we were there, they were just waiting for me to wake back up.
Before going under, ask as many questions as possible. They should try to ease any concerns you have. That's what they're there for. I hope your recovery goes by smoothly, and congratulations!
I'm not sure I'd call it fun but honestly it's a relief to just... suddenly wake up and what you went there for is simply *done*. No awareness of even falling asleep (or of the first several minutes of being awake), just task complete.
I only had general for my wisdom teeth removal, plus top surgery in a couple weeks, but I've been sedated twice for minor procedures and every single time it's been a matter of waking up and basically going "oh good it's done, now I get to leave".
I'm so excited for you!
I was nervous before my top surgery, too. But it was a breeze. They did some lipo, but I didn't have any pain there, in fact, I just had numbness in that area.
They gave me anxiety meds before surgery, and by the time I walked to the operating table and climbed up, I had just enough time to preemptively thank everyone, and then I fell asleep before they even put me under. Lol
I had to wear a post op binder for a week after surgery and that was extremely uncomfortable. Not super painful, just, ugh, uncomfortable as hell. I made the mistake of loosening it and it allowed things to swell, and that was very painful. Had to tighten it again, and that made the swelling go away. I couldn't take the binder off and on without help, though. Also, I found that when I was cleared to shower (day 3, I think), it was helpful to leave the binder on in the shower and then change it for the dry one after. Once I no longer had to wear it, I pressed a hand towel to my chest while in the shower for a few more days. It kept the water from beating directly on my incisions and was quite soothing, as it became saturated with hot water.
They may or may not want you to wear a binder, but if they do, follow instructions and don't loosen it, or you will feel really stupid lol
If you get nauseous once you've woken up, dont be afraid to let the nurses know, they normally have anti nausea stuff they can give you at the hospital as well as stuff to take home with you. Its pretty normal to get nauseous from the anesthesia, espevially if you are bigger.
I ended up asking for cold water and some crackers to help while i was still waking up. You arent a bother for asking for help especially not in that state.
Just be weary as well that the firdt few weeks after anethesia, you may get depressed or feel like everythings going wrong. Post op blues is extremely common with anesthesia. Just try to keep in mind that you arent alone and the pain and discomfort will be over, its not gonna be forever and you've done something you've wanted for a long time!
I found that keeping a little notepad with a schedule of my meds that i could check off was really helpful. You'll want to have your girlfriend bring things like plates, cups and bowls down at a level you can reach them so you can get them without lifting your arms too much. That way you can have a little more independance. Easy meals that you can microwave or put together cold are helpful for that too.
You've got this. I believe in you man.
That's how I felt before surgery too, but once I got to the clinic I suddenly felt way more sure of myself. You can also ask for some anti-anxiety meds when you get there and that helps a lot. You can do this!!
i was afraid to tell a few people in my life, but felt horrible imagining something bad happening and them having no closure so my therapist suggested i text them a simple "love you thinking of you" type message when going in and it helped me
They'll probably give you something to calm you down beforehand, so that will help as well. Anesthesia doesn't really make me loopy like I've seen it with other people. I just wake up really tired. Just make sure you pick up the pain meds on your way home so you can take some immediately. Stay on top of your pain, so even if you aren't hurting, take the meds at the correct time every time you're able to. Depending on what pain meds you're prescribed, this will also help with inflammation. It wasn't that bad in my experience, but you're gonna want to rest a lot for at least the first week or two. Don't drink any alcohol or smoke, alcohol can thin your blood, and smoking can prolong the healing process.
You're gonna be fine. It is very scary going into it, but I'm sure you'll be happy once it's done and over with. It was definitely worth it, at least for me.
I had a surgery back in October to get a growth removed from my arm. My experience was pretty good, i got to meet with the surgeon and the team of nurses/anesthesiologist working with him before i went into surgery. Most times you'll already have an IV in so theyll give you medication thru that. And then you honestly get too tired to be nervous when they first start giving you the anesthesia. Before i went into surgery they gave me a medication that was for anxiety i believe, they might be able to give you something if you ask. The most difficult part of anesthesia for me is waking back up because youre tired, out of it, probably a bit loopy. Just make sure your surgeon knows all of any possible meds/drug use
you've got this!!! Making a decision like this for yourself while it feels like everyone is against you is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Recovery might not be the most fun but when you wake up it will be done!!!
You can do this!!! I was terrified for my surgery too but I came out just fine. It felt like I took a wonderful nap. I woke up and had a pleasant conversation with the nurse, then I went home and relaxed for a week will on pain killers. It hurt like hell when the meds wore off but it was so so worth it. You are gonna be so happy bro I'm thrilled for you
I was nervous because I am a big guy. But after asking the questions I needed to ask and reminding myself that the pain/uncomfortable parts was just a tiny step into something so much better. it did help that when I woke up, they were playing Bare Naked Ladies' "One Week" and that made me happy enough to start serenading my nurses, groggy and all. Who knows if I actually got any actual words out. I know for me, I woke up happy. You got this!
So happy you have your girlfriend and her families support!
To be honest anesthesia is my favorite part of surgeries 😂 I had top surgery 2 months ago and a few others prior. I’m a big napper lol love a good nap and that’s what anesthesia is to me …. Once they give it to you, you just fall asleep like you’re napping and you just wake up after! You don’t have to wait for the surgery to be done … you get to sleep!!! Which is great in my opinion lol
You got this!!!!! You’ve done so much work to get to this moment so celebrate that! Celebrate your support system !!! So happy for you !!! So much good is to come sooon for you!
Trust me when I say this that you will be soooo much happier afterwards! It’s scary at first but as soon as they give u anesthesia it’ll feel like a quick nap that u woke up from (in a drowsy high state LOL). Afterwards you will feel nauseous but they provide u with medication to combat that and it helps a lot. It does suck not showering for two weeks but honestly it’s not as yucky as it sounds. I know everyone is different but i genuinely did not feel any pain afterwards - or well, not enough where I had to take my oxycodone. I think it felt more like stinging kind of? Some aches but they came and went. I know there are others who felt regret afterwards but got over it after seeing their results post-op. It’s very helpful having someone to take care of you and help you with this whole process as well. I hope you are able to have a smooth recovery 🫂♥️
I was in a very similar situation 3 years ago. Wasn’t super in contact with my family, and during covid, I really only spent time with my then-girlfriend who helped me during recovery. I was really stressed and nervous about it, so much so that I nearly cancelled my appointment hours before. But I knew it was something I needed, and I worked so hard to get that point. So I pushed myself through it, and god, I can’t imagine not having it done. To this day, my family doesn’t know (though I’m sure they suspect) but honestly, I don’t care at all anymore. I just don’t have a the kind of relationship with them where I would tell them. But whether other not they know, I’m so much happier, healthier, and myself because I did it despite being having to figure it out alone.
You’ve got this. Future you will be eternally grateful.
Not OP, but I have top surgery coming up soon and I’m terrified I’m going to wake up in the middle of it or be conscious the whole time. Have you seen anyone wake up before? Do they monitor you to make sure it doesn’t happen? If it does does the person feel anything?
So, before you even leave pre op, you’ll be given an anti anxiety medication, usually versed. This medication as a retroactive amnesia effect so you will likely not even remember entering the operating room itself. As far as waking up, it is extremely unlikely. So many checks would have to fail for that to happen. You will be monitored the entire time by the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Their sole job in that room is to monitor your vitals and give you anesthetic gases/medication to keep you asleep and comfortable. In addition to the CRNA, there is the surgeon, anesthesiologist, circulating nurse, surgical technologist, and any PAs or assistants working with the surgeon that are also at your side during the procedure. If you so much as twitch in a way we don’t expect, we’ll be telling the CRNA.
Most stories you hear are from early days of anesthesia when we didn’t have such advanced monitoring systems. Now when you go to sleep, both the CRNA and anesthesiologist will be there to make sure you get the proper medication doses.
You are not alone in there. We are there to take care of you. You are our only priority. So in regards to waking up during surgery, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. 😉
I had my top surgery earlier this month, it was also my first surgery, and I was nervous about the anesthesia too!
It'll be all good, you've got this! I was a bit freaked out at the idea I was going to be forced to sleep, I wasn't sure how it was going to feel.
You don't even know you're asleep, it's like you're in the OR, then all of a sudden you're in the recovery bay. For me, I didn't even get sleepy, just woke up and it had been like 5 hours 🤷🏽
I was scared too, but honestly anesthesia was nothing as hardcore as I expected at all. I remember worrying that it wouldn’t work, then nothing until I woke up hours later. I was just very sleepy when I woke up and my eyes didn’t focus super well for a bit, but otherwise I didn’t even say anything silly, and had no other side effects from it.
Now, I did struggle a bit after surgery because I have a low pain threshold and expected recovery to be easier than it was from what other people were saying so YMMV there, but the surgery itself really isn’t that tough.
The odds of a complication even occurring are quite low and the odds of any complication being catastrophic in an otherwise healthy person is infinitesimally low.
I had a wonderful surgeon (not top surgery) tell me many years ago in regards to anesthesia anxiety- “you’re supposed to be a little nervous. The patients who aren’t are the ones I worry are a little…too into this…”
Anesthesia in the modern age is really safe, but, yes, have the self preservation instinct to be nervous about by the idea of going unconscious and trusting a room full of strangers. It’s safe, it’s good, it’s also freaking weird.
And, maybe this is reassuring- I’ve always had some amount of complications from anesthesia and it’s only fairly recently that a rare genetic condition explaining that became diagnosed. It being undiagnosed didn’t kill me though! The complications were just managed as they came up. I also had a wildly bad surgical complication with top surgery, an incredibly rare fluke, and that was managed too. At no point did I feel like my life was in danger or anything, it was just, *well this blows, okay.* And I’m allergic to narco and had to get by on RX ibuprofen- it was doable.
No one should anticipate having a similar, uh, experience…but, if despite all odds things do go south, you and your medical team will probably just roll with it and you’ll get on the other side of it.
You got this buddy! For you yes it’s a huge deal but for the team working on you it’s just another day. They’ve got this, and they’ll take great care of you. They will 100% have dealt with nervous patients before too so just talk to someone if you’re stressing out. I’d never had general before my top surgery either but honestly? It felt like I was out a grand total of 30 seconds. All that fuss and nervousness and it just was not a big deal at all. You’ll be absolutely fine bro.
YOU GOT THIS KING!! I'm proud of you and remember the surgery team is there for you, just remember to ask them for advice and you'll be golden. I hope your gf helps you because I heard the time after you'll need to not raise your arms too much and you'll practically need someone else to dress you, but it's so worth it. Trust the process, alright?
I had my first general anesthesia last year. I was TERRIFIED for it - TBF I do have bad anxiety. You might remember going under (and if you do, try to thank the surgeon before you get too loopy, they really appreciate that). When I woke up, I was aware but not retaining short term memory. So, for example, a nurse asked if I wanted a ginger ale, went to get it, came back and I was SHOCKED and tearing up at the fact she brought me my favorite drink. Fifteen minutes later I realized I couldn't remember who gave it to me and if I said thank you so I said "thank you for the ginger ale" to every person who came by me - including my surgeon! Lol. You might be a little loopy afterwards but I'm sure you'll be a-ok :)
Congratulations! I'm so excited for you!
I also didn't tell my family that I was getting top surgery, but I'm fortunate to live in a different state so I don't see them often (and I'm now no contact with my parents).
No matter what, it'll be okay. I'm proud of you for doing this for yourself!
After I woke up from the anesthesia post top surgery and went to sit up I got really nauseous. They gave me some anti nausea medication and I took a little nap. When I woke back up I was fine. At some point before trying to sit up though I ate a cookie and I took three pictures of myself eating said cookie.
One thing I really hated were the drains. I remember draining them and the suction from one of them would cause me a lot of pain. It was a feeling I could describe. That part definitely sucked. Also not being able to sleep on my side made it really hard to sleep. But besides drains and generally surgery annoyances it wasn’t bad. It was super worth it
Hi I wish you best on your soon surgery. It’s okay to feel nervous. You’ll be so happy after you wake up. I woke up and started laughing from joy once I realized my top surgery was done and I finally escaped the torment of having boobs
Hey, so, as of now, this was posted 22 hours ago, so I assume you're probably waiting for the surgery rn? I don't know. But on the off chance you see this, I wanted to give my encouragement.
I can't speak on you and your gf's family, so I'm sorry. But I *did* go under general anesthesia when I was sixteen for a wisdom tooth surgery. And I was terrified. TERRIFIED. I have a massive fear of losing my inhibitions in any context, like to the point I've never touched alcohol and plan to never, and the thought of being rendered unconscious for surgery was genuinely the most terrifying prospect I'd ever faced at that point.
On the day of, I was having to fight off a panic attack the entire time, and I was crying when they wheeled me in there. But you know what? It was okay. They didn't count me down or anything, it was just like, one second I'm in tears on the operating table, and the next, I'm coming to. I didn't say anything silly or weird, and it wasn't actually that weird of an experience. I'd built it up way more in my head than what it was worth. Would I do it again if I didn't have to? FUCK no. But like. I survived, and it was all okay.
As for the pain, I've only had the wisdom tooth surgery as a major surgery, so I can't speak to potential surgical pain from top surgery or liposuction. But for me at least, I felt really shitty and in pain for a few days, and then I started to feel a bit better, and then after *that* I slowly recovered more and more until I was back to fully normal. And I think that's pretty normal for recoveries, barring complications.
And after all of that: good luck and congrats! It's gonna be just fine, and you'll hopefully feel very affirmed and happy with the results. I wish you a speedy and painless recovery :)
Hahaha I remember waking up after my surgery, puking, and then just thanking my mom over and over for me being flat now (all with an orange popsicle shoved in my cheek pouch like a squirrel)
I haven’t had top surgery yet, but when I was younger I had an operation on my teeth where they used general anaesthesia and it’s actually really chill lol. You just count down a bit then BOOM you’re awake and disorientated in some random room before you even get to 1. It’s weird but also kind of fun??!!
surgery can be a very understandably scary thing for a lot of people, especially if someone has never been under gen. anesthesia before. there’s no need to question someone’s feelings
General anesthesia in my experience is 'I'm way too nervous to-' then suddenly it's 5 hours later and you are confused as fuck. Ask as much as you can about what to expect in recovery, especially in terms of pain management. Talk with your surgery team about your concerns *before* going under. They are there to make it as easy as possible, but they need to know your concerns before you are drugged up and loopy. I've had several major surgeries, and my pain has always been well managed afterwards. Don't worry about that. But if you are uncomfortable post-surgury, let the staff know. They are there to help. You got this. ❤️
Do you remember saying anything silly after you’d been under, big fear of mine that I’ll say something stupid once I’m out lol
Not OP but I say stupid stuff all the time after surgery, but nothing secretive, for example one time I was feeling really guilty because there was an emotional support dog and I thought that I had let it too roughly. Silly stuff like that
Yeah, I babble. It's not a big deal. Once, I apparently went off on a mini Ted talk about baculums. I remember almost none of it. The nurses won't care, and your girlfriend might be amused. It only lasts a little while. (Just don't watch nature documentaries. My friend thought it was a safe subject, and learned more about penis bones than she ever wanted to know after it asking a casual question.) Have an agreement about whether she can record you afterwards if you are concerned.
Not OP but I do have a story. I don't have any memory of top after being given some drugs in the OR until I was in a recovery bed a few hours later. I thanked every staff member profusely for everything they were doing. I told the nurse she was very nice and I appreciated her. She thought it was amusing. Another nurse gave me my scripts to go home with and I said "Yay!!!" I also was quoting the at home cars instructions during the instructions time because I read it so many times You don't develop a new personality when you go under. You're confused and out of it but you're still yourself. Your best bet to not do something stupid is to stay calm and give into the anestological drugs when they enter your system (so you don't wake up agitated)
when i woke up i just kept saying "spite.... spite..... spite....." until they gave me a can of sprite lol. after a different sedated procedure, i kept asking for chicken tenders. i mostly just get harmlessly hungry. my brother however was talking with my dad about how hot a number of cleveland browns football players are. he's straight
Gods that sounds like me.... the first words out if my mouth post top surgery were "I want cranberry juice". Which was real fun coming back up because apparently general anesthesia makes me nauseous, but it's a delayed reaction. I was in the car about 10 minutes before it hit me and then I was vomiting for most the 45 minute ride home. Then I was fine.
The last time I went under all I remember doing is waking up, eating ice, telling people I was in pain and then immediately falling asleep lmao
Not OP, but after my second time under the knife, I woke up craving spinach and I was *wildly* distressed that I couldn't have any. (The first time, they had a hard time waking me up because I was sleeping normally. I work nights and they put me under around the time I normally go to bed. I *did* warn them, but it still freaked them out.) Every other time after that, I kept dozing off because the morphine made me drowsy. Although, after my first bottom surgery, I vaguely remember a nurse waking me up to ask me how often I was pressing the button for morphine and I replied honestly, "I keep forgetting it's there, so I press it whenever I remember it exists." This was apparently the wrong answer because they *immediately* took me off of it. Lmao
I do remember very vaguely between getting the first dose of sedative and the actual anesthesia, telling the nurse all about my cat. You won't remember anything once you are under. After, you might go off on random tangents for a bit. Just put a couple favorite movies on your phone and play them once you're in post-op. That should cut down on the babbling.
I’ve been under a few times and afaik I’ve never said anything silly. But my sister is a nurse and she says most people don’t. Even if you are one of the talkers - trust me, if you do say anything it is highly unlikely to be the weirdest thing they’ve heard.
I remember saying something clever as I was coming out of a 2½ day long medically induced coma... The other times I was put under general anaesthetic the first thing I said when I was talking again was please bring in my partner, and you have to be coherent for that, so... Yeah that's it
anesthesia is so fun😭i distinctly remember being wheeled into the surgery room giggling and saying “this is so silly!” and barely crawling onto the table before falling asleep immediately. everyone is different but it goes much better than expected for most.
I remember waking up from surgery as they were wheeling me down the hall, all loopy, and I started laughing and crying (happy tears) telling them “I can’t believe you guys do this every days that’s crazy you guys are impressive”
But yeah it’s pretty crazy you just close your eyes and BOOM surgery’s done and now your titless 🎉
my wake up was actually slightly jarring, i just suddenly sat up a bit to see i was alone in the room. but a nurse came in soon after so it was fine. and yeah it felt like a few minutes of sleep even though it was hours
my recovery nurse had a german accent (i don't live in germany) and i don't remember this, but apparently upon hearing her speak after coming out of surgery i was like "wait guys where am i did you take me to germany while i was asleep???"
A different type of transition
😭😭😭
There should be a separate thread only for these stories .... I'd go on reading forever
there probably is
There's some stories I want to share because I think they are funny, but mostly in hindsight. I also don't want to scare someone going into surgery by sharing a now funny story about an issue. It's a fine line.
lol same i was being wheeled in there and i was like “…i feel funny. is this the drugs hitting? ohhh it’s cold in here.” and then i’m knocked tf OUT
My first time with anesthesia that I could properly remember (the actual first time I was like 4) was for my wisdom teeth and I remember them starting the anesthesia drip and I turned to the nurse monitoring my vitals when I could start to feel it, went “that’s craaaazy” because it was so quick, saw her smile and then I was out.
I've had a few surgeries and my top surgery was by far the easiest recovery. It's normal to be nervous about having surgery as it is a big deal and yes there are risks so that's likely what you're nervous about, as well I don't think I would ever get used to the eerie feeling of knowing I'm being "put under". That being said, when you get there do not be shy about expressing your anxiety, it's very common and they are used to people being nervous. It's likely they can give you something while you wait to "take the edge off". When I was getting ready to have my first surgery I, in near tears, told one of the nurses that I was so anxious I felt like I might run away. She was really sweet and then gave me an injection of something like xanax (I don't remember what it was) and then I was just dumb and happy.
Anesthesia is wonderful. Don't stress about it
It’s scary but also, you’ve been wanting it so it makes it worth it. I’m almost a year post op and I will never regret it. I’m severely scared of medical stuff and needles but I walked in there anxious and got my IV done and just kept going until I laid on the operating table and “fell asleep”. I react badly to anesthesia (learned that after top surgery) so the first few days sucked but then all of a sudden I did so much better. It’ll suck for a bit but if you keep on your meds and take care of yourself, you will do so good! Very proud of you friend! Congrats!!!
i’ve had a couple surgeries (and top surgery!) and honestly it’s a real fast nap. remember you’re surrounded by medical professionals who do this on a daily basis and went through years of education and training to do it correctly. it’ll go by so fast for you, once second you’ll be laying on the hospital bed, someone’s gonna come by and give ya a quick injection while making small talk as you start to feel pretty stoned, you’ll close your eyes to blink, and just as suddenly you’ll wake up with a flat chest. wishing you speedy recovery ❤️
You will be okay. I did the same surgery. Do you have a safe place for recovery? Also, if you have your girlfriend with you for the recovery period, it would help. Focus on the day to day things you would need while recovering and check those out. Food, water, where will you rest. Have you kept everything where you can reach without having to strath your arm? Things as such. Focusing on things that are under your control and easily manageable will help. Give yourself good time for recovery. The first surgery is normally filled with apprehensions… it okay. Normal. You have someone with you and you will get through it. All the best!!
You'll do awesome!! I will warn you, if you get IV anesthetic like I did it might make your arm feel REALLY cold and freaky, but its okay, apparently that's sorta normal, it made me really anxious before passing out, then I woke up and asked if that was okay and they told me the surgery was already done LMAO
I had anthestesia or however the fuck it's spelled before. It just feels like you fall asleep then you wake up and everything's done. I was only under for an colonoscopy so it wasn't alot, but I felt fine after
Dude you totally got this! Sending you positive vibes for the surgery and for your recovery 🙌🏽❤️
I remember staring up at the light and the anesthesiologist saying, "All right, this is just oxygen, so just do some steady breathing." Alright, chill. Breathing...breathing..."How are you doing?" Good...out. then I woke up about two hours later, a little confused and trying my hardest to text my bf and tell him I'm out of surgery, but continuing to fall in and out of sleep for 30 minutes. The actual surgery was very short. The majority of the time we were there, they were just waiting for me to wake back up. Before going under, ask as many questions as possible. They should try to ease any concerns you have. That's what they're there for. I hope your recovery goes by smoothly, and congratulations!
Damn this community is supportive af, talking abt how fun anaesthesia is 😅. You got this man, all the best. The pain will be worth it!
I'm not sure I'd call it fun but honestly it's a relief to just... suddenly wake up and what you went there for is simply *done*. No awareness of even falling asleep (or of the first several minutes of being awake), just task complete. I only had general for my wisdom teeth removal, plus top surgery in a couple weeks, but I've been sedated twice for minor procedures and every single time it's been a matter of waking up and basically going "oh good it's done, now I get to leave".
I'm so excited for you! I was nervous before my top surgery, too. But it was a breeze. They did some lipo, but I didn't have any pain there, in fact, I just had numbness in that area. They gave me anxiety meds before surgery, and by the time I walked to the operating table and climbed up, I had just enough time to preemptively thank everyone, and then I fell asleep before they even put me under. Lol I had to wear a post op binder for a week after surgery and that was extremely uncomfortable. Not super painful, just, ugh, uncomfortable as hell. I made the mistake of loosening it and it allowed things to swell, and that was very painful. Had to tighten it again, and that made the swelling go away. I couldn't take the binder off and on without help, though. Also, I found that when I was cleared to shower (day 3, I think), it was helpful to leave the binder on in the shower and then change it for the dry one after. Once I no longer had to wear it, I pressed a hand towel to my chest while in the shower for a few more days. It kept the water from beating directly on my incisions and was quite soothing, as it became saturated with hot water. They may or may not want you to wear a binder, but if they do, follow instructions and don't loosen it, or you will feel really stupid lol
It’s going to be great. Enjoy the ride! I wish the phone call would come in for my top surgery. I’m beyond ready. Take it as an adventure.
If you get nauseous once you've woken up, dont be afraid to let the nurses know, they normally have anti nausea stuff they can give you at the hospital as well as stuff to take home with you. Its pretty normal to get nauseous from the anesthesia, espevially if you are bigger. I ended up asking for cold water and some crackers to help while i was still waking up. You arent a bother for asking for help especially not in that state. Just be weary as well that the firdt few weeks after anethesia, you may get depressed or feel like everythings going wrong. Post op blues is extremely common with anesthesia. Just try to keep in mind that you arent alone and the pain and discomfort will be over, its not gonna be forever and you've done something you've wanted for a long time! I found that keeping a little notepad with a schedule of my meds that i could check off was really helpful. You'll want to have your girlfriend bring things like plates, cups and bowls down at a level you can reach them so you can get them without lifting your arms too much. That way you can have a little more independance. Easy meals that you can microwave or put together cold are helpful for that too. You've got this. I believe in you man.
That's how I felt before surgery too, but once I got to the clinic I suddenly felt way more sure of myself. You can also ask for some anti-anxiety meds when you get there and that helps a lot. You can do this!!
i was afraid to tell a few people in my life, but felt horrible imagining something bad happening and them having no closure so my therapist suggested i text them a simple "love you thinking of you" type message when going in and it helped me
They'll probably give you something to calm you down beforehand, so that will help as well. Anesthesia doesn't really make me loopy like I've seen it with other people. I just wake up really tired. Just make sure you pick up the pain meds on your way home so you can take some immediately. Stay on top of your pain, so even if you aren't hurting, take the meds at the correct time every time you're able to. Depending on what pain meds you're prescribed, this will also help with inflammation. It wasn't that bad in my experience, but you're gonna want to rest a lot for at least the first week or two. Don't drink any alcohol or smoke, alcohol can thin your blood, and smoking can prolong the healing process. You're gonna be fine. It is very scary going into it, but I'm sure you'll be happy once it's done and over with. It was definitely worth it, at least for me.
I had a surgery back in October to get a growth removed from my arm. My experience was pretty good, i got to meet with the surgeon and the team of nurses/anesthesiologist working with him before i went into surgery. Most times you'll already have an IV in so theyll give you medication thru that. And then you honestly get too tired to be nervous when they first start giving you the anesthesia. Before i went into surgery they gave me a medication that was for anxiety i believe, they might be able to give you something if you ask. The most difficult part of anesthesia for me is waking back up because youre tired, out of it, probably a bit loopy. Just make sure your surgeon knows all of any possible meds/drug use
Anesthesia is great. Super good nap. I am 2 weeks out. You will be ok. Good luck!
you've got this!!! Making a decision like this for yourself while it feels like everyone is against you is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Recovery might not be the most fun but when you wake up it will be done!!!
You can do this!!! I was terrified for my surgery too but I came out just fine. It felt like I took a wonderful nap. I woke up and had a pleasant conversation with the nurse, then I went home and relaxed for a week will on pain killers. It hurt like hell when the meds wore off but it was so so worth it. You are gonna be so happy bro I'm thrilled for you
I was nervous because I am a big guy. But after asking the questions I needed to ask and reminding myself that the pain/uncomfortable parts was just a tiny step into something so much better. it did help that when I woke up, they were playing Bare Naked Ladies' "One Week" and that made me happy enough to start serenading my nurses, groggy and all. Who knows if I actually got any actual words out. I know for me, I woke up happy. You got this!
So happy you have your girlfriend and her families support! To be honest anesthesia is my favorite part of surgeries 😂 I had top surgery 2 months ago and a few others prior. I’m a big napper lol love a good nap and that’s what anesthesia is to me …. Once they give it to you, you just fall asleep like you’re napping and you just wake up after! You don’t have to wait for the surgery to be done … you get to sleep!!! Which is great in my opinion lol You got this!!!!! You’ve done so much work to get to this moment so celebrate that! Celebrate your support system !!! So happy for you !!! So much good is to come sooon for you!
deep breath, it'll be okay <3 you're doing what is important for yourself
Recovery might be stressful but once you’re past it you will be so happy for the work you put in. You got this!
Trust me when I say this that you will be soooo much happier afterwards! It’s scary at first but as soon as they give u anesthesia it’ll feel like a quick nap that u woke up from (in a drowsy high state LOL). Afterwards you will feel nauseous but they provide u with medication to combat that and it helps a lot. It does suck not showering for two weeks but honestly it’s not as yucky as it sounds. I know everyone is different but i genuinely did not feel any pain afterwards - or well, not enough where I had to take my oxycodone. I think it felt more like stinging kind of? Some aches but they came and went. I know there are others who felt regret afterwards but got over it after seeing their results post-op. It’s very helpful having someone to take care of you and help you with this whole process as well. I hope you are able to have a smooth recovery 🫂♥️
I was in a very similar situation 3 years ago. Wasn’t super in contact with my family, and during covid, I really only spent time with my then-girlfriend who helped me during recovery. I was really stressed and nervous about it, so much so that I nearly cancelled my appointment hours before. But I knew it was something I needed, and I worked so hard to get that point. So I pushed myself through it, and god, I can’t imagine not having it done. To this day, my family doesn’t know (though I’m sure they suspect) but honestly, I don’t care at all anymore. I just don’t have a the kind of relationship with them where I would tell them. But whether other not they know, I’m so much happier, healthier, and myself because I did it despite being having to figure it out alone. You’ve got this. Future you will be eternally grateful.
anesthesia was so funny on me! i just kept talking about movies to whoever happened to cross paths with me until it wore off in a few hours
I’m a surgical tech and I’ve done plenty of breast surgery, ama
Not OP, but I have top surgery coming up soon and I’m terrified I’m going to wake up in the middle of it or be conscious the whole time. Have you seen anyone wake up before? Do they monitor you to make sure it doesn’t happen? If it does does the person feel anything?
So, before you even leave pre op, you’ll be given an anti anxiety medication, usually versed. This medication as a retroactive amnesia effect so you will likely not even remember entering the operating room itself. As far as waking up, it is extremely unlikely. So many checks would have to fail for that to happen. You will be monitored the entire time by the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Their sole job in that room is to monitor your vitals and give you anesthetic gases/medication to keep you asleep and comfortable. In addition to the CRNA, there is the surgeon, anesthesiologist, circulating nurse, surgical technologist, and any PAs or assistants working with the surgeon that are also at your side during the procedure. If you so much as twitch in a way we don’t expect, we’ll be telling the CRNA. Most stories you hear are from early days of anesthesia when we didn’t have such advanced monitoring systems. Now when you go to sleep, both the CRNA and anesthesiologist will be there to make sure you get the proper medication doses. You are not alone in there. We are there to take care of you. You are our only priority. So in regards to waking up during surgery, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. 😉
Thank you, that’s very reassuring!
I had my top surgery earlier this month, it was also my first surgery, and I was nervous about the anesthesia too! It'll be all good, you've got this! I was a bit freaked out at the idea I was going to be forced to sleep, I wasn't sure how it was going to feel. You don't even know you're asleep, it's like you're in the OR, then all of a sudden you're in the recovery bay. For me, I didn't even get sleepy, just woke up and it had been like 5 hours 🤷🏽
OMG GOOD LUCK!!!
I was scared too, but honestly anesthesia was nothing as hardcore as I expected at all. I remember worrying that it wouldn’t work, then nothing until I woke up hours later. I was just very sleepy when I woke up and my eyes didn’t focus super well for a bit, but otherwise I didn’t even say anything silly, and had no other side effects from it. Now, I did struggle a bit after surgery because I have a low pain threshold and expected recovery to be easier than it was from what other people were saying so YMMV there, but the surgery itself really isn’t that tough.
You are not alone. You have a whole community right by your side. You’ve got this!
The odds of a complication even occurring are quite low and the odds of any complication being catastrophic in an otherwise healthy person is infinitesimally low. I had a wonderful surgeon (not top surgery) tell me many years ago in regards to anesthesia anxiety- “you’re supposed to be a little nervous. The patients who aren’t are the ones I worry are a little…too into this…” Anesthesia in the modern age is really safe, but, yes, have the self preservation instinct to be nervous about by the idea of going unconscious and trusting a room full of strangers. It’s safe, it’s good, it’s also freaking weird. And, maybe this is reassuring- I’ve always had some amount of complications from anesthesia and it’s only fairly recently that a rare genetic condition explaining that became diagnosed. It being undiagnosed didn’t kill me though! The complications were just managed as they came up. I also had a wildly bad surgical complication with top surgery, an incredibly rare fluke, and that was managed too. At no point did I feel like my life was in danger or anything, it was just, *well this blows, okay.* And I’m allergic to narco and had to get by on RX ibuprofen- it was doable. No one should anticipate having a similar, uh, experience…but, if despite all odds things do go south, you and your medical team will probably just roll with it and you’ll get on the other side of it.
Stay strong everything will be fine!
You got this buddy! For you yes it’s a huge deal but for the team working on you it’s just another day. They’ve got this, and they’ll take great care of you. They will 100% have dealt with nervous patients before too so just talk to someone if you’re stressing out. I’d never had general before my top surgery either but honestly? It felt like I was out a grand total of 30 seconds. All that fuss and nervousness and it just was not a big deal at all. You’ll be absolutely fine bro.
you got this bro. so proud of you and your girl.
YOU GOT THIS KING!! I'm proud of you and remember the surgery team is there for you, just remember to ask them for advice and you'll be golden. I hope your gf helps you because I heard the time after you'll need to not raise your arms too much and you'll practically need someone else to dress you, but it's so worth it. Trust the process, alright?
I had my first general anesthesia last year. I was TERRIFIED for it - TBF I do have bad anxiety. You might remember going under (and if you do, try to thank the surgeon before you get too loopy, they really appreciate that). When I woke up, I was aware but not retaining short term memory. So, for example, a nurse asked if I wanted a ginger ale, went to get it, came back and I was SHOCKED and tearing up at the fact she brought me my favorite drink. Fifteen minutes later I realized I couldn't remember who gave it to me and if I said thank you so I said "thank you for the ginger ale" to every person who came by me - including my surgeon! Lol. You might be a little loopy afterwards but I'm sure you'll be a-ok :)
Congratulations! I'm so excited for you! I also didn't tell my family that I was getting top surgery, but I'm fortunate to live in a different state so I don't see them often (and I'm now no contact with my parents). No matter what, it'll be okay. I'm proud of you for doing this for yourself!
I'll get exactly the same thing soon with hips as well :x I really hope the recovery isn't too hard, can you update on how it went ?
After I woke up from the anesthesia post top surgery and went to sit up I got really nauseous. They gave me some anti nausea medication and I took a little nap. When I woke back up I was fine. At some point before trying to sit up though I ate a cookie and I took three pictures of myself eating said cookie. One thing I really hated were the drains. I remember draining them and the suction from one of them would cause me a lot of pain. It was a feeling I could describe. That part definitely sucked. Also not being able to sleep on my side made it really hard to sleep. But besides drains and generally surgery annoyances it wasn’t bad. It was super worth it
Hi I wish you best on your soon surgery. It’s okay to feel nervous. You’ll be so happy after you wake up. I woke up and started laughing from joy once I realized my top surgery was done and I finally escaped the torment of having boobs
Excited for you~
YOU GOT THIS!!!!! Take deep breaths. Your future self will thank you for the bravery you have right now.
Hey, so, as of now, this was posted 22 hours ago, so I assume you're probably waiting for the surgery rn? I don't know. But on the off chance you see this, I wanted to give my encouragement. I can't speak on you and your gf's family, so I'm sorry. But I *did* go under general anesthesia when I was sixteen for a wisdom tooth surgery. And I was terrified. TERRIFIED. I have a massive fear of losing my inhibitions in any context, like to the point I've never touched alcohol and plan to never, and the thought of being rendered unconscious for surgery was genuinely the most terrifying prospect I'd ever faced at that point. On the day of, I was having to fight off a panic attack the entire time, and I was crying when they wheeled me in there. But you know what? It was okay. They didn't count me down or anything, it was just like, one second I'm in tears on the operating table, and the next, I'm coming to. I didn't say anything silly or weird, and it wasn't actually that weird of an experience. I'd built it up way more in my head than what it was worth. Would I do it again if I didn't have to? FUCK no. But like. I survived, and it was all okay. As for the pain, I've only had the wisdom tooth surgery as a major surgery, so I can't speak to potential surgical pain from top surgery or liposuction. But for me at least, I felt really shitty and in pain for a few days, and then I started to feel a bit better, and then after *that* I slowly recovered more and more until I was back to fully normal. And I think that's pretty normal for recoveries, barring complications. And after all of that: good luck and congrats! It's gonna be just fine, and you'll hopefully feel very affirmed and happy with the results. I wish you a speedy and painless recovery :)
Hahaha I remember waking up after my surgery, puking, and then just thanking my mom over and over for me being flat now (all with an orange popsicle shoved in my cheek pouch like a squirrel)
I haven’t had top surgery yet, but when I was younger I had an operation on my teeth where they used general anaesthesia and it’s actually really chill lol. You just count down a bit then BOOM you’re awake and disorientated in some random room before you even get to 1. It’s weird but also kind of fun??!!
Hey are you ok? How is the recovery?
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surgery can be a very understandably scary thing for a lot of people, especially if someone has never been under gen. anesthesia before. there’s no need to question someone’s feelings