I have heart surgery next week and am nervous about waking up during the surgery. I am 65 and have never been nervous about this in my life, after 5+ relatively large surgeries, but in my older age I’m starting to get anxious about everything.
I have heart surgery next week and am nervous about waking up during the surgery. I am 65 and have never been nervous about this in my life, after 5+ relatively large surgeries, but in my older age I’m starting to get anxious about everything.
I don’t think it’s that common. If you worry about it you will be even more anxious about your surgery. My doctor told me to take a valium a few days before surgery to calm my nerves
A lot of people have a fear of waking up during surgery. Will the anesthesiologist provide the correct amount of medication so that I do not wake up during surgery? I have heard stories of people being aware of the surgery they are having. What if you cannot talk and you are paralyzed but experiencing pain? Will the surgeon and staff know?
While the incidence of what is called “anesthesia awareness” is very rare, it can occur. I have read that most people do not experience pain, just pressure. But there have been cases where some people say they felt pain. Some people have been traumatized many years afterward claiming they could not communicate with their surgeon about the pain.
Anesthesiologists monitor vitals but do they monitor brain activity to see if you are experiencing pain? There are several studies conducted at the University of Washington and also Britain and Ireland (the National Audit Project) are researching the effects of anesthesia. But there is still a lot of mystery around it.
The best thing to do from what I have read is to always follow doctor’s orders regarding when to stop eating before surgery, honesty about medications including herbs, and honesty about height and weight. That way the anesthesiologist can accurately prescribe medication.
It is also smart to be honest about drug and alcohol use before undergoing anesthesia as well as a tendency toward depression and anxiety. I have asked my doctor to walk me through the procedure before undergoing general anesthesia.
Anesthesia awareness is not always the fault of the anesthesiologist and again it is very rare. I would talk with the hospital or surgery center to determine their success rate and whether or not they would know if someone were in fact, aware during surgery.