Anesthesia Anxiety

Hi ladies! I have had some surgeries in the distant past and not tolerated anesthesia well. Had days of vomiting and feeling awful, so much so that when i had my ablation my doc used a spinal for me. Have the techniques come far in the last 15 years or so, and what were your experiences? Thanks so much!

My anesthesiologist was very kind and reassuring when he came into pre-op to talk to me about what he was going to do.

I was very nervous and he did a good job of easing my fears. He put medication in my IV before he had me wake to take care of the nausea and it worked perfectly ... I actually felt really good when I first woke, no nausea and no pain.

I had general anesthesia when I had my TVH 8 years ago and when I woke up in recovery I was nauseous and vomiting. I was much better the next day but I understand about feeling awful. I had a cystocele repair a couple of months ago and had a patch behind my ear placed before surgery and then the anesthesiologist gave me a nice anti-nausea cocktail before I woke up. When I woke up in recovery, my nurse had a list of anti-nausea meds she could give me and stayed on top of it. It worked great for me. The nurses assigned to me when I got to my room were also aware and made sure I was feeling ok. That was nice.

Be sure to let everyone you encounter know that it makes you feel awful and sick. I told my doctor, everyone I spoke to at my pre-op appointment, the nurses who came into my pre-op room (day of surgery) and my new best friend, my anesthesiologist.

There are options for anesthesia for many women, such as the spinal you had, so be sure to discuss it with you doctor.

I wish the best!



Deb

I've gotten sick after surgery too. I told the anesthesiologist about it during my last surgery (uterine ablation) and he put an anti nausea patch behind my ear. He said it would last two to three days. On the third day I got a little nauseous but not for long. I'm going to make sure I ask for that again. The strange thing that did happen that time was blurred vision for a whole week! I was disappointed because I had bought a couple books to read while recovering. Good luck!

I always get sick. With my pain meds I was given nausea meds too. Unfortunate for me that did not work. Remember to take the pain meds with some food.

I had a lot of general fears over it all too! I came out of a surgery prior in severe pain, thought the surgery was still going on because I hurt so bad, and about broke a nurses nose when she kept crowding me trying to get me to calm down. I talked to my anesthesiologist about all my fears before the surgery and we came to various agreements on what I needed. In the end, there was some added pain medicine, extra medicine to prevent the nausea, and more than anything, they put me on a slow mode to wake up so my mind and body would have the time to adjust and realize surgery was over. The nurses were alerted to my issues, and were all amazing about talking to me and making sure we were on the same page before they approached and touched me. At the end of it all, this was a very positive experience and a really wonderful anesthesiologist definitely played his part in making it all the best it could be for myself and everyone else.

Thank you for the great info!

I'm with the other ladies about asking for anti-nausea medication and telling your prep team & anesthesiologist about your concerns.

They will take good care of you. They will listen to you and address it accordingly. If you are super nervous, ask them to give you something to calm you down. Also, if you are nervous prior to surgery, maybe your doctor can prescribe something to take the edge off. The waiting is the hardest & most nerve wracking part.

It's very normal to have these fears & concerns.

I too in the past have had severe nausia after surgery. This time I kept stressing to the doctors over and over that this usually happens to me. Awoke with no nausia at all!! I also told them no morophine because I cannot tolerate it. Just keep voicing your concerns. Medicine has changed and there are lots of options.

Good Luck!

Thanks! It's ironic because I was a doula and childbirth educator for some years. I always stressed to my clients to do their research and talk to the doc. Guess its my turn to do those things! I just really do not want to spend two days vomiting after this one.