awake during surgery

I really don't like the idea of being put to sleep for surgery. I always feel like I am hung over for two days when I have general. I also hate the amnesia that comes and goes when I first come out of general A. Is it possible to just have a spinal? Anyone out there ever stay awake for the procedure, and if so what can I expect? Am I totally nuts to want to be aware of what is going on?

it depends of what kind of surgery to me

A lot of women prefer the idea of a spinal so they can be awake during surgery.

Sometimes you can negotiate this with your doctor - sometimes,- depending on the doctor and the precise procedure you are having one type of anesthesia is preferrable to another.

This is certainly something you want to discuss with your doctor.
I hope you are able to resolve the point to your satisfaction !
best wishes.

I too would love to be awake for surgery. Some people can't stand the thought but I have already had two c-sections so I know what it feels like to be awake during surgery. Now wether or not my doctor will let me is a different story. One of the worse feelings for me also is the waking up and not knowing really what is going on. I meat with my doctor on Thursday to discuss anything that I need to prior to surgery which is on Monday. Until then I have a ton of stuff going on so I really hope I remember. Please remind me again to trust God that everything will fall into place before surgery and to stop worrying. I just have to much to organize before surgery and way too much that can go wrong. It would be nice for me to be awake also because the doctor can tell me what she sees as she is doing it. Usually they come talk to me after surgery and I am so drugged I have no memory at all what she said to me. My husband doesn't remember details so whatever she tells him doesn't come back to me the way it was told. Anyway I'll let you know what my doctor says.

I had a spinal for my TAH. It was my choice. I wanted the lower mortality risk as well as less risk of nausea and brain fog. My DR told me spinals used to be common for this surgery, but a lot of women like to be knocked out. My vertical incision ended just below my navel. They were able to administer anesthesia so I felt nothing. It was not scary being awake because you are kind of zorbed out from the drugs. I never really felt anything until the procedure was almost over. I felt something (not exactly sure what at this point) and told them. They told me that they were almost done. I asked what they found and my DR told me 3 fibroids, with the largest about as big as my head, but noy as big as his. I told him that's because I am not a surgeon which he thought was hilarious. He knows I am married to a non-surgeon physician, so I have heard many jokes about surgeons and their egos. Anyway, it was one of the first things he told me DH.

I was awake in the recovery room, but very sleepy. They let my DH come in and hang out with me, which was great. They transitioned me to the morphine pump either in the OR or recovery. I used the pump pretty heavily overnight after my afternoon surgery which gave me some nausea in the morning when the nurse wanted me to get up out of bed. She fixed the nausea with phenergan. However, I was able to transition from ice chips to water and juice during the night so I was able to get some calories in my mouth. That really helps you feel better.

BTW - it wasn't until I met with the anesthesiologist that the anesthesia choice was finalized. When I talked to my DR about it at my pre-op appt., he said that anesthesia makes the final decision.

This is something I intend to discuss with my doctor Thursday when I go for my pre-op.

I have had four surgeries in the last nine years. I wasn't "awake" for any of them, but the ones I slept through with a spinal and some really good happy juice were not as unpleasant in the recovery room as the one where I had a general.

I just saw my surgeon for the first time today, and he mentioned that being awake might be an option. I'm afraid of throwing up afterwards and thought maybe that would keep it from happening - but he told me that if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. I don't know which I want.

Hi great pumpkin... I just had a spinal on Friday... I had a TVH..

I was freaked out about being "awake" but less chance of dying in my sleep... phew.. so glad I can say that here...

Anyway... they give you an IV first... then a cocktail to make you feel really good...

Then the spinal which is a tiny needle injected in your back.. by then you don't even feel it really... seriously... (I HATE needles)... it wasn't like an epidural where they leave the needle in your back.

Then they give you some kind of sedative I suppose.. I wasn't aware.... but I was joking the whole time with the A-man, and wasn't aware of anything going on around me....

Before I new it they said they were done.. hello? I didn't know they had started.... it was great... recovery was a breeze .. and I'm day 4 now... just taking tylenol....

Believe me... I wanted to be knocked out.. but I'm so glad I didn't...

Good luck with your decision.....

ps. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat...

Oni

That's good to know, I will d*****ately ask my doctor if I can be awake. I would like to be aware of what is happening though with maybe just a little tid bit of happy juice. As for the one whos doctor said if your going to get sick you will get sick. Not necessarily true. Yes sometimes people just feel sick from the surgery itself however the anesthesia does make people more sick. I do not get sick without general anesthesia except maybe a little with pain meds which is like I said just a little whereas with general anesthesia it is really bad. Even after I got meds once it was still awful. So yes there is still a possability you will get sick even if you don't have general but general does tend to agrevate it in those who are blessed with that reaction to it (such as myself). You never know if you will have an adverse reaction to it until you have it. I have had two c-sections while awake and never had a problem with nausia but in the three other surgeries where I was put to sleep I got really sick, so that goes to show you that while sometimes people do get sick without general, general in and of itself definately can cause nausia that wouldn't otherwise have been there.

I had a spinal for surgery and at the same time as the spinal an epidural catheder was put in for post op pain. With an epidural, a needle is not left in the back. It's a plastic catheder similar to the way I.V.'s work.

As for being awake, I did receive versed before going in the O.R. and I complained of dizziness. The a man told me it was the versed. I told him it was OK for me to be awake so he never gave me anymore. I was glad to be able to see my uterus once it was out.

I was awake and also had a concern with nausea. The dr. told me there are new drugs out to combat nausea. Ask the anesthesiologist about that. I was given zofran before surgery and then again two days later when nausea came on. The nurse gave me the zofran just in time so I didn't barf.

The sedation (no tube in throat) used with a regional is different from the sedation used for general. And with a regional, the level of sedation can be varied (light--just relaxed, medium-groggy, heavy--sleep through it all).
If you do opt for an epidural it can be left in for 24 hours post op pain. I wasn't sure if I could tolerate a PCA morophine pump. (nausea, fogginess, etc) I wasn't concerned about morphine in an epidural/spinal because it doesn't have the same circulation--effects are limited to nerve-endings in lower portion of body and drug does not cross brain/blood barrier.

Awake during TVH
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...light=epidural

Difference between epidural and spinal
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...ghlight=spinal

General anesthesia vs. epidural
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...light=sedation

epidural or pca pump for post op pain
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...pidural+or+pca

Pain..1-10 (sisters either had epidural or morophine pca pump and reported how they felt right after surgery)
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...light=epidural

Were you groggy the first day?
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...light=epidural


With general, they sedate you so you don't experience the sensations when they administer the drug that paralyzes you, which is why you need intubation (tube in throat). If that's not enough to make you sick, often times they need to administer other meds, post-op, to "re-start" the digestive track, antibiotics to combat infection or irritation from the intuabtion tube, and of course, the nausea, and vomiting.... Not what you want with an abdominal incision! Although if general is the only choice allowed such as in laporoscopic procedures due to the gas or dr's choice, there are meds to control that such as zofran.

link about preventing nausea
https://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...ghlight=nausea