Anesthesia: IV Sedation (Twilight Sleep) for TAH-BSO?

I'm scheduled for a TAH-BSO July 11 and was considering regional anesthesia but decided I want to be knocked out. No regional for me! General anesthesia makes me and also scares me . Has anyone had IV Sedation (Twilight Sleep) for a TAH? My understanding is it sedates and puts you under but the patient breathes on her own. Any feedback on this for this type of procedure? Or is this type of anesthesia not recommended for TAH? -- Laura

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Zone_V I'm scheduled for a TAH-BSO July 11 and was considering regional anesthesia but decided I want to be knocked out. No regional for me! General anesthesia makes me and also scares me . Has anyone had IV Sedation (Twilight Sleep) for a TAH? My understanding is it sedates and puts you under but the patient breathes on her own. Any feedback on this for this type of procedure? Or is this type of anesthesia not recommended for TAH? -- Laura

I just had a LAVH. I know they started me out with IV Sedation. I am not sure what they did after I was out but thats how they got me out in the first place. Took me over an hour to wake up in recovery.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Zone_V I'm scheduled for a TAH-BSO July 11 and was considering regional anesthesia but decided I want to be knocked out. No regional for me! General anesthesia makes me and also scares me . Has anyone had IV Sedation (Twilight Sleep) for a TAH? My understanding is it sedates and puts you under but the patient breathes on her own. Any feedback on this for this type of procedure? Or is this type of anesthesia not recommended for TAH? -- Laura

Laura, basically you do have regional anesthesia with the twilight sleep. I had the same concerns that you do about nausea following a general anesthesia. I also had a TAH-BSO, and was given a spinal and then versed in the IV. I remembered nothing of the OR, even though my surgeons talked to me and asked if I remembered meeting the assistant. I breathed on my own during the surgery and it was very easy waking up - no nausea at all. It took a bit of persuading of my anesthesiologist, but it worked out very, very well...

Good luck...

Hi May,
Thank you for sharing! This is good news.
Why did your anesthesiologist need persuading and how did you go about persuading him/her? It's reassuring to know you had no memory of your OR experience. One of my concerns is feeling tugging on my lower ribcage/upper abdomen area. When I spoke with my surgeon about just doing the regional without heavy sedation, he mentioned my breathing might become uncomfortable due to the surgery in that area pulling on the upper abdomen. Any thoughts on that? Did the IV sedation put you completely under or were you partially under? I like the idea of breathing on my own during the surgery (providing it doesn't become uncomfortable) and no nausea. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on this. -- Laura

Hi Blue Moon,
Congratulations on having the procedure behind you. I bet it feels good to be on the road to recovery! -- Laura

Laura
I also have a problem with nausea from anesthetic. If the Anesthesiologist is aware of this, there are meds they can give you during and after the surgery. You have to let the Dr. know. This is something to talk over with the Dr.

s
Jane

Hi Jmberg,
Thanks for the info. I might go that route (anti-nausea meds plus general) if an alternative isn't an option. Aside from the nausea concerns, I heal faster when I'm not given general anesthesia -- that's why I'm so interested in finding out about alternatives to general anesthesia. -- Laura

Laura,

I had a TVH, so I don't know how different it would be with your surgery, but I thought I would give you my two cents ! I have had three prior surgery with general anethesia, and horrid nausea after. They would give me medication for the nausea, and I would be begging for more and they had already given me the full dose! I have also had delayed recoveries due to anethesia - I am dizzy, and just not right! I had thought about it for my hysterectomy, but in my area they call it a spinal, and that rather scared me . Once I met my anesthesiologist, and his assistant (who had a spinal for her hysterectomy), I was willing to try it once! It was one of the best decisions that I have made in awhile! They actually woke me up in the operating room, and I remember being wheeled back into recovery, and I was doing so well that I went to my room almost immediately thereafter! They do put you under a little, and in my case, I was out with a dosage of 25 which is very low - it was great ! I did have one problem - I am allergic to the medication they give you, and the percocet. So, I was REALLY itchy EVERYWHERE !!!!! Even with the itchies, I would still do it again, and they did say that they could do things a little different next time if I ever need it.

I always say that I will try everything at least once! :smilie5:

Good luck and best wishes! Wahtever YOU decide is right for YOU!!!

Gretchen

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Originally Posted by Zone_V Hi May, Thank you for sharing! This is good news. Why did your anesthesiologist need persuading and how did you go about persuading him/her? It's reassuring to know you had no memory of your OR experience. One of my concerns is feeling tugging on my lower ribcage/upper abdomen area. When I spoke with my surgeon about just doing the regional without heavy sedation, he mentioned my breathing might become uncomfortable due to the surgery in that area pulling on the upper abdomen. Any thoughts on that? Did the IV sedation put you completely under or were you partially under? I like the idea of breathing on my own during the surgery (providing it doesn't become uncomfortable) and no nausea. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on this. -- Laura

I really think that general anesthesia is the standard for this type of surgery. My gyno said he prefers the general because if the patient coughs or moves, obviously that is a problem for the surgeon, and that just doesn't happen with the general. Also, he was concerned that a spinal wouldn't give as much pain control since it anesthetizes only from one point on the spine and lower. After everything is out, the surgeon also examines the liver and other organs.

I have had anti-nausea meds before and after other procedures and still had problems. When I explained this to the anesthesiologist, he said he did NOT want me to go into the OR being anxious about it, and agreed to do the spinal.

I wonder if the doctors think patients are more uncomfortable than they really are. Both my surgeons asked me afterwards if I remembered being introduced to the assistant surgeon. They must have thought I was more lucid than I was. I remember absolutely nothing about the OR, and certainly felt no pain.

Hi May and Gretchen,
Thanks so much for the detailed descriptions. It's encouraging to know this might work for me in place of general anesthesia. I'll definitely discuss this with my and the A-man . -- Laura