Is General Anaesthetic scary having a general anaesthetic for the first time Petrified about being Put to Sleep what will it feel like also terrified of needles?

Answer 1

General Anaesthetic can be scary to many people and being affraid before surgery is common. It is best best to talk with your doctor and other health care professionals about your fears. Also, researching your procedure and patient experiences with being "put under" might relieve some of your anxiety. If you are terrified of needles, let your nurse know before hand. Having a strong support system, such as family and friends can make this process much easier too. :) Everyone experiences "going under" differently, but from my experience it went really well. It felt like I was getting sleepy, but it didn't feel scary. The next thing I knew....I woke up and everything was fine:) You most likely will be given something to help you relax before your surgery and usually people say

Answer 2

Hi

I have had 3 general anaesthetics before and I can honestly say that they were not scary or negative at all.

The routine first starts with you having to wear a hospital gown (wear knickers or pants if you're a boy cos it will show your bum!) and getting onto an operating table in your hospital room. Some numbing cream may be applied to the top of your hand if you are a child or if you ask for it. The anaesthesiologist will be there with you. Anaesthesiologists are specially trained doctors who only administer anaesthetics, so they are very advanced and know EXACTLY what they are doing.

Once you are on the operating table, you will be taken down to the operating theatre. You will then be surrounded by your surgeon, the anaesthesieologist and other doctors.

An IV will be attached to your hand but because you will be numbed, you will not feel a thing when the needle goes in. Next, you will be hooked up to the anaesthetic machine by the anaesthesiologist. They will then administer the anaesthetic slowly. You might feel a cold sensation in whichever arm it is administered in, but not usually, and if you do it is not uncomfortable, just odd feeling.

Next, you should try counting back from 10 to 1. I bet you'll be asleep by the time you get to 6!! It is very pleasant, it just feels like you're entering a long awaited sleep - as if you are completely overtired and you just NEED to sleep. Your eyes will feel really really heavy.

Next thing you know you'll be awake! It literally feels like you've blinked, not like you've slept for hours at all. You will wake up in the recovery room with your anaesthesiologist and a nurse to look after you for about 20 minutes.

Try to refrain from talking, because whatever you DO say for a few minutes will just be rubbish, lol. First time I came around after an anaesthetic I asked where the plastic surgery part of the hospital was - I was 9 years old. You might feel a bit thirsty and if you are, ask for some water but sip it very very slowly - do not gulp it all down. You will probably feel groggy for an hour or so, and it is best to sleep this off. Within 6 hours you should be feeling back to normal, unless you had a particularly long operation.

Hope it goes well! You have nothing to worry about!