Man, please don't come at me with this nonsense over in the Health sub. The mod gave a solid answer from a medical standpoint, so if you really want to go off about this stuff, go find another corner of the internet to argue in. I'm locking this thread.
Honestly, dealing with some random allergy where you can't even pinpoint the cause is pretty unsettling... but it’s usually not a dealbreaker when it comes to surgery. I mean, if we were all too terrified of every little thing we've ever reacted to, nobody would ever step foot in an OR—we've all had those weird run-ins with something at some point. Velvetmoose9 mentioned that once the anesthesiologist reviews your charts and sees that note, they have plenty of time to prep, so there really isn't much more to say about it. Look at it this way—if you actually ended up having an anaphylactic reaction, there isn't a better or safer place on the entire planet to be than right in the middle of an operating room with a full anesthesia team standing by and a cart loaded with adrenaline just waiting for you.
Honestly, everything you just laid out is exactly what every single patient goes through right before surgery. The only real difference is how people handle it—some folks wear their heart on their sleeve, while others try to act all tough and play the "I'm not scared" card... but let's be real, everyone is terrified, no exceptions. If anyone tells you otherwise, they're just lying to themselves. So, don't feel like you're some outlier or a special case here. There isn't some magical psychological ritual you need to go through either. Just make the call, get it sorted, head to the hospital, and there's a massive chance everything will turn out just fine. Good luck
hm... posted this nine years ago... damn, has it really been that long?.....🤔....yeah..... looks like it.....😢......
Looking back at the actual medical stuff compared to how we do things now.... let's just say anesthesiologists nowadays lean a bit more toward epidurals (though just by a hair).... and a big update since then is the move toward combined epidural-spinal techniques where you get both options in one kit... basically, you'll perform a single-shot spinal first, then drop in the epidural catheter to keep titration going.....
As for those massive headaches, they aren't super common and don't happen to every "genius" out there... but when they do hit, honestly, no amount of painkillers is going to touch them.... there was a period where we tried doing "blood patches," but that didn't exactly take off as a standard, so I can't even remember the last time someone actually pulled that off. The whole idea was to draw blood from a vein and inject it into the spinal space so the blood—with all its platelets and everything—would essentially "plug" the puncture site.... mostly felt like a waste of time, though....
Honestly, I don't see any real reason why anyone would bother putting you under general anesthesia for such a minor procedure. It doesn't matter if you're on the leaner side, and that whole "above the heart" thing is just overthinking it—we're talking about something superficial on the skin here. You just get some local lidocaine to numb the area, a quick incision, a few stitches, and you're done with it.
granitebadger63 said:Make sure to keep us posted, we're all dying to hear what Dr. Smith has to say! :-)
Honestly, I'm not sitting around waiting with everyone else—if anything, I'm the one losing patience. I feel like I’ve said this a dozen times already, but trying to push stuff about private rates or individual billing here just isn't going to fly. People can have their own opinions on it, but it's just not happening on this board. Look, I don't care if Dr. Smith is doing his job perfectly fine at the hospital or whatever... it's this specific type of talk that creates the issue. For anyone trying to steer the conversation that way, please just hit me up via PM or take it to the stickied thread... otherwise, I'm gonna have to start handing out warnings.
It’s actually pretty funny how every hospital seems to have its own little "personality" when it comes to lab results... they all want things done their way. You know that annoying "let's just run the tests again from scratch" philosophy? Yeah, it pops up more often than you'd think.
So, the first scenario is definitely possible, though it really just depends on which hospital you're dealing with... but the second part shouldn't actually matter. I'm talking about the crossmatch and the blood type specifically. Even so, there's no harm in them drawing blood for a transfusion if they need to check for interactions or prep specific units, just in case things take a turn and you end up needing them...
amberpilot8 said:Given how tricky my situation was, I really needed a top-tier anesthesiologist, and thankfully, we found one; honestly, my whole surgical team felt like having an expert on hand was the absolute priority just to make sure I woke up okay, but then everything just went sideways because of some totally unnecessary mistake.
I honestly feel like there’s a bit of unnecessary drama going on here, and if I'm being real, I'm pretty sure a standard anesthesiologist would have handled your case just fine without any major hiccups.
amberpilot8 said:They pushed my surgery back the first time because they were totally out of anesthesia supplies, and when they finally called me back, they said they had just enough to squeeze us in—a few patients who apparently had some kind of "connection." As for what they actually used and how good it was... let's just say it wasn't exactly top-tier American healthcare.
Look, I'm sorry, but where on earth were you getting this done? There is no way a hospital can just be "out of all anesthesia drugs," for crying out loud! Or that they have "just a little bit" and then somehow "squeeze in" a few people... those excuses just don't hold water; they sound completely nonsensical and bizarre. Honestly, it reminds me of those sketchy surgeon excuses I've heard before where they always blame the anesthesia because it’s the easiest way out...
In the US, even if you're talking about a tiny rural clinic, every single hospital keeps their anesthesia supplies and necessary meds stocked at all times. Sure, they might not have every single niche brand, and maybe one thing is running low while another is plenty, but they always have the essentials. So, please, let's not spread misinformation here.
crimsongull20 said:Is there any scenario where an anesthesiologist does a pre-op checkup and just tells the patient, "Look, because of your specific diagnoses and how complex this surgery is, we really need drugs x, y, and z, but our hospital doesn't stock them. Would you mind picking those up and bringing them in before the procedure?"
Nah, that’s just not how it works. Especially not when you're dealing with anesthesia.
amberpilot8 said:It’s all about that enzyme-protein connection and how it drives muscle function, right? If you're using muscle relaxants during general anesthesia to shut everything down, but then the patient wakes up and those relaxants haven't worn off yet—it’s likely because there was some kind of enzymatic deficiency or just a breakdown in the process. Honestly, it usually just comes down to a slip-up by the anesthesiologist.
Scott Allen10, man... you really should've seen this coming.
☕.....
I mean, there’s no way you’re actually trying to lecture me or "test" my knowledge based on some random Google searches... especially when we're talking about anesthesia protocols and those endless, messy interactions where everything affects everything else. Don't get mad at me, but honestly, it feels a little unprofessional. I was genuinely just trying to help you out earlier, man.
edit I just realized that Kevin Garcia12 really went all out with that breakdown...
You think low protein intake is why you're waking up in the middle of the night? Honestly, I don't think that's it. There really shouldn't be any reason to go looking for a culprit there.🙂
Look, I’m not gonna sit here and tell you your experience wasn't rough, because I'm sure it sucked... but honestly, I don't think anyone was actually trying to cause any unnecessary chaos. Those issues with waking up and breathing usually just come as a set, but let's be real—in anesthesia, sometimes 2 + 2 doesn't equal 4, and you just end up with a really rough wake-up call here and there. From an anesthesiologist's perspective, though, I'm pretty sure there wasn't any actual malpractice going on... so try not to sweat it too much. It's kind of like how a pilot can land so smooth you don't even notice, but then a sudden crosswind hits and they slam onto the runway like a rock... hey, at least they landed, right? But yeah, the passengers... they aren't exactly thrilled about that part.
neonwolf222 said:I've been dealing with this fistula near my rectum for over 37 years now. It basically opens up every once in a while and leaks some discharge, which was left over from when I had an abscess cleaned out years ago—it looks like they didn't quite clear the tract completely back then. My doctors told me that trying to go in and clean it out after all this time doesn't have much of a chance of working. Honestly, it doesn't really bother me; it’s not painful, just a little bit of drainage occasionally, so I just stay on top of my hygiene. The big question is, can I safely undergo hip surgery—like, both hips at once—with this condition hanging around? If Scott Allen10 has a moment, I'd love to hear his take on it, or if anyone else here has gone through something similar.
Kevin Garcia12 gave a killer response... I'm right there with him on that one.
amberpilot8 said:I have a question; basically, during a minor surgery that lasted about 40 minutes, I started waking up and saw the lights in the operating room, and I knew they were trying to wake me, but I just couldn't breathe. I tried to tell them, but my tongue and lips wouldn't work at all, almost like I was paralyzed. I could hear the doctors telling me to breathe, but I just couldn't... then I started shaking my head back and forth really hard to let them know I wasn't breathing, and after waving my head around a few times, I finally caught my breath. Why did this happen? It honestly left me pretty traumatized. Before this, I’d been under general anesthesia twice for about an hour each time, and nothing like this ever happened. Thanks!
Don't sweat it, there's really no need for the drama... You might have just struggled a bit with your breathing right after they gave you the muscle relaxant (that's just my guess anyway).
says: Hey everyone, I was hoping to pick some brains here if you don't mind. I'm scheduled for an abdominoplasty—a tummy tuck—in just under a month. But honestly, I've been doing a deep dive online and now I'm spiraling a bit because everything says it's such a massive, risky procedure. Apparently, there's a chance of blood clots or DVT; I know it's rare, but seeing it written down makes it feel way more real. I'm generally healthy and don't take any meds, but I am a smoker (and I read that I should probably quit smoking and stop drinking herbal teas about two or three weeks before the surgery?).
So, I guess I'm wondering if any doctors in here or anyone who's actually gone through this can tell me what the actual risk level is? I started getting pretty anxious once I began Googling stuff...
Look, every single surgery comes with its own set of risks, plain and simple. Just try not to drive yourself crazy by falling down those internet rabbit holes...
wiredpanther47 said:Hey everyone! I’m feeling pretty anxious about something. My kid needs surgery to have all three tonsils removed, and I'm honestly freaking out because my husband had this terrifying experience where they couldn't wake him up from anesthesia. He claims they actually had to use electric shocks to bring him around. Is it possible for that kind of thing to be hereditary, or could it happen to my child too? Or is there something even worse we should be worried about?
Honestly, just sit down and hash out every single doubt or question you have with the anesthesiologist before anything happens. That's really your best bet for peace of mind.
As for that whole "waking up with electricity" thing, that's just not how things work in actual medical practice, so please don't let those scary stories get under your skin. Good luck with everything.
We can totally chat about anything here... sharing stories about how you're feeling, surgery updates, or any struggles you've had is totally fine... but we just can't have people out here advertising private clinics and businesses... I mean, if you really want to promote someone, just use the pinned thread or send them a DM... let's keep it that way.
There aren't any restrictions when it comes to talking about public hospitals or the doctors working there.
By the way, just a little side note... going private doesn't necessarily mean you're getting better care... honestly, I never quite get why people feel the need to drop thousands of dollars on something they could get at a public hospital for basically nothing... but hey, to each their own.
Taylor Anderson182 said:I was wondering, do those extra tests actually cost a fortune? I've heard they can get pretty pricey... I already have supplemental insurance, but even then, looking at my primary care doctor's bill, I can already see how much this is going to hurt my wallet. :O Well, here we go again—back to square one with another question! 😬
Honestly, I haven't even begun to wrap my head around what the price tag on that would actually look like...🤷....
Robert Reed3 said:Hey everyone, don't think I'm being totally clueless here, but what does a blood analysis actually involve? Is it just that you swing by the clinic, they draw some blood, and then you just wait for the results to come back, or is there more to the whole process than that? If anyone knows the deal, please let me know 🙂