Anesthesia experiences: What should I expect?

I’ve got a kidney surgery coming up soon, and honestly, I’m feeling a bit uneasy about the whole thing. I was wondering if anyone here could walk me through what actually happens when they start putting you under with anesthesia. Does it feel like you're just drifting off to sleep? Do things get blurry or fuzzy right before you lose consciousness? I'd also love to know more about the actual process they use to put you under and if there are any risks to other organs in the body. If any of you have been through this yourselves, please let me know what the experience was like. It would really help ease my mind.

An anesthesiologist tailors the sedation specifically to you, depending on what kind of procedure you're facing. It’s pretty straightforward—you drift off in seconds and don't feel a thing. Honestly, the waking up part is usually the most awkward bit; you might wake up with a bit of drool on your chin or feel completely disoriented for a moment, but things settle down quickly. I've heard stories about people having some weird hallucinations, too, but that's why the nurses are there—to stick by your side until you're fully back in the room.

I honestly wonder how long this thread is going to hang around here. I mean, really—what kind of logic is it to be asking about anesthesia on a subforum like this? 😬

Anyway, let’s actually stick to the topic. Before you even get the anesthesia, they give you a sedative to take the edge off, so you’re already feeling mellow. 😁
As for the actual anesthesia itself, you probably won't even realize it's happening. You just drift into this heavy, foggy state where your brain stops recording almost all incoming information anyway.
Waking up can be pretty rough, too. You might get the chills and start shaking like a leaf, or just feel completely weak and disoriented. You'll be totally out of it. Technically, the nurses are supposed to be monitoring you while you come around, but let's be real—most of them head out for a coffee break. 👎

Here’s an experiment for you. A few hours before your procedure, try to memorize a specific sequence of numbers, and then try to recall them a few hours after you wake up. Also, pick a specific word to remember right before the anesthesia hits. The result? You'll barely remember anything, if that. Your brain just isn't going to file that data into long-term memory. It's pretty interesting when you think about it. 🙂

Robert Long75 said:I have kidney surgery coming up soon, so I was wondering if anyone knows what it’s actually like when they start putting you under with anesthesia? Like, do you just get sleepy? Do things go blurry? How do they actually knock you out and is there any risk to your other organs? Please let me know if you've been through this and what it was like.

Look, I can give you the rundown based on my own experience.

First, you meet with the anesthesiologist. They basically have to decide if you're in good enough shape to handle the anesthesia, so you'll chat about some general health stuff. Just like > mentioned, you usually get a sedative pill first (honestly, that one had me grinning from ear to ear), and then you head over to the 😁. They'll get an IV started in your arm and pump in all sorts of random fluids—don't really know what they are, probably just prepping your system—but it doesn't matter much.

Now, I’ve been through this several times, and since I’m a super observant person, I tend to pay close attention to exactly what my body is doing. 😁

First, they inject the stuff through the IV (which stays in the whole time), and after maybe 5 to 10 seconds—depending on how your body reacts—you feel a bit dizzy. You might see little stars dancing in front of your eyes, and then everything suddenly goes black. It’s that feeling you get when you pass out halfway, or if you get hit by a wave of heat and feel faint, or even just that head rush when you stand up too fast after sitting for a long time. You know that lightheaded, wobbly feeling where you're swaying left and right? 😁 That’s pretty much it, except instead of clearing up, you just sink deeper into a dreamless sleep. You've definitely felt something similar before.

You won't remember the actual surgery itself. Though, if you're particularly sensitive to "energy," you might catch glimpses of your subconscious—because technically, you can hear and feel everything they're doing during the procedure, you just aren't consciously aware of it. 🙂

Waking up? Not stressful for me... though people react differently. For the first 30 seconds or so, you just hear sounds, even if it feels more like 5 or 10 seconds—it's all perception, right? Most of the time, it's just like waking up from a heavy sleep. You slowly open your eyes, stare blankly at the ceiling, watch the nurses moving around and doctors pulling off their gloves. At that point, someone like me might actually start laughing. Just like > said, you might hallucinate a bit, but it's not like saying nonsense; it's more like seeing the world through a different lens. 🙂 The nurses are usually pretty sweet during that phase, asking you questions and making sure you're comfortable. I've never once felt like they'd abandoned me for a coffee break while I was left without care. 🤷

Once that initial phase passes after a few minutes, you'll feel weak and unable to get up. You'll just be lying there, grinning like an idiot and trying to process everything around you. After that, they'll presumably wheel you back to your hospital room, where you'll lie in bed staring around confusedly, maybe looking at the person in the next bed who's even more disoriented than you are. You might also deal with some chills, a runny nose, or a bit of dizziness.

Once you actually find the strength to move, wrap yourself tight in a blanket so you don't waste any energy. Grab some toast with jam or something sweet, too. A warm tea is a good call, but honestly, watch out—you might end up puking if you try to eat right after the anesthesia wears off.

A few hours later, you’ll probably feel totally fine, like nothing even happened. But hey, if things start feeling weird or you just feel off, don't hesitate—call the nurse or the doctor immediately.

It doesn't mess with your other organs, though being under anesthesia all the time isn't exactly great. I mean, twice a year or even once🙂 (obviously, if it's absolutely necessary).

For me, this whole thing was a pretty interesting experience—serious, obviously, but I love digging into how stuff works. I remember everything because I fought really hard to stay conscious, even when my body was begging me to just pass out and sleep. You've got this, hang in there.👍

Look, don't let yourself get worked up—you’re overthinking this way too much. You aren't going to remember every single detail, so there's no point in obsessing over how scary it might be. I was absolutely terrified before my procedure, but honestly, it turned out fine. Personally, I didn't deal with any dizziness or that weird nauseous feeling when trying to fall asleep. They just pop an IV in you, and the next thing you know, you're waking up... which wasn't actually bad either, aside from the soreness where they operated. Some people, a small minority, might deal with nausea after the anesthesia wears off. Oh, and there wasn't really a nurse hovering over me waiting for me to wake up. Or maybe I just don't remember it that way...🤷

Robert Long75 said:.....what kind of methods they use to put you under and how much that could mess with your other organs....

You should probably do a little digging on this, though honestly, pretty much every anesthesia department at places like the Mayo Clinic has something similar posted right on their own websites.

I don't recall taking any pills beforehand... 🤔

But I definitely remember waking up 🤣 after my sister gave me such a hard time that it actually hurt more than the surgery itself 🤣

Laura Evans3 said:I don't recall taking any pills before... 🤔

but I definitely remember waking up 🤣 after my nurse gave me such a hard time that it actually hurt more than the surgery itself 🤣

🤣 When I had my surgery, the recovery room was totally packed, so they just left me in a regular patient room. The nurse kept calling my name, so I just grabbed my phone, typed out some total gibberish like "asdf jkl; qwer," turned around, and went right back to sleep. When I finally woke up later, I realized I was wearing some hospital gowns, but honestly, it was fine. 😁

Before my surgery, they gave me some kind of sedatives. I remember being wheeled into the OR and feeling absolutely nothing—not even a flicker of anxiety. I was just completely numb to everything.😁😁😁Once I was in the operating room, there wasn't this slow drift into sleep. It happened instantly. One second I was awake, the next—poof, gone. When I finally came to in the recovery room, I felt a bit nauseous, but honestly, I was so loaded up on painkillers that I barely noticed. That kept the nausea at bay, but from what I hear, the real nightmare is waking up.

amberpilot10 said:Before I went under for my surgery, they definitely gave me some kind of sedative. I remember being wheeled into the OR and just feeling completely numb to everything—not even a hint of anxiety or fear. Honestly, I just couldn't bring myself to care about anything at all.😁😁😁It wasn't like I was drifting off slowly, either. It happened fast—just a few seconds and then boom, I was out. When I finally woke up, I felt a bit nauseous, though nothing too intense since I had already taken enough painkillers to knock out an elephant. That definitely numbed things a bit, but from what I've heard, the worst part is that feeling right when you first wake up.

I still remember how freezing I was while waiting in line at the deli, standing there basically naked, just wrapped in that thin sheet with a towel thrown over my head. What a beautiful sight that was. 😁
I actually passed out right before they administered the anesthesia. As soon as they gave me that sedative to calm me down, everything just went black—I don't remember a single thing after that.

I remember waking up with this intense craving to just talk to someone—it was almost like saying, "Hey, I'm awake! Come over here and tell me everything."
But what actually came out sounded like: žlačksaj khduw d qud dc.

Then my sister walked in and told me, "It’s okay, just try to get some rest."

I was completely frantic. I wanted everyone to gather around me so we could chat about my surgery, you know, just debrief on how everything went😁. I kept trying to call them over, but they just stared at me like, "What on earth are you babbling about??"

Anyway, it wasn't an unpleasant experience; it was actually pretty fascinating.

Chloe Gomez6 said:I remember waking up and having this desperate urge to just vent to someone. Like, "Hey, I'm awake! Come over here and talk to me."
But it came out sounding like total gibberish.

Then my nurse comes in and tells me everything’s fine and I should just try to get some rest.

I was losing my mind. I wanted everyone gathered around my bed so we could talk about the surgery and how it all went down😁. I kept trying to call them over, but they were just staring at me like, "What is she even babbling about??"

Anyway, it wasn't a bad experience. It was actually pretty interesting.

Interesting.😁
Not really my thing.😁I woke up and the nurse was already hooking something up to my IV. She told me in this calm voice that the surgery went fine, and honestly, that was enough for me.😁I was back asleep within five minutes.

You drift off in literally seconds. It’s not some intense or stressful experience at all—it’s more like you just suddenly lose consciousness. And honestly, waking up from the anesthesia was a total blast, felt like one massive, incredible orgasm 👋.

I went in for skin graft surgery at Mayo Clinic when I was only four years old. I still remember the nurse asking if I wanted my anesthesia mask to smell like apricot or strawberry.
I tried to act all grown up and just said: strawberry. 🥳