Anesthesia, Resuscitation, and ICU: Q&A

My bad, I totally misspoke there, what I actually meant to say was "laryngeal masks."

I guess I'm just a little bit nervous about the whole intubation process, or whatever the technical term for it is...

They intubate you once you're out. You won't feel a thing when they go in or when they pull it out. The only thing is, your throat is going to be sore afterward.

But wait, is there really no way to get around the whole intubation thing?

Just wondering if anyone knows if it’s actually a good idea to go through with an inguinal hernia surgery if my lower back—specifically my lumbar region—is acting up...
The reason I'm asking is that once you have that surgery, you're supposed to avoid putting too much strain on the groin area, which usually means leaning more on your lower back for support, but since my back is already hurting quite a bit, I'm worried about how that will work out...

So, I guess what I'm really wondering is whether I should focus on getting my back issues sorted out first before tackling the hernia operation itself? I'd love to hear what you all think about this dilemma...

Also, while I have your attention, does anyone know what neurolysis actually entails? Is it something people generally recommend doing or not...

Here is the specific note my doctor sent over when we were talking...

Operation:
Mesh Free Shouldice Repair with neurolysis of the inguinal nerves
(Ileoinguinalis, Ileohypogastricus and genitofemoralis) and restoration of the
inguinal floor with a faszia flap

You need to take this up with your surgeon. Since I can see you aren't getting treated here in the States, I have no business giving you advice on this....

When you're going under general anesthesia, they just knock you out through an IV, and honestly, once you wake up, you’re totally lucid and back to yourself. I was actually able to walk around just six hours later—though, let me tell you, I barely slept because my roommates were snoring like freight trains. It was a top-tier surgery performed by some seriously elite surgeons.

I have a question... So, I recently underwent a C5-C6 microdiscectomy at the NEA, which included an implant. Everything went smoothly from a clinical standpoint, but the aftermath has left me feeling incredibly disoriented. When they woke me up in the recovery room, I felt like I’d been through a war zone—just covered in needle marks everywhere. To make matters worse, I had bruising spreading down my left arm and leg, while my right leg and shoulder were mottled and blue. They had me wrapped tightly in one of those thermal warming blankets, and apparently, they stripped me down to my undergarments from what I was wearing when they put me under. My clothes were tucked away in a bag soaked with blood—honestly, it was pretty gruesome. What I’m really wondering about is this: if I received a blood transfusion during the procedure, are they actually required to document that in the discharge papers? Because according to my paperwork, everything was "perfectly normal." Also, does anyone know why I ended up with such extensive bruising or why they had me bundled up in that thermal blanket? Thanks

silentdriver23 said:Can I ask a question? So, I had a C5-C6 microdiscectomy at the NEA and they put in an implant. Everything went fine, but some things are just... weird. They woke me up in the OR and I was covered in needle marks everywhere. My left arm and leg were completely numb, and my right leg was all bruised up, plus my shoulder was blue. They had me wrapped in one of those thermal warming blankets they use, and they actually took off the bottom half of the clothes I was wearing when they put me under. My stuff was shoved in a bag filled with blood—it looked terrible. What I really want to know is, if I received a transfusion, are they required to list that on the discharge papers? Because mine just say everything was "okay." Also, why would I have two bruises and be wrapped in a heat blanket? Thanks.

From what I understand, before any surgery, you have to sign off saying you won't refuse a blood transfusion. In my own experience, one of my discharge summaries specifically listed the blood type used and the reaction, but in two other discharge papers, there wasn't a single word about it. Maybe, since it was my first time being put under anesthesia, they handled things differently? As for the bruising and the blankets, I honestly don't know.

Kimberly Ward said:From what I understand, before any kind of surgery, you have to sign a waiver regarding blood transfusions. In my own experience—and I’m looking at my discharge papers here—one of them actually specifies the type used and how I reacted, but the other two just leave it completely blank. Perhaps that's because it was my first time under anesthesia? I can't say for sure about the rest of the details.

Thanks for the reply. And yes, of course, I signed the consent for a transfusion, but I'd still really like to know if they actually went through with it. When I tried asking questions at the hospital, nobody would give me a straight answer—they just kept throwing out lines about how they can regulate blood pressure with a couple of units of O-negative, which feels more like a brush-off than an actual medical explanation. Since I'm still feeling pale and weak even ten days later, seeing the sheer volume of blood involved just makes me wonder: aren't they legally obligated to note a transfusion on the discharge summary? Mine just says everything "proceeded normally," which isn't exactly helpful when you don't feel normal.

silentdriver23 said:Thanks for the reply. And yeah, obviously I signed the consent form for a transfusion, but I’d still really like to know if they actually gave me one. When I asked people at the hospital, nobody wanted to give me straight answers—they just kept saying they could regulate my blood pressure with two saline bags, which feels like some kind of brush-off. It's been ten days and I'm still pale and feeling totally weak, so seeing how much blood was used, I just wanted to know if they're required to list a transfusion on the discharge papers. Mine just says everything went fine.

If you ask me, they are absolutely obligated to tell you or write it down. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't, unless they're hiding behind that new stupid privacy law. As for the saline thing, or the IV route, I guess that's just their way of managing your blood pressure. Personally, I think they should have noted it, and if you're still looking pale and feeling wiped out, maybe you should talk to your doctor about iron supplements or just trying to get your levels up naturally. Honestly, though, you're going to feel weak after any surgery. One thing I don't get, though—did they wake you up in the recovery room or did you just come to on your own?

Kimberly Ward said:If you ask me—and I’ve seen enough of this to have an opinion—they really ought to have told you. I can't see any reason why they wouldn't, unless they were hiding behind some new, overly complicated HIPAA privacy regulation. As for the bruising—that venous path thing—it’s likely just their way of managing your blood pressure. In my book, they should have been upfront: "Hey, if you're feeling pale and weak, maybe check in with your doctor about iron supplements or just try to fix it naturally." And look, regarding that weakness... honestly, you're going to feel wiped out after any surgery. It's just part of the deal. One thing I didn't catch, though—did they wake you up right there in the OR, or did you drift back on your own?

They woke me up—I remember them lightly tapping on my face—and then they immediately wrapped me in a thermal blanket and whisked me off to a room, where they helped me get dressed and cleaned up all the blood.

silentdriver23 said:I remember them waking me up—it was just this light tapping on my face—and then they immediately wrapped me in a thermal blanket and whisked me off to a room where they got me dressed and cleaned up the blood.

Look, I’ve had my fair share of procedures. I've done pre-op stuff under local anesthesia, and once I had a short session under general anesthesia. For that last one, I woke up in a recovery room, but for the pre-op thing, yeah, they wrapped me in a blanket and handled everything in the room. Just my two cents as a layman: if someone needs a transfusion, the hospital definitely should know about it. And honestly, if people are willing to share, which hospital we're talking about could be mentioned in a private message.

Kimberly Ward said:I’ve had my fair share of procedures—mostly just local anesthesia or those quick, short-acting sedation sessions—but I remember one specific instance where I woke up right there in the recovery room after the anesthesia wore off. Another time, during the pre-op phase, they just wrapped me up in a warm blanket and settled me into a room to wait. In my humble, non-medical opinion? Yes, they absolutely ought to know if a transfusion is necessary. And if anyone is asking—without naming names, of course—it could potentially be handled at a private clinic, depending on which hospital you're talking about.

It isn't some big secret, Rebro—honestly, I just want to say thank you for everything. ❤️

silentdriver23 said:Can I ask a question? I just had a C5-C6 microdiscectomy at the NEA, and they installed an implant. Everything went fine technically, but some parts are really confusing to me. When they woke me up in the OR, I was covered in needle marks everywhere. My left arm and leg were bruised, and my right leg, along with my shoulder, was bruised and blue. They had me wrapped in one of those thermal warming blankets, and they’d taken off the bottom half of the clothes I was wearing when they put me under. My clothes were stuffed in a bag with a bunch of blood... it was pretty gruesome. What I want to know is, if I received a transfusion, are they required to list that on my discharge papers? Because my paperwork says everything was perfectly fine. Also, why did I have two bruises, and why the thermal blanket? Thanks.

Yes, they absolutely have to document that. And if you actually needed a transfusion, things definitely weren't "perfectly fine."
Those thermal blankets are used for hypothermia. If you lost a significant amount of blood, your blood pressure drops, and your body temperature crashes too—especially during transfusions. The real question is how many units they gave you.
As for the two bruises, it’s easier to stabilize a patient when you have two IV sites, but in your case, I’m guessing one was for the transfusion and the other was just a standard IV line.

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Melissa Sanchez8 said:Exactly—they’re legally obligated to document everything. And honestly, things aren't always "perfectly fine" just because you received a transfusion.
Thermal blankets are standard protocol when someone is dealing with hypothermia. If you lost a significant amount of blood, your blood pressure drops, but your body temperature tends to tank as well—especially during and after transfusions. It really comes down to how many units they pumped into you.
Usually, they’ll set up two IV lines because stabilizing a patient is much easier when you have multiple access points, though in your specific case, I’d wager one was dedicated to the transfusion while the other was just for standard fluids.

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Thanks for the insight. I’ve got another surgery coming up under general anesthesia in about six months, and naturally, the anxiety is setting in—especially since the discharge papers here say everything went perfectly, when in reality, who actually knows what happened behind those closed doors? My next procedure is scheduled at Mayo Clinic, so I can only sit here and pray that everything goes smoothly this time.

I think they really should have disclosed if there was a transfusion, even if it isn't explicitly noted in the discharge papers.
I don't get why they'd keep that under wraps; it feels like they're just trying to dodge any potential liability.
And honestly, before any surgery, we sign those waivers anyway—agreeing to all medical procedures and potential transfusions while accepting the risks. They’ve already covered their bases legally.
Did you actually sit down with the surgeon to go over the specifics of the procedure?
If a transfusion actually happened, they’d likely be putting her on iron supplements or something similar. You don't just perform a transfusion and then offer zero follow-up or monitoring.

Melissa Phillips4 said:I honestly think they ought to have disclosed if there was a transfusion—even if it isn't explicitly noted on the discharge papers.
I can't fathom why they'd keep that under wraps... unless, of course, they're just terrified of any potential liability and want to cover their own tracks.
And besides, before any surgery, we’re all signing those waivers agreeing to whatever medical procedures become necessary, including possible transfusions, basically acknowledging we accept the risks—so, from a legal standpoint, they've already covered themselves.
Did you happen to ask the surgeon for specifics regarding the procedure?
My hunch is that if a transfusion actually occurred, they would have at least prescribed some iron supplements or something similar—you know, because you don't just give someone blood and then offer zero follow-up care or monitoring.

The thing is, the surgeon was nowhere to be found after the operation—he was stuck in some meeting or something—and he was just barking instructions at the nurses over the phone. And the nurses? They won't answer anything because they honestly don't have the answers. This is my sixth surgery overall—the first two were general anesthesia, while the others were just regional—and I know for a fact I've never bled like this or ended up with two hematomas. The amount of blood I saw on my clothes in the bag... it just doesn't seem right. There was so much of it, especially with those large clots. Given that they had to make an incision in my neck, part of me wonders if they nicked an artery, which might explain the secrecy. But what really eats at me is that I have another surgery scheduled in a few months at a different hospital, also under general anesthesia.

silentdriver23 said:Right after my surgery, the surgeon was nowhere to be found, just barking orders at the nurses over the phone. And the nurses? They won't give you straight answers because they don't actually know anything—they just guess. One of them finally told me they used two units of blood because of my blood pressure. This is my sixth surgery, and only my second one under general anesthesia—the others were just nerve blocks or regional—and I have never bled this much or needed two units before. Honestly, seeing all that blood and those huge clots on the clothes in my bag... it didn't look right. It looked like way too much. Since there was an incision in my neck, part of me wonders if they nicked an artery or something, which might explain why they're being so secretive. But what really gets to me is that I have another surgery coming up in six months at a different hospital, also under general anesthesia.

Just my two cents as a non-expert, but nurses aren't even allowed to give out certain info. If you’ve got another surgery lined up in six months, I’d be demanding answers. Every single detail matters when you're going back under general anesthesia. I'd definitely push to find out if I actually received a transfusion.

silentdriver23 said:After surgery, the surgeon was totally MIA—busy with some meeting or whatever—and just gave instructions to the nurses over the phone. The nurses aren't answering any questions because they claim they don't know anything. This is my sixth surgery, the second one under general anesthesia, and I’ve never bled this much or dealt with two hematomas before. The amount of blood I saw on the clothing in the bag isn't right; there were huge clots everywhere. Since the incision is on the neck, I can't help but wonder if he nicked an artery, which might explain why they're being so secretive. What bothers me most is that I have another surgery scheduled in a few months at a different hospital, also under general anesthesia.

So you didn't see him at all during the post-op? It's suspicious that nobody has any answers. Honestly, it feels like something went wrong and they're playing dumb to cover it up. Some doctors treat you like a specimen during surgery and then completely vanish once it's over.
I don't know how much can actually be done now that you've already been discharged, though maybe someone more experienced has an opinion.
If you're still feeling weak and looking pale, go get your blood work checked immediately to see where your levels are at.

Melissa Phillips4 said:So you didn't see him at all—not even once—in the days following the surgery? It feels a bit off to me that nobody seems to have any real answers. Honestly, I suspect there might be something more complicated going on under the surface, and everyone is just playing dumb. You know how it is—there are certain doctors who treat a surgical procedure like they’re working on an inanimate object; they perform the operation and then suddenly act like the patient doesn't even exist.
I'm not sure how much can actually be uncovered or fixed now that everything has already played out and you've been discharged, though perhaps someone with more experience might have a better perspective.
If you're still feeling weak and looking pale, my advice would be to go ahead and get some blood work done just to see where your levels are at.

I was sent home the very next day because, aside from some pain and general exhaustion, I didn't run into any major issues after the surgery. Even at high-end private hospitals, they tend to discharge patients after these kinds of procedures quite quickly. My doctor mentioned that being pale and feeling weak is perfectly standard following this type of operation, and her discharge papers noted that everything went smoothly without complications. For now, I've just been taking vitamins on my own initiative.