Hey y'all I'm getting peri top surgery in a couple weeks. I was called by a nurse in my surgeon's office today to explain some things I had questions about. So I found out that for general anesthesia, it will be administered through my vein and a breathing tube will be placed in my throat. I wasn't too nervous about the surgery, even though I've never had a surgery before. I am more exciting than anything. Now, this breathing tube has gotten me a little scared. So I was wondering, anyone who has had top surgery, what did you guys have for anesthesia. Is the breathing tube inserted after you're knocked out or same time as the I.V. is inserted. Could anyone feel where the breathing tube was after they woke up? Sorry, I'm a little scared now that they mentioned this tube. :l Any details of pre op. room and waking up of your experiences would be appreciated! Just to better prepare myself.

Hi BGking

I just had surgery a month ago myself so maybe I can help. Mine was done via an IV in my hand and I did have a breathing tube. But I never saw it. Or felt it or any evidence of it being there.

I was really nervous about the anesthesia too, I had never had it before. It was so simple. The worst part was having the IV put in my hand. They led me to the operating room, I laid down and talked with the nurses who were prepping me. They were asking me about my ring, my fiancé, etc. and before I knew it, I was out. And in an instant I was waking up and everything was over - I was dressed and in recovery. I don't even remember my throat being at all sore or irritated - but honestly that first day is a bit of a blur in general. And I was sick from the pain meds later on so there was a lot more going on.

If I could give you any advice, it would be to be prepared for the recovery. I didn't really think about that at all, and was a bit shocked at how difficult it really was. I had DI, so that may make a difference, but that first week was tough. You're uncomfortable, in pain, feel so swollen and hot it's almost unbearable. But once I had my reveal at week one, that all went away. It was all worth it. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat for the end result.

Just keep your eye on the prize and take good care of yourself and everything will be great - good luck

I've had a number of surgeries with general anesthesia, and I think there were only two times that I woke up with a sore throat. They never intubated me while I was awake. Going into the surgery room was always a little scary, but at the hospital I go to they have a tape deck and their music tastes coincide with mine, which makes it easier. You might could ask them if they can play music when they bring you in, but it's only a few seconds to get transferred to the table and put under, so it might not be worth planning that part.

For me, recovery is always the bigger problem than the hospital experience. I always wish I had done more grocery shopping ahead of time, or pre-cooked more meals, or cleaned the house more. I try to remember to vacuum the day before surgery, and I get out whatever music I want handy for the next week or two. I put water and books near my bed. Minor things can be difficult right after surgery.

I've had trouble waking up. I've posted before about how I felt it was not cool that they discharged me while I was still disoriented, but I recently had a "duh" moment about that. My kid woke up during surgery once, and I'm intensely afraid of that happening. I talk about that to the doctors, so of course it's hard for me to wake up. They give me higher doses to make absolutely sure I don't wake at the wrong time. I'm okay with the trade-off and I guess I just need to make sure I have a sitter for that first day.

You can talk to your healthcare providers about any concerns you have. They can use medication to calm you as soon as you get there if that's something you're comfortable with. You will probably have an IV inserted right after you get an armband and your vitals checked, and then there's like 20 minutes of questions and double checking from various people, and where I go they put a heated blanket and inflatable anti-clot things on my legs no matter what kind of surgery I'm having. You get to meet almost everyone who is involved in your surgery, and you should be able to ask questions at any step in the process.

The experience of general anesthesia is like having time deleted from your existence, like an edit in a video. I've come to and tried to finish a sentence I started an hour before. You don't feel the discontinuity. Sometimes I wake up and don't believe that the surgery has already happened, and I think that's not uncommon.

I also thought the IV in the hand is the worst part, but then again there isn't much you can do about it. I've heard that there are sprays to make the area numb but then they are very cold, which is odd. I was very anxious thinking about surgery. I did talk to Dr G and he basically said, well you are a very healthy guy, you wouldn't have anything to worry about. And oddly I was not!  But I think you can tell the doctor and also when you are in the surgery center or hospital about this. They can give you somethign for it, but I didn't really need anything. Also if you get nauseous you should talk about that too.

--Jay

Awesome about getting the breathing tube after the patient is knocked out! Thanks for sharing your experiences guys!   Just when the nurse had mentioned the breathing tube I sorta panicked as I hadn't heard of it before. I do get prescribed Xanax for an anxiety disorder and the Dr. said it was fine to take one the morning of surgery, so I'll be doing that to limit my nerves and excitement. I'll be sure to take care of myself during recovery! I really just plan on sleeping, reading, and watching movies for three weeks. I also asked the Dr. if he would be using liposuction to help ensure that the most tissue will be removed and he said I didn't need it. I'm skeptical because I did a lot of research before I had a consult and I read that the peri can be performed with a combination of scalpel and lipo or just scalpel. So aside from excitement for finally being comfortable in my skin, I'm weary of the result with just scalpel. I mean I do have faith that the Dr. knows what he is doing because I've seen his results and they're stunning! But I just don't want any leftover noticeable tissue resembling female breast. I have barely any tissue now, well to me it seems like D cups because they don't belong on my body! But back when I did wear a bra it was AA or A cup varied on the company. I know my thought process doesn't make sense, but I tend to worry about every little possibility no matter the situation. But then again, I am the type to over think everything I do! So idk, anyone have peri with just scalpel to remove?

It might be weird but I think that getting the anaesthesia feels awesome! You just relax and feel yourself going deeper and deeper away As everyone said, the tube comes and goes before you wake up! My throat felt a little sore both times I've had anaesthesia but it's not that bad. I'm jealous that your getting peri, good luck 

Hey BGking,

I was an anesthetist for 33 years.  Endotracheal intubation is a very common and safe technique and is performed after induction (you are totally unconscious and unresponsive).  If the anesthetist is skillful and experienced you will most likely have little to no awareness it ever happened but a bit of dry mouth and irritation is also common.  They often use a local anesthetic to further reduce any feeling.  During anesthesia your sense of time is compressed and it may seem like no time passed and nothing at all happened.  Felix gave us a very good description of that weird feeling.  Disorientation can last for hours or even days but for most of us it is a time you don't need or want to recall.  I trust you will have a support person or team standing by.

I encourage you to go into this experience asking, if questions remain but, most of all focused on the positive side of recovery and feeling a major victory is yours.  You are most likely to awaken hungry, thirsty and relieved.  Be ready to talk about discomfort using a 0 to ten scale and don't be shy about anything.  They serve you!

I had a sore throat when I woke up and that was it.

My experience of the anesthesia:

The pre-op room was basically a walk-in cupboard full of medical supplies into which I was wheeled on the bed.  My surgeon drew on my chest and the anesthetist came in and asked me some questions and looked at my teeth.  Then I had to get up and walk into the operating room myself - it was odd.  Just a low, flat table that I had to get on.

Then they hooked me up with electrodes and the anesthetist told me I'd feel a little prick as she inserted the cannula into my arm.  Then she told me I'd start to feel sleepy and literally that was the last thing I remember. 

Waking up, the room was spinning and I could hear things before I could open my eyes.  I remember that when the room stopped spinning, I was sweating and they took off my leggings.  The surgeon came and talked to me, but I don't remember much of what she said - then I was wheeled back to my room.

For me they squeezed the trigger on the knock out drug as they were wheeling me down the hall to the operating room. I never saw the operating room. My girlfriend says I was sitting in a chair drinking juice in a robe when they called her in. Evidently we sat for an hour, I talked and asked her random questions the entire time. She dressed me. Then they walked me to the location where the other New Beginnings guy was waiting. WHEn I went to sit down the nurse was still holding my arm. That zinger of pain is what "woke" me up as that is my first memory after surgery.

No sore throat, here.

Yeah it's an odd feeling. It is like no time has gone by. I had a sore throat but nothing serious and it went away by the next day (I bought some generic chloroseptic lozenges and some with a liquid honey center which worked really well). I didn't have a really supportive person but a nurse kept telling me to not fight the anesthetic and I was freezing. It took me about a day to get the feeling out of me, but I was pretty disoriented and out of it. I felt MUCH better the next day. My surgery was about 90 minutes. I didn't take any vicodin the whole time after surgery, as I found it much more uncomfortable than painful.


--Jay

Yes, I have to add to Jay's comment on vicodin - it ended up making me more sick than anything after surgery. I thought it was the anesthetic making me sick but it continued and my Dr. said to stop the vicodin and take Tylenol - which actually worked fine for me, just be sure to stay on top of it, taking it every six hours. I had eaten and everything with the vicodin, so it just did not work with me. Something to have on hand to help with this is an anti-nausea pill. I was so close to throwing up several times - which would have been terrible in the state I was in, I can't even imagine - but my Dr. had prescribed something called Zofran I believe? It was a pill that dissolved on your tongue and it took away my nausea immediately - it was amazing. I'm glad I had it until we realized it was the vicodin causing the problem.

I believe I took Tylenol a few times, but I don't recall. I wasn't in a lot of pain, felt very uncomfortable (constricted, itchy, etc. all things that are hard to control as pain).

--Jay

I took a Vicodin to ensure i slept through the night the first night as i was concerned the pain would hit and I would have a hard time bringing it back down. I took another 2 at some point, but otherwise just Tylenol.

Nothing wrong with taking it either. From just asking around I thought that most guys took between 3 and 10. I made the comment because I think people think the pain is so extreme, it's very much more of a discomfort thing than a pain thing. I also hate side effects and esp the "out of it" feeling.

--Jay

Hey everyone, thanks for replying and helping me get a little better of an understanding regarding the whole surgery experience. I'm so VERY excited for this and simply cannot wait to get it done. Still VERY nervous though lol surgery is sorta scary I suppose to one who's never had any. I've heard that the pain afterwards can range from mild to moderate. Everyone is different with their pain tolerances, I will definitely be taking my painkillers before the pain to prevent them from having to "catch up" to the pain itself. I'd rather just sleep for a week and try to heal as quickly as possible! The most annoying thing about this surgery is probably going to be the drains and emptying them. :0 It's odd, I have a weak stomach ONLY when it comes to medical situations but NO problem when looking at the goriest photos imaginable lol! Can't wait to experience the feeling of just a shirt and no binder. Since everyone agrees that the worst part of during was the IV in the hand, I'd have to say that it will be probably my only concern before hand (no pun). Did you guys still have the IV in after waking up or was that taken out while you were asleep too? Sorry for all the questions!

I believe I had the IV in, and at that point it was more of an annoyance. The nurse, iirc, came in, took the IV out, and I felt instant relief. But I imagine it may matter where you are. But once it's in, I don't find it as bad as getting it in. I had one of those things in for 3 days or so once. It was one where they don't have the needle in actually but they have the vein open so they can get to it. It's uncomfortable but it's not just horrendous, imo.

I agree re everybody's pain threshold but also what you might be used to, life experience, and that sort of thing. Might be why older guys seem to do pretty well.

--Jay

My IV was out by the time I came to, just had a cotton ball and tape there to help with the pain when they put it in, I squeezed the bed as hard as I could with the other hand - it seemed to help a little. Allowed that energy to go somewhere at least.

I had never had surgery either, so I get the stress. It really is easy though.

I'm a squeamish one as well - I simply turned away for things like the IV and later at home I wouldn't even look when my drains were being emptied :X hopefully you have someone who can help you with that? And as excited as I was to see my new chest, at the same time it was hard for me to see the big, raw incisions and bruising and such. You're looking forward to the right moment - a t-shirt and no binder...I'll never forget the first time I was able to do that. It was incredible.

You're going to do great and this will all be behind you before you know it.

I tend to have trouble with the IV after I wake up and before I'm fully able to think. I sometimes try to take it out, but usually I just kind of mindlessly scratch at it and keep noticing it over and over.

I don't have a weak stomach, and I have a high pain threshold, but I have a complicated relationship to pain and pain medicine. I have old injuries (and sometimes fresh, due to being a caregiver) that can cause a lot of pain if I don't manage them properly, and I don't want to use drugs too much. Throwing surgery into a situation where I'm already living with pain makes it hard to know when to take them.

I also have skin problems, which is probably more common. Taking opiates makes it harder not to scratch. If you have any kind of eczema or dermatitis or psoriasis you have to factor that into your plans about pain management.

Honestly, for me it was so early in the morning that I wasn't freaked out... Even despite the hour + long drive to surgery.  I got there, the surgeon marked me up, they pumped me full of saline to keep me hydrated and valium to keep me relaxed... I was out cold before they finished wheeling me under the big surgery lamp. 

Here's my tip. If you have an overly affectionate siamese cat, get a cat sitter. Mine is driving me insane
As far as the surgery went for me. I don't really remember much. One moment the anesthesiologist is putting something in my Iv to help me relax and the next I am waking to the nurse calling my ride on the phone. I did ask the doctor if he shoved a pool toy in my mouth because the anesthesia leaves a gross taste that resembles the smell of freshly opened pool toys. At least that's what I thought.
Also try to keep cool. It stings when you sweat into your incisions. I learned that the hard way.