We have had several people ask about time under anesthesia, concerned about how long you can safely

CancerNews

Each operation is different, but I take it that the jest of the question is has anyone had any adverse effects directly related to being under general anesthesia for hours and hours? Anyone? Thanks for your input and we will pass along the feedback.

JaneA

My husband had a simple procedure to have a kidney stone removed - they couldn't get him to start breathing again. They put him in ICU on a ventilator and in the middle of the night, he began breathing on his own. His doctor suspected that the muscle relaxer they gave him to facilitate getting the kidney stone out "relaxed" his diaphragm too much and that's why he was unable to breathe on his own after the procedure. It scared me to death.

BuckeyeShelby

Sometimes it's not time. I had ankle surgery several years ago. Short surgery. However, my oxygen saturation levels dropped horribly while I was in recovery. I woke up to a nurse yelling at me to breathe. When I could focus, my O2 sat was like 80%. Yikes. Other surgeries I told the anesthesiologists the issues I had. Even though I don't suffer, they use a sleep apnea protocol and I'm fine. Got through both a hernia repair and a hysterectomy that way. I do wonder how many brain cells I lost during that ankle surgery though...

Jayne

I suffered from severe nausea during my 1st surgery - from then on I was given something to counter that but wow, vomiting after major surgery is not fun! I also had a severe reaction to the adhesive tape they used on my back for the spinal tap. I read somewhere that for every hour of anesthesia, you can count on a month of recovery before your full energy level returns. Not sure if that's a true statement but it did ring true for me. My resection lasted hours longer than expected due to the fact that the tumor had attached itself to my vaginal wall and other spots. What a job that doctor had on his hands! I actually found him in my dark room when I woke up, just sitting in a chair in the corner. I think he was contemplating what he had just done to me since it went on for so long.

cllinda

My son was under for his elbow surgery for eight hours. No problems from the anesthesia but from laying on his side for so long, they injured a nerve and he couldn't walk. It took a month or so of p t to get him walking again.

Bengal

Thankfully I have never (yet) had to go through a lengthy surgey. One problem I have experienced numerous times, however, is waking up in the middle of a precudure. Nothing like coming out of a fog to hear the doctor saying, " uh, she's waking up, better give her some more ". And one eye surgery, where I was told repeatedly I wouldn't feel a thing, I felt everything. Horrible experience. I am concerned about my mother . She is 94, and has suffered a crippling stroke. She has developed severe carpal tunnel in her good hand and wants to have the surgery to fix it. What will being under general anesthesia do to her?

andreacha

My first surgery was long as they had to do the bypass surgery to get the tumor out of my heart. Once that was done and the repair finished the kidney came out. My left kidney wouldn't restart and had to go on dialysis for about 6 weeks before it started again. I came out of the operating room on a ventilator. I had no idea it would take 6 weeks to wean me off of that. They kept me on o2 when the ventilator was removed and I am still on it. (Surgery in 2006) I hate being on o2.
Bengal - ask your doctor if local anesthesia would work.

Bengal

Yes! andreacha. I will be talking to the surgeon about the possibility of doing the surgery with a local. I'm afraid general anesthesia might be too great a risk in her situation.