Don't be afraid of general anesthesia. How to cope with the fear of surgery using general anesthesia I'm afraid of general anesthesia what to do

Today, many patients, having read horror stories on the Internet, are afraid of anesthesia. The greatest fear, of course, is anaphylactic shock. What is it? - This is an individual reaction of the body to the drug. In order to identify whether the patient has an intolerance to it or not, we conduct a thorough examination before each operation.

First of all, we find out if the patient has allergic reactions. Then we collect a complete set of tests: clinical and biochemical blood tests, coagulogram (blood clotting), electrocardiogram and fluorography.

In the event that there are at least slight deviations from the norm, we will definitely refer the patient for additional examinations. This may be monitoring the rhythm of the heart, ultrasound of the vessels, etc. Moreover, even if all the indicators are normal, before the operation we give antihistamines: diphenhydramine or suprastin. In general, we do not allow the patient to have surgery until we are sure that he will tolerate anesthesia well. Thus, anesthesia is not a threat to the body, but rather a way to protect the patient from microoperative trauma.

Anesthesia is of two types:

local, when the patient is conscious, but does not experience pain in the area of the operation;
general anesthesia or anesthesia, when the patient is immersed in

Local anesthesia in plastic surgery is performed by the surgeon himself. It is used for only one type of operation - lifting the upper eyelids. In general, the procedure is similar to a visit to the dentist. A patient comes to the doctor, the area around the eyes is anesthetized with an injection, and then the operation itself is performed: a small incision is made above the eyelid, excess skin and a hernia inside the eye are removed, and finally sutured. All this time the patient is conscious and can talk.

Some doctors do under local anesthesia and plastic surgery of the lower eyelids. However, it is better to perform it under anesthesia, since it is emotionally difficult for the patient to watch the doctor wielding a scalpel in front of his eyes.

All other operations are performed under intravenous anesthesia, which is performed by an anesthesiologist. And here it is extremely important that he be as competent and experienced as a plastic surgeon. In the case of such a professional tandem, the operation for the patient will be as painless as possible.

Anesthesiologist Tatyana Langovaya believes that an experienced specialist always adheres to the principle of noli nocere - do no harm.

Many myths about anesthesia, such as the myth that hair falls out after anesthesia, have nothing to do with reality. Modern preparations allow the patient to reach the ward on their own within 2-3 minutes after the operation, and after 10-12 minutes they are completely eliminated from the body. In this case, the patient does not experience any nausea, dizziness, or confusion. Moreover, anesthesia does not affect the activity of the kidneys, liver, heart and brain.

In addition, spinal anesthesia is used today in a number of operations, for example, in abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). During it, the patient is conscious, but does not experience fear or anxiety, and his torso is completely anesthetized. Thus, modern technologies make it possible to carry out operations with anesthesia without harm to the patient's health.

The usual trip to the doctor for many is a lot of stress, not to mention the operation. Fear of surgery is a defensive reaction of the body, and is a fear of something unknown ahead. At the same time, people cannot express exactly what exactly scares them: the operation itself, the rehabilitation period, hospital walls, or something else. Already having a referral for a surgical procedure in their hands, almost all patients ask themselves the question: how to overcome the fear of surgery?

Reasons for fear of surgery

One of the main causes of preoperative phobia is complete obscurity. The patient knows his diagnosis, approximately knows what he will do, and this is where all the information ends. Not every surgeon will explain to the patient on his fingers what is happening in his body, how the operation will take place, what specific actions he will perform, how many days the recovery of the body will continue. The main task of the surgeon is to professionally perform his work, and all mental anxieties should be calmed by a psychotherapist.
The absolutely opposite reason for the fear of surgery is the excessive awareness of the patient both about his illness and about the methods of its treatment. Currently, on the Internet you can find a lot of information about any disease and methods of getting rid of it. It is not always worth trusting the articles you read, each case is individual and requires a professional assessment by the attending physician. Having read about how surgery should be carried out, how anesthesia is done and other points, patients begin to panic fear of the operation.
The third reason for fear is anesthesia. Some patients are afraid that anesthesia will have a bad effect and they will feel pain, others are afraid of the possible negative consequences of anesthesia. Surely many have heard the conventional wisdom that one dose of anesthesia for several years shortens a person's life. Well, another group of people who are afraid of surgical intervention is the fear of not waking up at all after anesthesia.

It is unlikely that doctors will be able to remember at least one person who would not be afraid of surgery. The only difference is that many people try to overcome their phobia and go through this stage of treatment, while others, on the contrary, experience real panic attacks at the mere mention of surgical intervention. There are frequent cases in medical practice when patients voluntarily refused surgery because of their panic fear.

How to overcome fear

Each person is given the right to choose whether to agree to the operation or not. If we are talking about a small cosmetic procedure, say, removing burn marks, then nothing threatens the patient's life in case of refusal. But most often, surgical intervention is performed for medical reasons and refusal to do so can lead to serious complications. If a patient simply needs an operation, for example, removal of a malignant tumor, but because of the fear of the upcoming procedure, the patient refuses surgical treatment, he must write his own refusal of the proposed treatment. Thus, doctors do not take responsibility for the unfavorable outcome of the disease.

After weighing all the pros and cons, the patient understands that he simply needs the operation, but what to do if horror fetters the whole body? Psychologists give a number of recommendations on how to get rid of the fear of surgery.

get distracted

Usually, the fear of surgery reaches its peak the day before the procedure. In order not to completely go crazy, you need to try to get distracted. Watch an interesting movie in the evening, read your favorite book, in a word, let your thoughts be occupied with anything, but not tomorrow.

Pray

Skeptics will certainly chuckle and scroll through this paragraph. But for some, prayer brings emotional peace, and with its help, many people really get rid of the fear of the operation. It is not necessary to go to church or remember the exact text of the prayer, you can simply mentally turn to God and ask for a good outcome of the procedure.

Assess the situation realistically

Calmly think, what exactly are you afraid of? If anesthesia is the cause, try talking to an anesthesiologist. Tell us about your fear, and a competent specialist will reassure you by telling you how anesthesia will be applied. According to statistics, only one person out of several hundred thousand dies from improper anesthesia, and every tenth from bursting appendicitis.

Think Positive

If you can’t drive away thoughts about the upcoming operation, try to translate your thoughts into a more positive direction. For example, a woman cannot have children for many years, and the upcoming surgery gives her a chance to become a mother. Think about the future baby and the fear of the operation will subside a little.

Don't escalate the situation

How not to be afraid of an operation if the roommates tell horror stories all evening about surgeons forgetting a scalpel or a roll of cotton wool in the patient's body? Ask to change the subject or watch a movie on the laptop through headphones. Don't use your computer to look for "unsuccessful transactions in the last few years" and the like.

Take a sedative

Do not forget that you can take any sedative drugs only after consulting with your doctor! Only he will tell you what you can drink and what you can not. In any case, a decoction of mint, chamomile, motherwort or other medicinal herbs will not interfere.

Preparing for the operation

To overcome the fear of surgery, the patient must be calm and confident in the professionalism of the operating surgeon. The patient must understand that the operation is the only way to recover from the disease, and the sooner it passes, the better. For the upcoming procedure, you need to prepare not only morally, but also from a practical point of view. Choose a clinic in which competent specialists work, because a favorable outcome of the event depends on the professional skills of the doctor. If possible, go through preoperative preparation. It mainly includes:

Delivery of all necessary tests long before surgery;
Give up bad habits at least a couple of weeks before the procedure;
Do not go to the bath and do not do other cosmetic procedures at least a week before surgery;
Keep a diary of changes in general well-being, body temperature and blood pressure;
Follow your diet. You should not eat fatty and salty foods, carbonated drinks, chocolate and other sweets before the operation. It is necessary to give preference to lean meat, vegetables and fruits.

It is not necessary to hide information about other chronic diseases from the attending physician, this can lead to complications both during the operation and after it. If some moments still alarm you (bad tests, negative reviews about the surgeon), you should not submit to circumstances. Perhaps your fear is a signal to take some action: change a doctor or clinic, retake tests, or treat another disease. Poor health can also serve as a basis for postponing the date of the surgical procedure.

It is quite possible to overcome the fear of the upcoming surgery and anesthesia, for this you need not to panic, but really weigh everything. Collect information about the practicing surgeon, follow all the doctor's orders, do not search the Internet for information about unsuccessful operations, in a word, do not get hung up on the upcoming procedure. Thousands of people lie down on the operating table, as afraid as you are, and in the end everything goes perfectly. If there is no alternative treatment, trust your doctor and put all worries away.

- Is it true that 40% of the success of any operation depends on the work of the anesthesiologist?
Of course, the success of any operation depends primarily on the operating doctor, but about 90% of all operations are performed under local anesthesia or general anesthesia, so we can say that without an anesthesiologist, the operation is not possible at all. The anesthesiologist plays a very important role, he decides whether the patient is able to endure anesthesia, what type of anesthesia to choose for him, as a result of the examination and interview for each patient, the anesthesiologist actually selects his individual anesthesia scheme. But this is not the end of his work: during the operation, the anesthetist is in charge of the patient's life, and allows the operating specialist to concentrate on his work. The postoperative period is also on the anesthesiologist: anesthesia scheme, nursing after such complex operations as cardiac surgery, large joint replacements and abdominal organs, when the patient needs to be put on his feet as quickly as possible so that he does not have complications.

Is it necessary to see an anesthesiologist before surgery?
Before the planned operation, the anesthesiologist visits the patient twice. The first time - on the eve of the surgical intervention, the second - immediately before the operation: he looks to see if the premedication (drug preparation for anesthesia) has worked, how the patient feels, how he reacts to everything, if necessary, he can morally calm him down.

- What types of anesthesia are used today in Tyumen medicine?
All types of anesthesia that exist today in the world are represented in our region. If the patient wants to be conscious during his own operation, then he will be offered regional (local) anesthesia, if unconscious, then general anesthesia. But there are operations in which only general anesthesia is indicated, when it is necessary to turn off breathing and blood circulation, in many other cases, the patient, as a rule, can choose himself, and the anesthesiologist will act as an expert and advise the patient on the type of anesthesia that is most suitable for the patient .

- Is it likely that a person will feel pain during general anesthesia?
To eliminate this possibility, we have equipment that measures the depth of anesthesia, on the one hand, controls that a person sleeps and does not wake up, and on the other hand, does not allow the patient to be taken into a very deep state of anesthesia. Today, the anesthesiologist has all the necessary technical capabilities to understand that a person is not in pain and does not feel anything.

- There is an opinion that general anesthesia is minus five years of life. Is it true?
No, anesthesia has nothing to do with it. The initial state of health of the person who comes to the operation is important. As a rule, if the human body is in a worn out state, in medical terms this is called comorbidity, when several chronic diseases are interconnected by a single pathogenetic mechanism. We cannot not treat such a person; on the other hand, such a patient will recover for a very long time after the operation, his other pathological processes may become aggravated. For an absolutely healthy person, recovery from anesthesia does not threaten any serious consequences.

- Does general anesthesia affect the subsequent work of the brain?
We can say that general anesthesia has a psycho-damaging effect, but again it depends on the characteristics of the patient: whether he had a traumatic brain injury, whether he suffers from mental illness, whether he has bad habits. In the presence of these factors, the psychodamaging effect will be pronounced. But if this person is healthy, then there is practically no effect on the psyche. The psyche suffers more often in people of physical labor, but even among mental people there are very impressionable people who may also have some features in the immediate postoperative period - they can be very

plausible dreams, and then it seems like it was really. Of the side effects of general anesthesia, one can distinguish: a change in the nature of sleep, a weakening of memory, hallucinations may occur immediately after the operation. The duration of these phenomena is short, but, of course, it can cause some inconvenience. The scientific community of anesthesiologists is aware of this problem, has been actively studying it for many years, and scientists are looking for new ways of anesthesia that will absolutely not affect the psyche.

Which patients tolerate general anesthesia worse?
The first major problem is being overweight.. Obese patients tolerate both anesthesia and operations much worse, complications occur more often, and the recovery period takes longer. This is due to the fact that adipose tissue replaces muscle: the heart muscle turns into adipose tissue, the respiratory muscles atrophy. These patients are at increased risk of thrombosis. Therefore, for patients who go to elective surgery, I strongly recommend to reduce their weight by at least 5-10 kilograms, move more and include more proteins and fewer carbohydrates in their diet.

The second problem is smoking. Respiratory disorders in the postoperative period are directly related to chronic smoker bronchitis. Disorders such as obstruction of the respiratory tract with sputum and various other complications up to pneumonia are possible. The third problem is patients with sleep apnea syndrome (a disorder of respiratory function characterized by periodic pauses in breathing during sleep and heavy snoring). They also have problems in the operating room, it is more difficult to transfer them to spontaneous breathing, they have more viscous blood and this has to be corrected with medications. The next problem is, of course, alcohol. For patients who abuse alcohol, some types of anesthesia may not work or work unpredictably. Especially a lot of problems for anesthesiologists are delivered by patients in a state of intoxication during emergency operations. It is not known how this or that painkiller and sedative will work on them, sometimes drugs that are supposed to induce sleep in patients who abuse alcohol lead to the development of arousal. Again, increased blood viscosity, due to which there is a risk of thrombosis, up to the point that a stroke or heart attack may occur on the operating table.

- How soon after anesthesia can the patient return to his usual way of life?
It all depends on the operation. Now a fairly large number of patients choose minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery, when operations are performed without incisions using several punctures. The recovery period for such operations is minimal, as a rule, you can already be discharged the next day.

Modern anesthesiology is a whole world of knowledge aimed at improving the quality of life of patients who need surgery, and an anesthesiologist today helps people survive this difficult period.

We continue the conversation about the fears of patients. One of the most popular fears in my experience is fear of anesthesia or general anesthesia. Patients have heard a lot about those single cases of using general anesthesia that ended in one or another complication, and are very frightened by these cases, so I very often hear: “I'm afraid of anesthesia”, “I'm afraid of surgery under anesthesia”,. Let's start with the fact that against a few cases with a sad outcome, there are millions of cases of successful operations without any complications: it's like the statistics of plane crashes, when no one thinks that tens of thousands of flights take off and land safely every day, but everyone remembers the sensational single plane crashes that make people afraid of flying, while according to statistics, the plane is the safest mode of transport. Therefore, I will try to tell you about the stages of anesthesia and answer some of your questions, and I hope that at least some of you it will help to cope with the fear of general anesthesia.

“I'm afraid of anesthesia before the operation. What to do?"

General anesthesia (or actual anesthesia) acts on the central nervous system, suppressing its impulses. Both inhalation and intravenous means are used to immerse the patient in deep sleep. This manipulation requires the participation of a qualified anesthesiologist and junior medical personnel.

Anesthesia c literally translates from Greek as “without feeling”: a person’s ability to feel his body decreases, up to the cessation of perception of information about the world around him and his own body. anesthesia, from the Greek - "numbness", "numbness" - artificially induced inhibition of the central nervous system, muscle relaxation, inhibition of a number of reflexes - characteristic of sleep (narcosis - falling asleep, Latin). The addition of the word "general" to "anesthesia", already embedded in the concept itself, thus does not clarify anything. It is correct to say "general anesthesia" or simply "anesthesia".

How does anesthesia take place? Warning, or can you fall asleep "suddenly"?

Classical anesthesia consists of three stages:

Dive into sleep. The anesthesiologist puts you into a state of deep sleep with the help of special drugs. In the process of immersion in the state of anesthesia, you are talking with the doctor, and gradually falling asleep, you stop seeing or hearing anything. However, immersion in sleep is not pain relief, that is, even in a dream a person will feel pain. And surgical aggression is very painful, so the second stage of anesthesia follows.
Anesthesia. At this stage, the anesthesiologist will give you pain medication. Injected potent drugs (analgesics) suppress the transmission of pain impulses from the peripheral nerves to the brain, and the person does not feel pain.

It is important to talk about drugs here. Many people ask if narcotic drugs are used in general anesthesia, and whether it is possible to become a drug addict after their one-time use. Yes, in some cases (not always!) narcotic drugs are used by the anesthesiologist, but it is impossible to become addicted to drugs as a result of their one-time use. In order to become a drug addict, the systematic use of a narcotic substance for quite a long time is required.

Muscle relaxation or muscle relaxation. At the last stage of immersion in anesthesia, the anesthesiologist injects drugs that help to relax the muscles: often, even during immersion in medical sleep, the muscles remain tense, which can interfere with the operation. Therefore, you need to relieve muscle spasms with medication.

Can drug overdose happen?

The experienced anesthesiologists-resuscitators with whom we work know their business very well, and with great accuracy calculate the dosage of all drugs that are used during the operation. The anesthesiologist is in the operating room all the time while the operation is in progress, and very carefully monitors the patient's condition, controls all indicators in order to administer an additional dose of this or that drug in time if he sees that its effect is ending. However, these doses have been verified by many years of practice, and the likelihood that an experienced anesthesiologist will critically exceed the dosage of a particular drug is negligible.

How is the recovery from anesthesia?

When the operation is completed, the anesthesiologist brings the patient out of deep sleep, gradually turning off the supply of drugs, and monitors his condition in all respects (breathing, heart rate, blood pressure) until the patient fully regains consciousness. Depending on which drugs were used, the recovery from anesthesia can take place in different ways: at different intervals and in different sequences, sensitivity, consciousness and the ability to move independently return to you.

Why is anesthesia so expensive?

When performing an operation under anesthesia, an anesthesiologist is present in the operating room on a permanent basis, who makes responsible decisions, selects drugs and calculates the dosage, and the anesthetist is his assistant, who performs all the necessary medical manipulations to immerse the patient in a state of anesthesia: fills and places droppers with drugs, measures blood pressure, etc. When immersed in anesthesia, many consumables are used (disposable needles, syringes, wipes, droppers, gloves, etc.), as well as several types of medications. All this adds up to the cost of the service.

By the way, in my case, anesthesia costs 16,500 rubles. It's not that expensive.

Why is general anesthesia dangerous?

Of course, any surgical operation carries certain risks, which should always be evaluated by the patient and the doctor when deciding whether to perform the operation. However, given the vast experience that has accumulated in the field of general and plastic surgery to date, all the risks associated with the use of general anesthesia are weighed and minimized. And if general anesthesia carried a real and serious threat to the health of patients, it would not be used so widely in surgery.

Most of the accidents that occurred during the use of anesthesia were due to the fact that in the event of complications, the patient could not be provided with emergency care because the necessary resuscitation equipment was not at hand. However, now, without exception, all plastic surgeries in Russia are carried out in clinics that have all the necessary equipment and resuscitators.

If you have other questions, you can ask them in the "" section.

Good afternoon, dear readers. Recently on Instagram discussed the topic of drugs and faced with a number of unpleasant life situations that subscribers experienced, which they certainly want to discuss.

mashabagach: « My last serious anesthesia (I know that anesthesia will be more competent 😃☝🏻) is an epidural, in general, an injection into the vertebrae. The sensations are strange, you don’t feel half of yourself, sometimes it’s not good, but then there are no “wastes” from the anesthesia itself, everything just hurts))) in my case it was an urgent cesarean.”

venchik_sh: “The first two times anesthesia for a short period. For the first time I saw circles, molecules, and I thought: this is what death is like. Here is the real world. And the world in which I live is unreal. But then I really really wanted to go back to the unreal world. I woke up. Hands, legs did not obey, did not move. Everything floated in my eyes. The second time is about the same. But the third time was a long and difficult operation. It took me a long time to come to my senses. The eyes were able to focus only after 7 hours. The numbness in the body went away after a long time. It was terrible. The fear is still there. I need to undergo another operation, but because of fear, I don’t dare for so long. ”

anushhka_volodina: “Basically, all anesthesias were normal, except for two cases, 1) the endometrial polyp was removed, the condition was as if stunned, I felt everything, mentally yelled from pain and to stop. After that, there were several cases of anesthesia - everything is fine. The 2nd unpleasant case, cholecystectomy, endoscopic (gallbladder removal) warned the anesthesiologist about unsuccessful anesthesia, said that the weight was accurate. As a result, I felt how I was intubated, how the incisions were made, after the instruments were inserted into the abdominal cavity - only then I turned off completely. The difference is that unsuccessful anesthesia is in state hospitals, in paid ones everything is fine. Either they regretted the drugs, or the body is like that) it’s worth waking up from anesthesia - I don’t sleep anymore until the evening and I’m quite cheerful, despite analgesics and so on).

Plastic surgeon Azizyan V.S. comments:

Subscribers' comments confirmed the validity of patients' fears. For me, of course, it is surprising to hear such stories, since in my practice, working with professional anesthesiologists, I have not heard of such situations. All this suggests that somewhere something was not taken into account. Especially when it comes to elective surgery. When it is possible to examine the patient from all sides before the operation, talk, etc.

Modern anesthesiology is not just an injection into a vein or a tube. Often it is a combined, multicomponent (combining various drugs and gases) anesthesia. Thus, the doctor achieves a sufficient depth of anesthesia and comfort for both the patient and the surgeon! With correctly selected drugs, according to the principle of synergy and tactics, intraoperative awakenings and pains are excluded.

In the postoperative period, drugs are also used to reduce the gag reflex.

For ourselves and our patients, before the operation, we discuss with the anesthesiologist what anesthesia will be, what I will do. At different stages of the operation, where the likelihood of pain is greater (for example, placing an implant under the muscle), the anesthesiologist can adjust the patient's condition, achieving a more comfortable state.

Therefore, based on the above, I want to say: it is better to discuss all issues before the operation. And I wish that general anesthesia for everyone passes like a good dream!)