Are there any side effects of general anesthesia over local anesthesia?
I finally decided to have a surgery for my ACL since I tore it completely, and after taking so much time to think about it and gather opinions from doctors, friends, etc. I think is the best move I have right now.
A friend that already got his ACL fixed told me that he got a shot in the back right before the surgery and that he was awake most of the time. I asked my doctor if that was going to be the case for me and he told me that he was going to put me a mask around my mouth and nose and he will put me to sleep for all the time of the surgery duration, I told this to my friend and he said I should be careful with that because if they leave the mask for more time than needed that I can get into a vegetative state which made me very nervous because I think that is worse than dying in my opinion, is this true?
What can I expect to be the side effects of general anesthesia over local anesthesia?
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Your anxiety is natural, especially if this is your first surgery.
However, statistics are clear: Anaesthesia is safe.
In fact, it is safer than driving a car.
You should discuss your nervousness with your family physician or an anaesthetist who can reassure you and clear all your doubts. Health StackExchange is not a bad replacement too, so let me give you one or two pointers on what will happen and why you shouldn't worry (these do not replace adequately a talk you can have in person with a physician)
Please do not listen to anecdotes or read stories on Facebook, they will only cause more anxiety.
Before the Surgery, the Anaesthesist is going to go through your medical record carefully and have a talk with you (Pre-Anaesthesia workout). Based on your health condition and the surgery, the Anaesthesist will work out a meticulous plan which will include details of what anaesthetic agent(s) to use, how to introduce those agents and who to wean you off them at the end of the surgery, so that you can nicely recover consciousness. He/She will also have a backup plan, lest something should go wrong.
During the Surgery, the Anaesthesist is going to very carefully calibrate a mixture of gases that will sedate you into unconsciousness as per plan, and continue to monitor on a minute to minute basis, various parameters of your body to judge its optimal functioning. Your Heart Rate, Pulse, Rate of Breathing, How much your blood is oxygenated, etc will be part of the monitoring. As per the Monitoring, the Anaesthesist will increase or reduce the amount of anaesthetic agent. Also, the Anaesthesist will withdraw the anaesthetic agents gradually and carefully, allowing you to 'wake up'.
You are worried if they will leave the 'mask on' for longer than needed, but this will never happen. There will be a checklist of things to do and the whole team goes through these checklists to ensure that nobody 'forgets' to do something.
If you are still not convinced or worried, you can and should talk to a caregiver, nursing staff, patient advisor or at least a community worker.
Hope you have a great surgery and early recovery.
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