I talked to my surgical anesthesiologist today

[steve2470]

It was quite interesting. I asked the $64,000,000 question about side effects, and she indicated that really adverse side effects were about 1 in 100,000. The kind where I would have to be rushed across the street from outpatient surgery to the main hospital complex. She also raised my awareness that I have a slight "bundle branch block" in my heart, which ticked up my anxiety a tad. She's going to have another cardiologist (other than the one in California who reviewed my pre-op EKG) review my EKG's. Does all this sound familiar to anyone else who has had anesthesia ? I'm having routine inguinal hernia surgery, and the anesthesia will probably be the non-tube-down-your-throat kind. I want to call it "local" but somehow that doesn't sound right.

[steve2470]

1. wow, didn't realize this topic was so boring

:-( okie doke

[Maiden England]

3. not to me it wasn't

but I piddled around checking my facts before I posted. Cos I'm rusty in my angelic-ness ;)

[steve2470]

4. Thanks

for padding around :-)

[Maiden England]

2. All anesthesia carries side effects

risk of death for anyone is about 1 in 100K-200K (depending on whose doing the consent form ;)), so that puts you right at around the risk of a healthy person.

As far as bundle branch block. It depends whether its left or right. Right is often a variant of normal, and have no clinical significance. If it is due to a disease process, it would likely be pulmonary in origin, such as chronic lung diseases. It can also be caused by congenital defects and some cardiac disease. Left is usually due to some pathology of varying significance, from plain old high blood pressure to a range of cardiac diseases. It can on the odd occasion be normal too, but it warrants a full work up to be on the safe side.

As far as the anesthesia is concerned, its been a few years since I last saw a hernia op. Back then they were using regular anesthesia - but since its usually a quick jobby, no intubation, just a temporary airway tube.

But that actually depends on what kind of hernia repair you are having as some types take longer. Also if they need to use a muscle relaxant, and its a tad safer to intubate when they do that, so its probably up to anesthesiologist preference on that one. They can do a local block too, where you would be awake, but again, it depends on the type of hernia and the kind of repair it requires.

Hope this helps

[steve2470]

5. type of hernia is abdominal wall inguinal hernia..

and it's going to be a mesh patch inserted through laparoscopy-type incisions via a fairly new procedure, forget the exact name. The doc did say it would be up to the attending anes. about which exact type of anesthesia would be used.

[KittyWampus]

6. When I Had The Rod Taken Out Of My Leg... I Asked For Epidural

and they allowed it after speaking to anestheiologist. The main side effect from that was a head ache IIRC.

[steve2470]

7. I was told by my surgeon to not ask for epidural

He said that the non-epidural kind was quicker to recover from. Between what he said and what she said today, I'm a bit confused. I told her I didn't want the tube down your throat kind and she said she understood.

[KittyWampus]

8. Epidurals Decrease Recovery Time. You're Awake Throughout.

Edit- I think doctors just don't like using epidurals cause they prefer not to have to consider tht the patient is awake.

[steve2470]

9. ah the plot thickens

No wonder she gave me "that look" today :rofl: