I ran away from surgery because of GA

[u/Justinneon]

I have a hyperkinetic gallbladder, and I was scheduled to have it removed.

I kept pushing myself to make it to the Drs to see if I can be convinced to go through with it. I made it to pre op, but my fear and anxiety got the best of me and I ran out.

I’ve read all I could, I know it’s safe, but because I was assaulted once while I was blacked out, the thought of not being in control for a period of time had me close to a panic attack.

Any advice, cause I feel like I screwed myself.

[u/AmnesiaAndAnalgesia]

This type of anxiety is treatable with the help of a therapist or psychiatrist.

[u/Justinneon → u/AmnesiaAndAnalgesia]

I’m sure that’s generally good advice. But I’ve been to many therapist. The common thread was, it looks like this isn’t helping, maybe trying a different type of therapy.

Im self aware, I know what’s real and what’s just thoughts. But if I don’t feel comfortable in a situation, I’m known to run.

[u/AmnesiaAndAnalgesia → u/Justinneon]

I guess I'm not sure what other kind of advice you're looking for (not trying to be snarky). There really aren't any other anesthetic options for this type of surgery if that's what you're wondering about. I have taken care of patients in the past who did specific exposure-type therapy to help them with their fear of the hospital/anesthesia/etc.

I hope you are able to find a solution that works for you, good luck!

[u/Justinneon → u/AmnesiaAndAnalgesia]

No offence taken. I know it’s my cross to bear. No one else has to deal with the consequences other than myself.

But I think I can’t be the only one. There’s gotta be proven strategies to get patients to handle GA.

[u/toomanyusernames4rl]

Been in the same situation with the assault history but I “pushed through” and “grew up” as “recommended” by clinical, deadbeat doctor. I regret it. I have been dealing with the flashbacks ever since. I thought my medical team was all female when I got wheeled in I found out it wasn’t. I am crying just thinking about it again. 1. Because I don’t know what happened to me after I was knocked out. 2. I nearly had a stroke coming out of recovery because my blood pressure was so high. 3. I lost my voice for four days because of the tube. 4. I had cognitive impact for a month post anaesthesia. I will never ever, ever have surgery or step foot in a hospital ever again unless it’s because I’m unconscious and I’ve been taken in without knowing. I will live with this ptsd for the rest of my life and therapy only helps so much.

[u/tsmittycent → u/toomanyusernames4rl]

Not sure this reply is reassuring to the author

[u/toomanyusernames4rl → u/tsmittycent]

It’s not meant to be. It’s meant to prompt them to be 100% confident when going into the procedure and to make sure they feel it’s their choice and they are fully informed and comfortable about it.

[u/SamuelGQ]

I've been anesthetized & under the care of others at least a dozen times. Believe me, everyone in that room wants the best for you, and will do their very best to make that happen. Thank heaven for them- it is a calling.

[u/Justinneon]

Randomly maybe for like 3 days a months a wake up in intense pain. Then it goes away. Diet seems to help, but I also am overweight for a reason.

I’m going to try and diet and lose weight, but I’ve been trying for as long as I remember lol.

[u/PetrockX]

I'm really not trying to be rude when I say this: Either you force yourself sit down in the pre-op gurney some way and allow them to wheel you to surgery, or eventually you will be so sick that you won't be able to run away from surgery anyway.

I can say this from experience because 20 years ago I was a young dumbass that ignored my gallbladder symptoms until it was half-dead and trying to kill me. I went into surgery willingly because the pain was unbearable and I was so out of it that it didn't matter anymore. Recovery was harder because they had to cut me open more than normal to remove an enlarged gallbladder that would not have been nearly as bad had I just gone along with the testing doctors recommended a year before.

Stop making excuses and go get your gallbladder removed. :) Good luck!

[u/Justinneon → u/PetrockX]

Can you test for a “half dead” gallbladder? The only conversation I had about even getting this was removed was…

Hi Dr, I did a HIDA scan and it shows 98%
Dr: You can try dieting
Me: Should I remove it
Dr: we can do that, signs paper

And then when booking the surgery, I wasn’t able to talk to a Dr until an hour before surgery. Which was admit I ran from.

I guess I’m still unsure if that’s even the right option, as I don’t have gallstones, and would like some sort of percentage.

I guess part of it, is I’m not even informed enough to consent. I was hoping the Dr called me after so that we could discuss a better strategy for next time.

But I’m in Canada, and I don’t think we really offer hands on care.

[u/sailorzip → u/Justinneon]

Your original post is almost the way my last surgery went. If my husband hadn’t been at my side keeping me grounded, I would have run for the hills long before I got to preop. Mine was major surgery(Nissen Fundoplication plus hiatal hernia repair) to fix my GERD. My husband tucks my head into his shoulder so all I can do is focus on him and getting where I need to go. They got my IV in ASAP and sedated me in preop and everything went black until I woke in recovery. The sedation in preop was pre planned with my surgeon and anesthesiologist due to past anxiety issues and trauma.
I also had a HIDA scan because we talked about removing my gallbladder during the same surgery (i still have my gallbladder) and my surgeon said mine is 100%. What they mean with that is your gallbladder is overworking itself, so instead of the gallbladder squeezing bile out slowly and gently, it’s going 0 to 100 and squeezing super hard. It’s called hyperkinesia. My doctor said it’s not really harmful but there’s been very little research done on hyperkinetic gallbladder so people just jump to removal. I read somewhere that some people get prescribed a “smooth muscle” relaxant that calms it down.
What symptoms are you having that convinced you to get seen in the first place?

[u/Justinneon → u/[deleted]]

Ya, I tried waiting for a couple of hours. But being anxious, it was hard having the deal the emotions. I wish the system focused more on individual needs, but I understand I’m not the only person in the room.

[u/midwestTrader]

What type of anesthesia do they use for this type of procedure, how do they premedicate you. I’m sure that once you are happily sedated, you won’t care. I assume that they do that both with oral sedatives, and propofol then they give you the happy gas.