Waking up during surgery
February 20, 2016 | 20,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ive Dr. Schaaf
I am having surgery on my intervertebral disc and suddenly I am very afraid of the anesthesia, I did not have any fear during the briefing. My fear is to wake up during the surgery or to perceive something. This is driving me almost crazy!
Good morning,
you are not alone in this fear. This is a very common concern.
Normally, the anesthesia is so deep that you are far away and in a deep sleep. If you need more anesthesia than expected, it may happen that the anesthesia becomes less deep, as if you were slowly waking up, which is what is wanted at the end of the operation. If this happens too early, during the operation, the following applies: Firstly, the anesthesiologist will notice it by your breathing and adjust the strength of your anesthesia accordingly. However, if you still wake up too early, the surgeon will notice it because you react very early to pain stimuli, even before you are fully "awake" and aware. The surgeon will inform the anesthesiologist and then you will be given more anesthesia to ensure that you are "far enough away" again, meaning that the anesthesia is deep enough.
Your concern is understandable, but fortunately you have nothing to fear.
Kind regards,
Dr. Schaaf
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