Well here goes, I have told my two boys about the BRCA1 gene mutation and what to means to us as a family. It went well all things considered. Time has flown by and the date is looming. In fact my surgery has been brought forward by a week and I am due in hospital bright and early on Monday morning next week. I am quite nervous about the anaesthetic as I have never had one before. Also now it is so close I am wondering how I will feel when I wake up? Anyone got any hints tips or things to pack? Thanks xx
Hi Strawberry,
we haven’t posted before so I’m not sure what your surgery is. I’ve had a lumpectomy so can share my exp of this.
i was due in at 7 am but didn’t go to theatre until about 12 noon so i brought loads of magazines to take my mind off things. tried to read a good book but couldn’t focus on it. it was my 3rd general anaesthetic. The anaesthetist came to meet me before the surgery and explained how it works and if i had any questions. he also chatted to me as I started to ‘go under’ - which i think is a standard thing they do to relax you and it worked for me as while of course I was nervous I was as relaxed as possible.
I was on morphine when i woke up and then various other painkillers when that wore off. The nurses took pain control very seriously and were very attentive.
i was very hungry and thirsty when i came round and had loads of fizzy water, cups of tea and slices of toast and honey. I was also high as a kite cos of the morphine which was great!!
Bring front fastening pyjamas which are not white and maybe your own pillow (if you are nhs) cos my pillow was a bit flat!
Hope your surgery goes really well and you recover as speedily as possible.
Cannoliwings X
Hi Strawberry
Don’t worry, I’ve had several anaesthetics and am usually asleep before I get to nine (counting backwards from 10). I also wake up with a ravenous appetite but if you do, take it slowly, small drinks then a bit of toast or plain biscuits, little and often is my motto. Everyone is different so don’t rush, you know your body best and it will tell you how it’s feeling.
Things to pack:
Front fastening PJs (easier to get on and off)
Books/Magazines (if you read, it helps to pass the time)
All the usual, toothbrush, toothpaste, washing stuff.
Cotton knickers (to wear during op if you’re allowed, they sometimes give you paper ones).
Juice (water gets boring and the more you drink the better, it helps to flush the anaesthetic out).
Plain biscuits (for snacks after op).
Ear plugs (in case you get a snorer on the ward 
Comfy clothes to come home in.
Soft bra, no wires (if you’re having an mx they will give you a ‘softie’ my hospital also gave me a front fastening bra which made life easier).
Mobile phone and charger (most hospitals will let you use your phone but they may need the charger PAT testing before you can use it).
Most of all, don’t waste the weekend waiting to go in, get out there and have some fun Anything to distract you is good, spoil yourself and let others spoil you too
All the best, let us know how you get on.
L4W
Hi Strawberry
I had my first General Anaesthetic last weekend for SLNB, I was more worried about the GA than anything else! I spend most of the week preparing my Will and had it witnessed the night before hospital visit - I was that paranoid that I wasn’t going to wake up. Well I thought (a) if I don’t wake up I won’t have to worry about anything and (b) all my house will be in order…LOL I was worrying if I wasn’t worrying about the anaesthetic. I’m over weight, have high blood pressure, diabetes, all these things were discovered at my pre-op assessment - I was convinced I wasn’t fit for the operation, but they said I was, and in any case I had to have it! They wrote Anxious in big letters on my folder lol. I went to see 2 aneathetists and they were very reassuring and calmed me down a lot. I needed have worried, it was brilliant! On the day of the operation you get changed from your day clothes and then you go to a side room and put on a night dress and take your own dressing gown and slippers, they give you paper knickers lol. All your things go in a plastic bag and it is tagged and kept in secure cupboard, they only thing I took to the operation was my glasses, which were removed at the last minute and were back on when I woke up. The theatre team introduced themselves and then I had a needle in my hand and some sticky pads on my chest and just as they put the clear plastic oxygen mast over my face I heard someone say hear comes the gin and tonic lol. Then I was wide awake, and say the team dispersing, one nurse stayed with me in the recovery area, for a few minutes, I was very awake, didn’t feel at all ill, and can remember everything she said. It is amazing to have no after effects, I was tearful when I woke and remember thanking everybody lol. The only thing I didn’t like was the dreadfully tight socks that you have to wear throughout the procedure. I wouldn’t worry about it next time, it really is a walk in the park.
Best wishes Strawb, you WILL be fine!
Daysie x
Had a load of general anaesthetics (three this year and lost count over a lifetime!) With the modern anaesthetics it’s really straightforward for nearly everyone. Very normal to feel nervous, though.
The unsexy surgical sock things are a pain to put on and feel very tight, and the gown’s not a delight either. But that’s about the worst of it.
Sometimes I have had to walk to the anaesthetic room rather than go by bed, so slippers and dressing gown are important.
Some anaesthetists are chatty and fun, others won’t say a word. There’s always a nurse to look after people too, though.
Needle for the anaesthetic will sting a bit for a few seconds but once it starts up you just feel really drunk for a few seconds in a ‘wheee!’ sort of way, then you wake up in recovery feeling a bit confused about why the room’s changed. They monitor you for about 20 mins to make sure your oxygen level is back to normal (as general anaesthetics change it temporarily). Then back on the ward you go for a snooze and then a cuppa and sandwich and wee. And more pain relief if you need it.
Job done.
Well, that’s been the pattern so far.
Ann x
It’s brilliant to hear what it’s actually like. I have read all the booklets I have been given and all your stories help to reassure me. I will be having a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. I think I am focusing on the anaesthetic rather than worry about what I am having done. I’ve got plans for the weekend so will go out and distract myself. I am worried about how my two boys will be without me though they will with their daddy and grandparents, I have never left them for more than overnight before. I know they will be fine, just another thing to worry about. Thanks for all your replies x