From small tooth extractions to major heart surgeries, people will experience anesthesia several times in their lifetime. What is it like to be under anesthesia? It's like asking whether tofu pudding is sweet or salty - different people will give completely different, even opposite, answers. However, regardless of the various clinical procedures, there are different methods of anesthesia; and regardless of individual differences among patients, anesthesia always involves the two words "numbness" and "intoxication".
What does numbness feel like?
Chewing on a mouthful of Sichuan peppercorns or sleeping with your arm as a pillow for half an hour, that feeling of ants crawling is "numbness". When the numbness is too strong, you will feel that the numb area has become "wooden" and you no longer have any sensation.
What is local anesthesia?
During surgery or other procedures, the sensation in the surgical area is temporarily lost through the use of drugs, and then gradually recovers after a period of time. This type of anesthesia is called "local anesthesia". There are two types of local anesthesia:
One is local anesthesia with a small scope
For most puncture procedures, dental or eye surgeries, and some outpatient surgeries, local anesthesia is performed by clinical doctors rather than anesthesiologists. They infiltrate the anesthetic around the operative site, making that area feel "numb" and the patient remains awake.
One is local anesthesia with a large scope
For larger surgeries, such as cesarean sections, cholecystitis, appendicitis, various fractures, etc., simply infiltrating the anesthetic locally will be extremely painful. So, what can be done?
The human nervous system can be compared to a complex network of pipes. When it is necessary to numb a large area, it is like repairing multiple burst pipes. The simplest method is to close the water valves upstream of the multiple pipes, which means anesthetizing the nerves upstream of the surgical site to prevent the transmission of sensation.
For example, in upper limb surgery, the anesthesiologist will ask you to turn your head to the side and inject the needle around your neck or armpit. Your hand will gradually become numb and eventually you will not be able to lift it. This is called "brachial plexus block" and is a type of nerve block in local anesthesia.
The legendary spinal anesthesia
During surgeries on the chest, abdomen, perineum, or lower limbs, the anesthesiologist will ask you to curl up like a shrimp or lean against a chair with your back arched. Then you will feel something piercing your back, and your spine will feel sore and swollen, making it very uncomfortable. Just when you can't bear it any longer, the anesthesiologist will ask you to lie flat. The amazing thing is that the soreness and swelling in your back gradually disappear, and you start to feel a tingling and warmth. The surgical site cannot be moved. When the anesthesiologist touches your skin with a sharp object, at first you can still feel a pricking sensation, but gradually you won't feel it in some areas. What we usually call spinal anesthesia belongs to intrathecal anesthesia (in a broad sense, intrathecal anesthesia belongs to local anesthesia).
The spinal cord resides in the spinal canal, which can be compared to a long, segmented caterpillar. Each segment of the spinal cord has nerves that extend to various parts of the body, controlling movement and sensation. By injecting anesthetic into the spinal canal at the corresponding spinal cord segment depending on the surgical site, the goal of anesthesia is achieved.
Sometimes, you may feel chest tightness, palpitations, nausea, or the urge to vomit. Don't panic or feel embarrassed. Immediately inform your anesthesiologist. There are many reasons for such symptoms, and the anesthesiologist will take appropriate measures to relieve them.
These days, intrathecal anesthesia has been replaced by general anesthesia as the mainstream. However, most cesarean section surgeries still use intrathecal anesthesia, which does not affect the mother's head or the baby's head. So, for those mothers who feel that they have become less intelligent after undergoing a cesarean section, please don't blame it on the anesthesia!
Special attention is needed for local anesthesia
The success of intrathecal anesthesia depends largely on the cooperation of the patient. So, whether you are nervous to the point that your heart is pounding out of your chest or your back is sore and unbearable, you must exert force and curl up.
After local anesthesia, especially intrathecal anesthesia, you will still feel "numbness". After different anesthetic drugs take effect and wear off, the body gradually regains sensation. When anesthetic drugs are injected into the intrathecal space, a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid may leak, which may cause a headache in the sensitive neighbor upstairs: the brain. Therefore, it is best to lie flat for 6 hours after intrathecal anesthesia. In addition, even though the injection site is just a small needle hole, you still need to take care of it!
What does intoxication feel like?
General anesthesia is like a hangover.
It usually begins with "hanging a saline drip". You see the anesthesiologist push the drug into the "water" and then a big face mask is put on and you inhale some foul-smelling gas. Gradually, your eyelids become heavier and heavier. When you wake up, you feel dizzy, just like a hangover. Your throat is a little sore and your wound is slightly painful.
After the surgery, when waking up the patients under general anesthesia, the most common thing they say is, "Oh, it's over so soon? I feel like I just had a dream." And so, general anesthesia is succinctly summarized as "having a sleep".
General anesthesia is like cutting off the main valve - the brain - of the body's complex pipeline, causing a loss of consciousness.
In addition to major surgeries, procedures such as "painless" gastroscopy and "painless" abortions also involve general anesthesia. However, these short-term procedures use short-acting anesthetic drugs.
Special attention is needed after general anesthesia
All drunk drivers think they are sober and can drive without any problem, but in reality, it is very dangerous. General anesthesia is the same, especially when waking up from procedures such as "painless" gastroscopy or "painless" abortions, where you can go home on the same day. Even if you feel very awake, you should still have someone accompany you. Don't drive alone or perform dangerous tasks like working at heights. Patients who are hospitalized must have someone to accompany them. If you experience headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, or chest tightness, don't hesitate to call the bedside doctor!
Note: This article is reproduced from Dingxiang Doctor - Zhizhi Yue
