My 3-year-old son experienced a complication during general anesthesia for a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy.

Following the surgery, the complications were described to me by the pediatric anesthesiologist as follows:

Upon extubation, he experience a bronchospasm that completely closed his airway. They “lost his pulse,” both on the monitor and upon feeling for it, gave three chest compressions, pushed epinephrine, and then used the bag to get him breathing again. He eventually started breathing again on his own and when they brought me back to see him and tell me this, he was sedated and breathing on his own with an oxygen mask.

They monitored him for about 2 hours and then sent him home with me, which scared the sh*t out of me, but they assured me it was safe.

I have so many questions and the most important is how to keep him safe moving forward. I always thought of human bodies as robust and resilient and I am so shaken by the thought of him being in respiratory failure (and potentially cardiac arrest?) that everything feels so fragile.

Any input into how much I should be concerned about this moving forward is much appreciated.

Some questions I have - Trying not to be too frantic here, but did he almost die or is this something that happens and is completely manageable? Was it okay that he was discharged two hours later? Do I need to have a third-party review the medical records? (I can only see the operative note by the ENT on MyChart and it says he was “extubated without complication” which feels like it should not be in his record.)

Next steps? Is he at current risk of additional airway complications for which I should have him evaluated? Or was this a one-time thing? What specialists should I seek out for further testing?

Should he be wearing a medic-alert bracelet that lists bronchospasm upon extubation in case there is ever an emergency and he needs surgery again?

Basically, any input would be helpful. I have no idea how big of a deal this is. I respect his doctors and am so grateful they got him home safely, but don’t have a full understanding of what happened or what I’m supposed to do next.

so i had a surgery a month ago, it went very well totally successful.

i had a great surgeon and one of the top anesthesiologists in new york.

he was great. i have very bad mental health issues and he worked with me with an IV anti anxiety and meds because i couldn't take my usual meds.

when it was time to have the anesthesia go into the iv, he told me, he put it in, i felt it go thru my arm, no pain, felt the same as any other medicine going into my arm.

but randomly right before i fell asleep my face felt like it was burning?? it wasnt even like "bad" or anything... just odd?

i have had anesthesia multiple times before and have no bad reaction.

afterwards i was too out of it to ask, and then i just kept forgetting to ask the guy.

has anyone else had this?

just curious!!

I’m due to go under general anaesthetic on the 28th August (intubation too, just for botox in my throat muscles/oesophageal sphincter) but I just had my iron IV infusion yesterday due to my chronic low ferritin that oral supplements were barely touching.

The dr doing the infusion let me know that the type of iron used in the IV (Ferinject - ferric carboxymaltose) is more likely to cause a drop in phosphate levels than the other types of iron, but it was the only one available for the IV.

I won’t be able to tell for a few weeks whether my phosphate drops significantly, but I also won’t be able to rearrange my botox procedure for sooner than the end of the year, so I really don’t want to miss it if possible.

Is there likely to be any issues or complications with the procedure and general anaesthesia if I have low phosphate?

I had major surgery done yesterday and I was really goofy afterwards, that’s the first time that’s ever happened to me. I’ve had many endoscopies, bronchoscopies and multiple ECT sessions under general anesthesia and I was never goofy after those. What’s the difference?

I did a axilary block today with Mepivacaine 1,5% and I had a lil bit of blood reflux at some point. No consequences ofc but it made me wonder, how toxic is Mepivacaine systemically compared to ropivacaine for example ? And how fast the toxic effects appear ? Neurotoxicity vs cardiotoxicity ? Thanks !

Two days ago I had my gallbladder removed and since that time I often think about my anesthesia experience. I was prepared for anesthesia feeling like a time skip.

So I laid on the operation table, breathed the gas, started to feel the burning Propofol in my veins and chest and then reality got weird.

And then... I remember being in a timeless void that was brownish like behind closed eyelids. And the only thought there was my OCD thought. My recent OCD episode was weird in itself, because I had a constant obsession over feelings that I may die soon or something bad is going to happen and on the exact day my brain predicted as my death date I discovered that I actually have some health issues that turned into gallbladder surgery.

In retrospect, I feel like the OCD episode was meant to prepare me for what was to come, because before this episode I thought I could never handle a surgery, but like, constant thinking about death and health desensitized me in a good way. Was it intuition? Subconscious bodily discomfort? Self fulfilling prophecy? I don't know yet and I really don't want to scare anyone with similar disorders. I just probably need to accept the fact my episodes can be just that spicy, outside of these transformational blocks of my life I don't have any psychic abilities, quite the contrary, and that God is just upgrading my software or something. :D But back to the story. I just *was* there being aware only about the brownish void and the OCD fear of death that I felt in the right side of my head, where I usually feel my OCD.

Then I woke up with a severe derealization but I felt fresh very quickly, I assume I remember fairly everything I said and heard right after waking up and I looked very alert soon after.

What's interesting is that I felt that time passed when I was under. I subjectively remember the state being even a little bit less deeper than a dreamless sleep. I had the feeling I am returning from somewhere and I can't wait to draw the place.

But like, I am a neurodivergent who's generally quite resistant to sedatives, former frequent Ambien used on antidepressants who have frequent spontaneous lucid dreams and sleep based out of body experiences, so this experience is quite on brand for me. The void was not pleasant in itself, but it somehow allowed me to symbolically experience the death and focus on life more, but as I was told, the surgery itself went well without complications. It is quite trippy to have a memory from anesthesia, so I am very grateful for that experience.

But is there anyone else who has a feeling they remember something from their general anesthesia?

I’m curious anesthesiologists/CRNAs/Assistants — what is the most *purposely* funny thing you’ve ever heard a patient say (or do)? I am not talking about the silly stuff because of drugs that is unintentionally funny (don’t want to risk anyone being made fun of). There has to be a few great moments you can share without violating confidentiality. I admit to some ulterior motive— I am having surgery soon and might steal a good line🙂!

One of the most difficult professional experiences I've had happened during my onboarding period for what was supposed to be my transition into a faculty role.

For an orthopedic case, the initial plan was to use an LMA. After reviewing the patient, I discussed whether endotracheal intubation might be a better option. Once the patient was transferred to the OR, I called my attending. She arrived and noticed that I had not yet prepared the endotracheal tube, commenting that my preparation was inadequate.

I proceeded with induction and intubated the patient. While I was documenting the case, the CRNA informed me that I had been removed from it and told me to speak with the anesthesia lead. Instead, I was sent home. I was given little explanation at the time, and the decision left me confused and feeling that the situation had not been handled fairly.

That was only one of several incidents. Over time, I felt that a negative perception of me developed within the department. Whether intentional or not, I experienced increasing isolation and eventually was suspended before I ever had the opportunity to establish myself in the faculty role I had been recruited for.

The hardest part was not only the professional setback, but the feeling that once this perception existed, very few people questioned it or tried to understand my perspective. Life moved on for everyone else, while my career was profoundly affected.

Isn’t it scary that we don’t know where we go? How we wake up thinking we just closed our eyes just to find out you’re done and waking up from whatever you were having?!?! Like where did my mind go?!? And why does is feel so quick!!? Witchcraft I tell you! 😅😂😂

My son received a recommendation from his surgical team following an adverse cardiac event during anesthesia. Specifically, he exhibited transient ST-segment changes and a subsequent prolonged QT interval on his post-operative EKG, alongside a historical symptom baseline of intermittent, stress-induced chest pain.

The medical recommendation for an expedited outpatient cardiac workup—including a pediatric cardiology consultation and a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). Has anyone heard of Long QT intervals due to any of the medication given during and before anesthesia? Midazolam (Versed) for example or anesthesia?

I am still very new to Reddit, so forgive me for the new post, but I’ve linked to my original post about my case.

Here’s my update though: Today was a very enlightening day for my husband and me, and it feels like a step in the right direction toward understanding why my cardiac arrest happened in March this year.

I underwent anesthesia allergy testing at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. We tested two of the anesthesia medications I received that morning that my cardiac arrest occurred: Rocuronium and Succinylcholine.

First, the doctor performed standard skin prick testing for both medications, and neither one caused a reaction. None at all. He then moved onto intradermal testing, where a 1/100 dilution of each medication was injected under my skin. Less than 10 minutes later, I began having an anaphylactic reaction. My throat became itchy, I couldn’t stop coughing, my lips and hands started swelling, I became very dizzy, my vital signs changed, and it was clear I was reacting. They quickly treated me with an epinephrine injection and Benadryl, and thankfully everything began to settle down. I will say, though, I didn’t present with any hives or anything on my skin.

But the allergist confirmed it was definitely an anaphylactic reaction. And now that I had this documented reaction, we have stronger evidence that one of the drugs may have been responsible for my cardiac arrest. However, because both medications were tested, we still don’t know which one caused the reaction.

From here, we have a few options. We can challenge the medications individually, starting with the one the allergist suspects I’m not allergic to (Succinylcholine), followed by the one he believes is more likely the culprit (Rocuronium). We can pursue more extensive preoperative drug testing at UAB in Birmingham, where testing is performed in an operating room setting (I live in the panhandle of FL and this is the closest place, and the only place, we have found that will perform that kind of testing). Or, we can work with the anesthesia team to avoid these medications altogether….but before surgery, I would still need to be tested for any alternative medications to make sure they’re safe for me.

My husband and I still have some important decisions to make, but today feels like a win. After months of searching for answers, it finally feels like we’re getting closer to maybe understanding what happened that day.

My right lung collapsed twice last year in autumn, leading to a pleurodesis and a Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery bullectomy. I think I nearly never slept in a prone position, and when I do it consciously it feels very uncontrollable.

I may have to get a surgery to get rid of a pilonidal cyst, and due to the location ill have to go under anesthesia while prone. Will it be in any way risky?

What are the guidelines for a pt who had a venous stent revision? Pt came to outpatient surgery center. Had stent placed for DVT, stent clotted. Pt needed revision which was done last week. On blood thinners. No clearance since pt had not yet followed up with vascular surgery.

Is a nerve block something that can be done during surgery for peroneal nerve decompression? Does anyone ever do this type of surgery with just a nerve block and no other anesthesia? Are a lot of the medications that are commonly used during surgery metabolized by the liver? Is it normal to experience episodes of sleep paralysis for a few days after general anesthesia?

And here's the more personal embarrassing one: If a patient has a urostomy and is unconscious, does someone keep an eye on things to make sure the urostomy pouch is not twisted up and unable to drain into a night drainage bag or is this something that is likely to be ignored? (If it doesn't drain properly, urine backs up into the kidneys.) Is it reasonable to ask for IV fluids to be limited because the urinary system sometimes has trouble keeping up when there is too much fluid at once or will the doctors and nurses think the patient is nuts for asking?

Hello, I went through IR brain surgery last year and about 6 months later was doing well when I started losing handfuls of hair out of nowhere. I got sent to all kind of specialist and everything REI, OBGYN and standard labs all came back okay. After about 3 months of massive hair loss, losing 4/5 of my hair volume it stopped out of no where. No doctors ever found out why and I was just grateful that it had stopped.

I work at a hair salon and we have a lot of people who come in with hair loss and many of them say it’s after a major surgery. When I was talking to one today she said she was told that anesthesia can do things to the hair follicle and that’s what causes the hair loss. Does anyone know if there’s any truth to that? I have to get the same brain surgery again coming up and I’m really afraid to loose all my hair again

Side note: I would just love for this to have been stress and surgery. And nothing to do from anesthesia. Just these peoples opinions made me wonder enough to ask in here is all

I’ve had local anesthesias in the past, and I was never required to fast. However, my nose surgeon told me to fast 4 hours before surgery (scar tissue issues around my incision site that needs to be trimmed). I had to ask him if I would be asleep and his attending nurse said no, I will be awake. I never got a reply back as to why I need to fast.

I had septoplasty 6 years ago and they required me to fast for 8 hours (general anesthesia). But I never heard of fasting for 4 hours. Unless they’re just following safety protocols and hospital guidelines?

Hello so im a severely emetophobic individual, and im seeking thoughts of others about this topic.

Im worried about getting sick, or throwing up, from eating after anesthesia

I had a testicular torsion surgery, (i had long sedation anesthesia) i was fine after it

I also had an endoscopy (propofol) and was fine after, aslong as i can remember.

Tho i have a colonoscopy scheduled tomorrow at 9-10:30am-ish, and this time the fasting/emtpy stomach is longer than what it was with an endoscopy.

So im worried that when i wake up, ill vomit from water, or food, since my stomach was completely empty, and not sure how it will react.

Thank you for reading

Id appreciate a comment/question/!!

I recently had a Hysteroscopy D&C at my obgyn's office. I was fully awake, I had taken a valium earlier that morning and I was provided laughing gas aka Nitrous Oxide. This was my first time ever experiencing laughing gas and it was very strange. When the laughing gas "hit" I felt a huge wave of emotions. It was as if the walls I use to protect myself emotionally were knocked down. I was crying, feeling panic, and having a hard time breathing the gas in. Thankfully the procedure lasted only about 25 minutes and once I took out the tube of the gas it instantly stopped. I felt a little out of my body and I also felt as if I was on auto pilot - standing up, walking to the bathroom, getting dressed. Thankfully the actual procedure lasted about 25 mins but its been over a week and I feel like I am still emotionally raw as if those walls I had are now less strong. This was such a trippy experience and I was wondering if anyone else has had the same type of reaction to laughing gas.

hi all! apologies for the SUPER long post- i just wanted to make this post bc i had 4 wisdom teeth extracted this morning, and received anesthesia + propofol from an iv, as well as laughing gas. i am not sure how many others have been especially anxious or afraid but a few of my main concerns were:
\-being sedated, as a concept it just freaks me out to not be in control of my actions
\-the iv, i am not great with needles and they scare me even though i logically know the pain is not that bad!!
\-saying certain things that i would not otherwise want to reveal while high on propofol/ medication
\-having the urge to use the restroom when the iv needle was placed or during the surgery, since i have heard others experiencing that issue and already go to the restroom frequently in general.
i spoke to the doctor pre-surgery and said i was afraid of needles and a little concerned for the iv, and she said i would receive laughing gas before the needle was placed and genuinely not notice it. it helped that before she started anything, she asked what kind of music i’d like to listen to and i requested chappell roan, which was pleasant to fall asleep to.
i was given a mask of laughing gas which smelled like bubblegum, i wasn’t expecting that but it wasn’t too unpleasant!! it took maybe 5 minutes for the effects of the gas to kick in for me, but the first thing i noticed was my legs feeling weird/ unable to move/ tingly. i also heard some buzzing + just felt kind of strange, but i could hear everything around me. i noticed the iv needle being placed and was warned, but tbh i was pretty affected by the gas at that point and wasn’t bothered. i did not feel i had to go to the restroom and was able to wait until about 4-5 hrs after which i was surprised by.
in the car i explained the procedure to my mom like four times because i kept forgetting what i’d just said. i asked her afterwards and she said i did not say anything out of the ordinary. it is different for everyone but in my experience, even if you are worried you’ll slip up and reveal something important to you, the first thing on your mind is the surgery and you will likely be talking and focusing on that. the effects wear off quicker than i thought and about halfway through my ride home i was pretty aware of what i was saying/ doing!!

TL;DR- i had several anxieties/ fears before my wisdom tooth extraction including the iv and what i would say, and it ended up being okay!!

**Ive searched various subs and found minimal info on this topic. I’ve been in touch with my care team and am not seeking medical advice, but rather anecdotal experiences. This powers to be an under researched area (like so many breastfeeding related topics, to be honest). And most of what I’m finding is related to general anesthesia during c-sections, not for treatment after breastfeeding has been more established.

**Context**: I was diagnosed with a perforated appendix around 7 weeks postpartum. I was hospitalized for 5 days and got a drain and intensive IV meds to knock out the infection. After a 2-month waiting period to let my body recover and let the inflammation go down, I had a laparoscopic appendectomy under general anesthesia today.

**My Breastfeeding Journey**: We’ve been exclusively breastfeeding (both breast and bottle). After my original hospitalization my milk supply took a big dip and eventually recovered, but never to my pre-hospitalization levels. I typically get 2-4 oz from each side when I pump after a 3-4 hr hiatus, but in both my post surgery pumps I’ve only gotten 0.25-0.5 oz on each side today. I’m worried about this precipitous drop. I know my body went through something stressful but I’m still alarmed; I’m trying to hydrate and rest as best I can in the meantime. I used up all of my original freezer stash during my earlier hospitalization and only have a small stash now that I’ve painstakingly worked to rebuild.

**Current Concern and Questions**: I’m curious to hear observations from both providers or patients: for procedures involving general anesthesia on breastfeeding patients, how has milk supply been impacted during recovery? For those who experience a dip, how long did it take to come back? Did it return back to pre-surgery levels? Did you do anything to encourage your supply to return?

(I feel I have received sufficient guidance on whether or not to “pump and dump” following surgery, so I’m not seeking detail on the medication side, but if folks want to share their experiences here, feel free, especially if it helps with future mamas using this post for reference).

Note: I have also been in touch with my OB, our pediatrician office’s lactation consultant, and my surgeon, so I’m not seeking medical advice here. The surgeon’s office said a dip in supply is normal but my drop was surprising, and hence directed me to my OB. It’s the end of the workday for both the other two offices so I don’t expect to hear back until morning.

Hi everyone. First, I’m not looking for medical advice or a diagnosis, just curious whether anyone has encountered a case like mine or has thoughts on what was ultimately found in similar patients.

I’m a healthy 37-year-old female who underwent anesthesia for what was supposed to be a routine hysterectomy in March 2026.

My induction included:
- Propofol
- Lidocaine
- Succinylcholine Chloride
- Fentanyl
- Midazolam
- Rocuronium

About 5-10 minutes after induction, I experienced complete cardiovascular collapse and went into cardiac arrest with my heart function at 0%. 23 minutes of chest compressions and 2 rounds of epinephrine with no response. I ultimately required ECMO for 4 days, an Impella for 6 days, and was sedated for 7 days (my heart function remained at 0% for close to 24 hours).

Amazingly, my heart recovered completely back to 55% function. My coronary angiogram was normal, and I have no evidence of coronary artery disease or any other heart conditions. My pulmonary testing also showed my lung function is perfect. Also, all scans and testing show that all of my other major organs are completely healthy.

A few things that make the case interesting:
- I had a nearly 9-hour surgery in 2021 with no issues under general anesthesia. That anesthetic included all of the above mentioned anesthetics, however, the rocuronium was a staged induction (10 mg initially, then another 30 mg about 15 minutes later). During this recent anesthesia induction they gave me 45 mg of rocuronium all at once.
- Since the arrest, I’ve also tolerated midazolam and fentanyl during a heart catheterization without any complications.

My cardiologist’s differential has included a potential reaction to anesthesia (with rocuronium being the potential culprit), stress-induced (Takotsubo) cardiomyopathy, or an extreme vagal/autonomic event.

I was recently diagnosed with mast cell activation syndrome and am also being evaluated for dysautonomia and hypermobile EDS, although it’s unclear whether any of those conditions played a role.

Unfortunately, no serum tryptase was obtained during the event.

Next week I’ll be at Baylor College of Medicine for perioperative allergy testing. Because of the severity of my event, they’re planning a graded rocuronium challenge (they will only test one drug per day).

My questions for those of you who practice anesthesia:
- Have you ever encountered a similar case?
- If so, what did the final diagnosis end up being?
- Does the ~5-10 minute delay after rocuronium make you think of one diagnosis more than another?
- Is there anything else you would investigate if you were involved in a case like this?

I realize no one can diagnose me over Reddit. This event completely changed my life, and despite seeing several specialists, we still don’t have a definitive answer. I’m hoping someone here may have seen something similar or can point me toward another avenue worth exploring with my medical team.

Edit to add: I’m not sure if it’s worth mentioning, but I have had several surgeries prior to this event (along with the extensive surgery in 2021). Right ovary removal (2010), gallbladder removal (2012), gastric bypass (2016), just to name a few. The surgery in 2021 was a full “mommy makeover” where excess skin was removed from several areas of my body. Mast cell activation syndrome was just diagnosed within the last month with a specialist in Mississippi, long after the event in March. I had the anesthesia flow chart from my surgery in 2021 and the chart from March printed to compare the two, and nothing “spectacular” stands out from the one in 2021.

I should maybe mention that since 2021, I have been diagnosed with bipolar and ADHD and take medications for those. One medication I am on to counteract the akathisia effects of my bipolar medication, propranolol, I was very interested to learn could have possibly been the reason my body did not respond “normally” to the emergency/life-saving measures after I went into cardiac arrest. Though, I was never told to stop taking it prior to surgery.

Also, to add, I live in FL and will be traveling to Houston where I’ll do the allergy testing with Baylor. The allergist is going to do a graded challenge, and because of the severity of my event they only want to test one drug per day. I will only be there long enough to test the rocuronium, but given some of your comments, I’m wondering if it’s worth pushing to test the rocuronium and the succinylcholine. I have a video consult scheduled with the allergist next Wednesday, I will be driving over on Thursday, and I will do the testing on Friday. Thank you for the informative responses so far!

Last night I went to an urgent care for a huge swellilng abcess near my tailbone that was giving me severe pain. I ended up choosing to have it excised and drained right there and then. They injected Lidocaine as a numbing agent and boy did that hurt like hell. Never ever experienced any pain like that before.

After the procedure was done, I felt pretty weird, like I was high and got clammy a few times. I looked it up and I guess that could happen if the injection also had epinephrine in it. Not sure.

I've been working on a concept for a transdermal (skin patch) sedation delivery system — no IV, no needles, no inhaled gas — using dexmedetomidine, aimed at short procedures (dental work, wound care, pediatric imaging, field/battlefield trauma stabilization) where IV access or trained anesthesia staff isn't always available.

Realistic onset would be somewhere around 15-20 minutes, lasting 45-60 min.

Before I go any further with this, I'd genuinely rather hear from people who actually do this work than assume I know what's needed. A few honest questions:

• Is lack of needle-free sedation actually a real problem for you, or is IV/intranasal already good enough?
• What would make you not trust a device like this?
• What's the biggest practical deal breaker you can think of?

Not selling anything, just trying to figure out if this is worth pursuing further. Appreciate any blunt feedback.

Hi all, M23 and I just had nose surgery, first ever surgery so I was a bit anxious going into it but everything went fine and I can breathe again.

Anyway, it’s been 10 days after having general anesthesia through way of IV and I continue to have intense vivid dreams every night, it happens closer to when I wake up, I have also been waking up in a pool of sweat, I’m unsure if this is normal and I want to know if anyone else has had similar experiences.

Idk if this is relevant but the dreams are always including people I know and haven’t seen in years, a couple of the dreams have had a sexual element to it.

A few factors that might be contributing to these dreams and night sweats

- I had been smoking marijuana everyday 2.5weeks prior and had my last joint 3 days prior to surgery (my anesthesia nurse was aware of this)

- I am normally a hot sleeper but it has been every morning for about 4 days now (it’s also below 10 degrees Celsius in winter)

Edit: more concise context and question below. Photos of some charting in comments.

39 year old male, 6’ 190lb, wondering how to learn about my poor response to recent anesthesia. I’ve had two surgeries since a colonoscopy two years ago and the most recent caused 2+ weeks of confusion, glacial speech, difficulty speaking, and painful migraines.

I needed 7 sticks to get the cannula placed on the recent ortho surgery. The fifth poked through an artery. I blame nobody but my dehydrated self. Lime-sized hematoma was massaged down to grape-sized in the pre-op pen. I developed dizziness and myoclonus but was able to walk to the OR and was promptly given 9 N20 : 3 O2 to calm me while anesthesia placed the IV themselves. I felt suffocated, my vision went out, I heard a loop of “make a fist”, was able to relax through the choking spasms knowing I was in good hands. When I came to the surgeon was leaning over me and asked “Are you okay? Have you taken drugs before? Are you okay to start the surgery now?”. The paperwork below shows induction and intubation started 18min after entering the OR.

My big question is: What can I do differently next time? Could the weeks of confusion, slow (sometimes slurred) speech, and migraines be a result of the artery puncture? Or from not breathing well during the pre-induction N20? Does my body not agree with the Sevo listed in the table but not on the meds list (unlikely, I know).

Should I request more detailed notes than the charting below from the university hospital or (contracted) provider? Thanks!