Not sure where to post this one, so i'll post here...
Has anyone had a general whilst being obese?. I am meant to have an operation that I was meant to have last year and can't put off any longer. I am quite worried about the increased risks of having a general and being very overweight. I am now working my butt off to get down to a bmi of 34 to be reached in 8 weeks time. Below a bmi of 35 the risks are decreased significantly but above 35, you have 4 times more risk factors.
I guess my biggest fear is death. I have never had anaesthetic while overweight and I have never had a general. I also have gene abnormalities which make me extremely sensitive and in some cases allergic to all medications and drugs. My specialist has been very unhelpful and didn't even tell me the risks involved, it was only through my own investigations and speaking to my usual doctor about it that I discovered it. Which I think is really bad.
I have had 3 D&Cs in the last 9 months for endometrial cancer. BMI was over 50 for the first one and that was my first time ever being put under in my life. BMI was over 40 for the 2nd and just under 40 for the last.
I had no complications (knock on wood!) and everything went smoothly going under and coming out.
i was under general anesthetic once to have all 4 wisdom teeth taken out at the same time....i was at least 240 if not heavier and it went just fine...that's the only time i've been under anesthetic in my life
however i've also had dental anesthetic for root canals etc, as well as two epidurals for childbirths and those have all gone well also
Like alaskanlaughter, I was put under to have all my wisdom teeth out a few years ago. I was in the 270-280 range and no one even suggested it might be an issue, and luckily it wasn't.
I will add too that the anesthesiologist (sp.?) takes the weight part very seriously and obviously they should.
The last time I had surgery, all of the nurses kept congratulating me on my weightloss and I had never met these women before. Apparently in my chart, in big black marker in multiple places, it was noted everywhere that I had recently lost 100+ pounds since my diagnosis 7 months prior.
I'm assuming my meds had to be adjusted since I had lost about 33% of my original weight.
I guess the good thing (not really but...) is the anesthesiologists have a lot of experience with heavier patients. And...in my case, the risks of not having the surgery were far more serious than the risks of having anesthesia while obese.
I had surgery in January and was considered morbidly obsese. It was an elective surgery and at the Mayo Clinic (reputable place) and a doctor who I totally totally trust. She was very clear that anesthesia has risks and that it wouldn't be normal for me to not be scared, BUT she didn't think I was taking much extra unnecessary risk by being overweight given I was relatively healthy. There are risks of anestheisa but I looked into it to try to appease my fear and it does seem that a majority of cases of things going wrong happen when they don't follow best practice procedures. If you are at a reputable place and trust the anesthesiologist - I think you iwll feel better. My MD made me feel better by reminding me that she would also be in the room with me the whole time.
If you are scared, I think you should find out who your anesthesiologist would be and have a consult with him/her prior to the surgery. The fact that you have some sensitivities is more concerning to me than you being overweight. I think its reasonable for you to ask to consult with either the anesthesiologist who will be treating you or at least one of the anesthesiologist in the group of anesthesiologists that treat people at that facility.
I had two surgeries under general with a BMI well over yours. Had weird symptoms for about an hour after coming to both times, but no idea if they were related to weight at all, as I hadn't been under general since I was 4 years old, so nothing really to compare it to. They were discomfort sort of things, not life threatening....nausea & uncontrollable shivering primarily.
Both surgeries were for ankle fractures and while they did do an ekg before clearing me, no one really said anything about there being any abnormal danger. They did advocate doing a nerve block instead of general the second time around, on the grounds that recovery is easier, but they couldn't get it to take, so had to do general.
Last edited by 200poundquest; 04-02-2013 at 11:38 PM.
Also, if this helps - think about all the very old and sickly people who have general anesthesia and surgery. It is very rare for something to happen these days. Yes there are risks, but you are going in knowing two very important risk factors that they can deal with: Obesity and your genetic issues. I can't stress this enough -but consult with the anesthesiologist ahead of time (or any anesthesiologist - even if not specifically yours). Find out what your drug sensitivities mean in terms of anesthesia and its risks.
When I went, they have so many safe guards in place everyone on the anesthesiology team (from the doctor, to the pre-op nurse, the op nurse and the aid) had to ask me the same questions - I was relieved for the conscientiousness but it actually got annoying ("Any lose teeth?" "What allergies" Ever been diagnosed with sleep apnea?) An anesthesiologists only job is to pretty much keep you safe - that is all he does during surgery is monitor you - so really, I think you have nothing to worry about. The moment anything seems like it may be going wrong, an anesthesiologist will wake you up. And my understanding is that one of the worst "bad things" that can happen besides the very rare death (and lets be honest, your risks of death are probably higher driving on the highway on the way to surgery) is that some people have abnormalities where they don't metabolize the drugs well - these people can get stuck under for 24 hours or so - if that happens, they just wait and monitor you the whole time. You still wake up - just a day later. This is also very rare. My family friend who is a surgeon has only seen it once in his entire career.
Last edited by mandypandy2246; 04-03-2013 at 12:22 AM.
My bmi is 30.7 and my doctor said 'well at least you aren't pregnant' when I asked him if my high BMI would effect my surgery XD He said a bit more weight off would be the best thing I could do before the surgery , the more the better in reality, but that he'd operated on people more than twice my size and pregnant too so he said I'd be fine. Like people here have said the risks are higher but a good doctor is your best bet.
I had two surgeries under general with a BMI well over yours. Had weird symptoms for about an hour after coming to both times, but no idea if they were related to weight at all, as I hadn't been under general since I was 4 years old, so nothing really to compare it to. They were discomfort sort of things, not life threatening....nausea & uncontrollable shivering primarily.
This is normal and not related to weight. I don't react well to generals and experience this as well at different weights. For me it lasts for most of the day and I will puke without fail about 30 minutes after I wake up. I had a nurse tell me it's the gas/oxygen mixture they use while you're under that people get nauseaus from.
There are a few levels of anasthetic and it is highly unusual (from what I've heard) to get a "general" for wisdom teeth removal. Usually that's what they call conscious sedation which I believe is a different drug(s). General requires intibation, conscious sedation does not.
General anaesthetic and the risks with a high BMI
My friend was morbidly obese and she was put out a few times without a problem.
