If you require that your breathing be taken over or assisted, you may require some sort of device to help you breathe - a breathing tube, a mask, or similar devices. A monitor is used with these devices to make sure the devices are in the right place and working correctly.

The anesthesiologist is also responsible for giving you fluids and keeping track of all the fluids that go into your body and out of your body. This is important to maintain the proper balance that your body needs to function correctly.

How about when I wake up?
Many patients are more afraid of the time after the surgery than the time actually spent in surgery. This is because of problems such as nausea, vomiting, pain , etc. Again, newer drugs have made these problems much less of an issue - but they still do occur in some patients.

At the completion of surgery and anesthesia you will continue to be monitored and you will have hospital staff watching you closely. If you are having problems of any kind, be sure to let your doctors and nurses know - there are medications that we can give to help with many problems... and nobody wants you to feel bad or to be in pain!

So, you are telling me not to worry?
Please don't get the wrong conclusion - I am not saying that anesthesia and surgery are risk free. Even once you know more information it is normal to have some anxiety about surgery and anesthesia. There is a difference, however, between normal anxiety about a small amount of risk undertaken to achieve a great benefit and being terrified of an unknown risk that has not been properly considered. I hope this article, along with a talk with your doctors, has helped put you in the first category.

Most people obviously do not find the process of anesthesia and surgery to be a pleasant one. However, anesthesia has come a long way and it is important for you to realize that it can be a safe experience with primary focus on your well-being and comfort. Everyone responds differently - and some people have a harder time than others. However, knowing what to expect, receiving answers to your questions, having your concerns and fears addressed, and gaining trust in your doctors and nurses will play a large part in making your anesthesia and surgery a successful event.