Aspergers and surgery...

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Ok, so it looks like in the near future I am going to have orthoscopic surgery for my knee. It is an old chronic injury (medial miniscus tear) that I finally found somebody who will actually look at it. Previously I have been told that physical therapy would fix everything (yeah right).

Anyways, my concern is that normally getting scoped is a local anesthetic is typically used. Personally, I want to be OUT. I have never had a local for any real surgery before, and don't know if I am up to it. Both for sensitivity (I never seem to get fully "numbed" at the dentists) and for anxiety.

I had my tonsils out with a general as a kid, and aside from feeling sick, I could do that.

Is this something I can ask for? What do you think?

I had to have surgery on my hand a few years ago when I fell and broke three fingers. I was terrified...I never had any kind of surgery before. But I was out for the whole process, and don't remember a thing! I don't know that I could go through surgery awake. Did they tell you that a local was your only option?

If you have a diagnosis of AS (or any other PDD for that matter), I would diiscuss that with the surgeon prior to surgery. The biggest problem can be that certain drugs used to numb pain may have a different effect on those on the spectrum and as such, should be noted prior to surgery.

I know I couldn't handle being conscious during surgery. That would scare me to all ends. Anachronism, ditto on Cindy: definitely ask if local anesthetic is your only option. Stress the amount of anxiety this would give you and hence make surgery unpredictable if you are not out.

And ditto on ljbouchard as well.

Most MDs will let you have general anesthesia if you ask for it...provided that you are young and in good health. I had hernia surgery a few years ago and I specifically asked for general as opposed to local..talk to your Dr. Also...take whatever pain killers they give you afterward, they do make things eaiser

Because of my autism it is usually the surgeon who insists that I am better off out for even things they routinely do with the person awake. I don't know what they think will happen if I am awake but because it has gotten me out of some unpleasant experiences I don't mind too much. If you don't think you can handle being awake you should say so.

I would be afraid to be under for major surgery. Too many stories of people becoming conscious in the middle of surgery and not beiong able to move, or talk to let anyone know. One woman woke up during surgery and experienced her eye being removed. She heard the doctor telling someone you have to pull really hard to get the eyeball out and that it was extremely painful.

I have had locals for different things and the worst part has always been getting the local itself. The shots can be extremely painful (feels like they are trying to drill into yout bones). They will ask a lot of questions to try to determine which type of anesthesia is best for you. Once the shots are done they will test you to make sure the local is working. The will poke you with things, or scratch the area and ask you what you feel when they do it. If you feel anything at all, they will give you more. They won't do the surgery until they are sure that you are numb.

I was put out under general anaesthesia for my arthroscopy to clear our some cartilage and all that was damaged due to my advanced osteoarthritis. They should allow you to go under general as well as offer an option for an anti-nausea medication if you have a history of issues with nausea/vomitting post-op.

I've been through a T&A (Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy under general) at 9 yrs old, UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization which is similiar to an angioplasty only they go in through the arteries in the legs with a catheter and all and move it through to the uterus to treat the fibroid - sedated) at 26 yrs old, Septoplasty (Nasal Surgery for deviated septum under general) at 28 yrs old, 2 C-Sections (one emergency at 27 yrs old with spinal block with oldest son and one planned at 29 yrs old with youngest son with spinal block, they did a Tubal Ligation at the same time after Brendon was brought out, felt the whole darn thing as the spinal block didn't cover that high) and an Arthroscopy at 30 yrs yrs old under general.

All I can recommend is if you're nervous about local, don't be afraid to find out more about general anaesthesia and make sure you have a good idea of your family medical history as they'll use it to make sure it's the best option as there are some families with bleeding disorders they may not be aware of that could cause issues.

I opt for general for most things myself. I've finally gotten used to dental stuff without sedation and such but anything surgical that I can watch bothers me and I'd have problems with.

My oldest son (4 1/2 on August 7th) had his T&A done in Nov. 2004 and recently had dental work under general back in May and we were told that it'd likely be better to stick with day surgery option for his dental work so he'd be under general. It makes me nervous more with him than it does me but I always insist if I need surgery or he needs surgery that we both receive some form of anti-nausea med. I have issues with throwing up for 12+ hours after surgery. It's not fun.

I have had doctors give me small toys to play with so that I would not be tempted to watch them taking blood, which can make me pass out. I usually just stare at the tecture of the wall, or squeeze my eyes shut. I get fascinated by seeing what tools a doctor is using to do certain things, so if I can't see the blood, but can see the doctor selecting tools and stuff then I am just fine.

I've had blood drawn so many times stuff like that doesn't bother me anymore, its just the more complicated stuff like having an arthroscopy or such done under local that would bother me. I've had a bone marrow aspiration under local at 19 yrs old and that was hard enough.

I just had an operation in October last year to have something called a deviated septum fixed in my nose. It's a very common thing to have done. My father thinks that when I was a kid I was running with a pencil and it went up inside my nose and damaged it.

My nose had always been swollen inside, and I always had trouble breathing through my nose. During the surgery, the doctor straightened a bit of my cartilage and removed the pollups that were caused my the swelling that occured during my life.

It was a pretty painful surgery, but it's common too.

As for the blood being drawn, I wouldn't have a problem seen the blood come out, just the sight of this needle going into my skin!

I've had four surgeries in the last five years, two of them major, I was out for all four, its nothing.

Let them put you out and let THEM worry.


Its not that big a deal. They put a needle in your arm, it burns a bit, "like sunburn for about 20 seconds", and BOOM the lights go out.

The only way to fly!

Its the always the recovery part that sucks.

Yeah, but the problem is when you wake up. That part sucks big time. I puked everywhere when I woke up after implantation (for my CI) and I felt like sh*t for days afterwards. the general stuff can really clobber you for a while.

Hence the last part of my statement about waking up.

I never threw up, but I went to good hospitals and I got ice chips, sucking on ice chips can keep you from being sick.

I've had eye surgery when I was was a tot because of strubismis. But I don't know anything about it because I was little. Only thing I knew about was being in the baby and toddler patient rooms, crying my butt off all night.


The only surgery I did have (which I remember) was oral surgery to yank out my wisdom teeth, under general anesthesia. It was what, an hour or so. I still was dazed and didn't really have the ability to walk on my own for another hour or so... to my own bed. The pre-op pill that I took a few minutes before I arrived at the clinic, whew! Talk about quick. I don't if I was doing it on purpose but I couldn't walk to the chair.

How about dental fillings? That's considered surgery, dental surgery. Does anyone have a reaction to novicaine? I know that newer methods like lasers, and sandblasting make novicaine an option, depending on the patient's needs. I didn't need it, but sometimes I should've asked for it. The only time i had to be numbed was for between-the-teeth cavities which requires the use of the drill.

Though it wears off, it feels like I have a facial paralysis for a while. Almost like a mild, mild case of Bells Palsy or something. It's irritating and sometimes I feel sore later. As if a needle keeps hitting me on the cheek, or the pain from the drill still linger.

Talk to the anesthesatist about this. Local anesthesia is usually combined with relaxants and amnesiacs so that you are pretty much out of it -- which is why someone has to drive you home


I've had locals twice - both times I have no memory of pain, what happened, etc. They did give me something for anxiety to take that am so long as someone else drove me in.

In the USA odds are about 80% that I helped degin whatever anesthesia equipment/monitoring they use on you.