Posted , 6 users are following.
Am I wrong to intend to demand general anesthesia, and somehow expecting to be rebuffed? I do not want to witness a needle going into my eye or anywhere near my eye.
I do not believe for a NY minute that all you feel is a "little pressure" !
Any thoughts? Thank you!!!!!!
0 likes, 14 replies
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rwbil mary28814
Posted
Its been awhile since my cataract surgery and I am not sure what type of anesthesia I was given, but I don't remember seeing a needle going into my eye.
RonAKA mary28814
Edited
As I understand it the common method is to use an IV and give you a sedative that kind of puts you out of it, but not totally unconscious. It may be fentanyl. That is the method I had, and it was a very easy procedure - totally painless. Others do not take the sedative and just go with the topical freezing they put in your eye. My surgeon recommended against that method. I have not heard of a full general. Keep in mind there are risks to that. I recently had a bronchoscopy with a general. They used a muscle relaxant drug in addition. I reacted badly to the drug and lost my ability to breathe. I was on a ventilator for 2.5 hours for a procedure that should have lasted 15 minutes. I now know what it would feel like to die from COVID. Not good!
Sue.An2 mary28814
Edited
Cataract surgery does not require general anesthesia.you will not see the needle enter your eye. Prior to surgery drops are put in to dilate the pupil so things are pretty blurry anyways. Then eye numbing drips are poured in so you won't feel anything. If you are anxious they can give you an Ativan or some places put an IV in your arm to administer drugs to calm you.
It actually surprisingly not painful at all. A trip to the dentist to clean your teeth is worse. It is all over in under 10 mins.
soks Sue.An2
Edited
dental cleaning is not worse in my opinion.
Sue.An2 soks
Edited
Definitely it was for me. Absolutely dread getting my teeth cleaned.
RonAKA Sue.An2
Edited
On the dental scale of discomfort, I would also put cataract surgery somewhere in the category of getting your teeth cleaned. Cleaning takes longer. I have never looked forward to that. It depends on who is doing it. Lets just say some are rougher than others. I recently had a root canal, and there is no comparison to that procedure. Root canal takes much longer and is more painful. And I have another one scheduled for March. Ouch already.
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I can say that my cataract surgery was essentially painless. Slight pinch when getting the IV put in, but that was it. However, the next day was another story. When I got up and turned the lights on I had very significant pain in my eyes from the light and from my pupils either opening or closing. The dark glasses that I got in the kit helped a lot with the pain. It lasted about two days, and was fine after that. On the day of the operation I suspect the drops keeping my pupils dilated, and the freezing in my eye prevented the pain. However that wears off over night, and the wake up hello pain for me was the next day.
soks Sue.An2
Posted
you should go to a periodontist and have them clean with ultraviolet. that is so much better than the scraping.
soks RonAKA
Posted
i dont find root canal painful but the dental dam causes me to choke as i am a mouth breather. the tooth pain requiring a root canal is definitely painful.
Guest soks
Posted
Do you mean ultrasonic?
RonAKA soks
Posted
Actually the biggest pain of the root canal I had and the one I have upcoming is the bill! The dentist I was referred to by my regular dentist calls himself a microendodontics specialist. I think that roughly translates to big price tag dentist! He has fancy tools like a 3D xray machine that he can show you what the problem looks like from any direction and sliced anywhere he wants. The bill for the first tooth was $1500 of which my insurance paid half. The estimate for the second tooth (two roots) is $2400, and my insurance is now maxed out, so I pay the full shot. I think I could get my second cataract surgery for this amount! The first tooth took nearly 2 hours in total, and I am sure the second one will be more. That is mainly what I don't like about the root canal -- the time in the chair. Because of COVID I went 18 months with no dental care, and ended up with this backlog of issues. So far I have not had a lot of pain from the root issues. It has been controlled with two sets of antibiotics.
I would trade the root canal stuff for a cataract surgery in my second eye in a heartbeat. However in Canada access is limited until you get referred for the surgery and even then it is nearly a year wait time.
On the cleaning my technician uses ultrasonics to break up the plaque. However, I think they still get a kick out of picking away with those pick axe tools they have. The fluoride treatment is getting much better. I hated the goopy stuff on my teeth for what seemed like an eternity. That was replaced with a 1 minute swish treatment, and the last time I went, it was replaced with a wipe using what seemed like a Q-tip with I guess the fluoride on it. That is a big improvement.
Sue.An2 soks
Posted
h'mmm that foes sound better. Wonder if there are any here or if I need a referral and hopefully my insurance would cover.
Thanks going to look into that.
Sue.An2 RonAKA
Posted
My husband has had a couple of root canals. Haven't had that "pleasure " yet. But with age come more procedures - not something I look forward too.
I did not have an IV just the numbing drips and an Ativan. Odd how this varies person to person. I had no pain with first eye and a little irritation (like there was something in the eye like dust - symptom of dry eye). Things were too bright so sunglasses came in handy.
Sue.An2 RonAKA
Posted
i think i have similar insurance coverage as you at 50% up to a max per year.
My daughter's dental work
cost a fortune with expander and braces. Unfortunately premiums the same whether you have 1 kid or 6.
RonAKA Sue.An2
Posted
Ours is a Blue Cross Seniors C plan. It is pretty basic. We had a Cadillac Sun Life plan before I retired. That one covered just about anything.
jt1223 mary28814
Posted
Even if you don't get general, they will use a topical and then give you IV sedatives, and most people dont remember anything without being "put to sleep".