Do you remember being intubated?

Sweetie - explain your fear to the anesthesiologist and they'll also order you some Valium or something to calm your nerves.  You won't remember anything - I remember kissing my husband good bye, I don't even remember the counting part.

You're not alone in this - trust me - and if you tell them, they'll make sure you have what you need to get through it.

Thanks God for Versed - I've said it before - I want to kiss whomever invented this drug.

Nikki the Pirate Queen

Once they give you the happy shot...you won't feel a thing. You'll go night night, and wake up in your room. I don't remember a thing except my mom saying that she and my dad were gonna go home so I could sleep. I had no pain either. What you see on TV is meant to be dramatic. Don't worry, and Good Luck!

When I had my gall bladder removed 4 years ago, I woke up with the tube still in.  So, I do have that fear of it happening again.  I have my surgery tomorrow and am going to let the anesthesiologist know what had happened the last surgery.  It wasn't painful when they took it out, but it sure scared me when I woke up.

I myself had the same intubation issues and concerns....when I met with my anesthesiologist last week she said basically that general anesthesia is 3 medicines in combination....these are by no means clinical definitions, but regular terminology...

1) paralyzes everything so that it doesn't move (aka respiration, hence that is why you need help breathing and and need to intubated) this makes surgery for the doctor easier. 
2) pain medication and this is what makes you not feel a thing, which is what we want as well
3) an amnesiatic medicine so this way you won't remember anything even if you were to hear something.

Also, as they start to wake your body up, and they see that you are beginning to breathe on your own they remove the tubes....again, you still have the amnesia drug in your system....remember they do this A LOT and not just for WLS....so they know when the right times are....

Surprisingly after the discussion with the anesthesiologist I am not as paranoid....

Good luck...

Four surgical procedures and I have NO memory of any tubes being inserted or removed.
I think it's supposed to be that way.... the medications via IV and the "gas" you breathe in through the mask.
Some things you just DON'T want to remember... and all for good reason.
Relax... breathe in the good gasses the doc gives you.

I remember absolutely nothing. I had all the tubes and everything but they were all gone when I woke up. My anesthesiologist did his job well.

I have had 3 major surgeries in the past 18 months, 2 were planned, one was emergency!   For the planned surgeries, I remember nothing after they ask me to get on the operating table, I remember moving over and nothing till I wake in my room.

The middle surgery (emergency) I was awake during intubation.  They said they didn't want to take a chance on putting me to sleep before intubation because of my condition 


It was almost the worst thing that ever happened to me!   I don't ever want to go through that again!   But I did survive it, even with my super sensitive gag reflex

My gastric bypass surgery was my 3rd surgery and out of all of those do I remember being intubated.  I awoke and felt a little pain in the back of my throat but I was out cold when they put that in me and also was still out cold when it came out. 

Good Luck and there really is nothing to worry about with that.

Rahsheeda

From someone who has had both sedated and unsedated intubation extraction - it's not as horrible as it looks. The sounds you hear are the tube coming out (sounds like a sucking gagging sound right?). The worst part is when they do hit the gag reflex but it's out like right after so it's not like it lingers there. I had an unsedated extraction back in 2005 after the birth of my daughter and actually woke up with the tube in my mouth the next day (this was after a very traumatic and rare complication that almost killed me the night before) so I didn't even know what the hell was happening. I just was looking around and went "Hmm I have a tube in my mouth" - it's actually comical to me now. Anyway - even being out of it and super sick the intubation coming out wasn't horrendous. The only bad thing was the pain afterwards but that's because they had to force it down my throat (not like the gentle way they do it with planned surgery). With my RNY - I didn't remember anything and it was out before I awoke.

You'll be fine. The only reason I can think of people needing the intubation tube in longer is if they're having breathing issues from SSMO? I don't know but that's the only reason I could think you'd need to keep the tube in until you awoke.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery!

I had/have absolutely no recollection of the intubation.  I remember being wheeled into the OR and the fact that it was cold.  I remember a nurse telling me they would get me a nice warm blanket and someone handing her a blanket, and then nothing.  I remember being told in recovery that I would be taken to my room in a little while and then waking up in my room with my family around me.  So no real memories of any pain or intubation or even the aneasthetic!
Dawn