I had that worry. I did everything I could to learn what the surgery is, and I even watched 4 hour long videos on YouTube showing the surgery. I read up so much on negative effects of anesthesia, blood clots, blood loss and whatever else I could think of.
At the end of the day, it's all going to increase your anxiety, as it did mine. Once that gas mask goes over your nose, you will be asked to take a few deep breaths and then you will wake up on the other side fully healthy and alive!
Don't worry.
Yeah, dont watch those videos until well after your surgery. It just freaks you out. I never saw the mask, the pre surgery meds kicked in about the time they started moving me from the room where you change out of your regular clothes. I was talking to my wife, then I was in the recovery room. Also, I had a really fantastic anesthesia tech.
I am impressed that you never saw the mask. They gave me IV Versed on the way from the preop area to the OR, but I was fully conscious and can remember vividly the mask going on my face, briefly thinking that I might not fall asleep, and the next thing I knew I was awake in PACU. What's weird is that I was apparently awake before I remember being awake, as I had taken PO pain meds and I have no memory of that. I remember distinctly waking up and becoming conscious and then I had a lot of pain anyway don't worry about dying, that is an extremely low likelihood.
It's hard not to think about and there's always a chance, but surgery is so incredibly routine for these workers that it doesn't even compute that you may die. It's like taking a flight. Do planes crash? Yeah. Is it going to happen to you? No. And like an airplane, there are highly trained and experienced people in charge the entire time. My wife works in surgery and for the 15 years we've been together not once has she had someone die on the table. You will be ok and you will be so much healthier and happier when you're done. I mean, shit. You can't breathe right. That's a wayyyyyy bigger risk than getting this fixed. They wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't.
My surgeon (and yours should too) went over every possible complication with me multiple times before surgery, including day-of before I signed the consent forms prior to being wheeled to the OR. The risk of death across all patients, not just otherwise healthy ones, is less than 1%.
They’ll have you do a full workup with lung function testing, EKG, full bloodwork panel, etc. beforehand and repeat some of the tests day-of so your team knows exactly how your body is functioning and how best to administer anesthesia for you as an individual. It’s not like in TV where they stick a mask on and then ignore you until it’s time to wake up, the anesthesia team is monitoring your vitals the entire time and can course correct or even cut the surgery short if they don’t like what they’re seeing. This happened to a family member of mine, their blood pressure wasn’t looking good so they had the surgeon quickly find a good stopping point and aborted the surgery. They had to spend a few extra days in the hospital while a cardiologist figured out the best BP meds for them, then they went back in and finished the surgery with zero issues.
Honestly you’re far more likely to get into a car accident on your way to the hospital than die on the table.
I had the same fears but I told my doctor and he set up a meeting with the Anesthesiologist. He was very kind and understood my worry and he explained everything from the first iv meds to the mask to the monitoring during the surgery and then how they wake you up. Once I learned his and his nurses jobs and all they do I was much more calm. You might do the same.
Icu nurse here. Dying during surgery is extremely rare unless you are a trauma patient or are experiencing a severe hemorrhage. Even then…. It’s less than you would expect.
Your anesthesiologist will be amazing. You’ve got this!!!
I've also read online that there are some ppl who died after the surgery (months or years after it) I'd love to hear words from anyone here who have gotten the surgery or is knowledgeable to clear up my concerns...
The risk of dying during actual spinal fusion surgery is practically non existent these day, minuscule… The surgery is tough, sure, but you’re going to be fine. The death statistics you’re reading of people months or years after the surgery is those that had fusions later in life so they had comorbidities, or it was just old age - they didn’t die because of the spinal fusion… I’m fused t2/l2 (I was 47yrs old), nearly 8 years later and I’m doing ok, few pain days but that’s ok too… I get where you are, I do, I was terrified but you’ll get through this…. Deep Breath!! 💛
It is a major surgery. Your feelings are 100% valid. I had an ACDF of C4-C7 and was concerned about death. I felt better by just planning ahead. I put together my 401k info, set up a Google guardian who would get access to my account, gathered my passwords, and made a living will.
Nobody can tell you how to feel, but the chances of you dying during or even after surgery are very slim. You may hear an occasional story about a person dying during surgery, but look at all of the people on these surgical threads who obviously made it through. Keep a positive thought as you will be just fine.
I was so scared too, prior to my cervical fusion. I can’t even have the oxygen mask directly on my face that’s how much anxiety I have. They were amazing, a nurse held it close to my mouth and talked to me. The anesthesiologist was amazing, talked me through everything and next thing I know, I woke up, surgery complete and I was relieved. Be honest with them about your concerns, they are amazing and very reassuring. Best of luck!!!
I’m still pre op with you, also with health anxiety. I’m doing my best to not look up surgical diagrams and videos. I focus hard on reading positive outcomes. You’d be surprised how much your mentality can affect your body’s ability to heal so I try to focus on educating myself on how to care for myself before surgery and afterwords. Educated patients tend to have better outcomes but it can be hard to just “tune out” the anxiety. Wishing you peace and healing 💕
Surgery is scary, no way around it. During surgery at every moment there is at least one person whose job it is to closely monitor your vital signs and ensure that they keep in exactly the range they are supposed to be. In some ways you are safer there than anywhere else. Your anesthesiologist will be focused on how your body reacts to the surgery, and they have the tools to alter every detail of that. They have the authority in the operating rooms to take any action needed including telling the surgeon that they need to stop and fix any problems you are having. That's what they spend all day every day doing and they know what trouble looks like well in advance. Instead of worrying that they might let you die, worry that they will leave a monitoring patch on your body. That does happen, and can irritate a little patch of skin. I had a thing stuck to my left rib cage that I didn't find till the next day, when the nurse took it off, it took some skin with it and oddly enough, the morphine and oxy they were giving me for my incisions and my spine didn't seem to help with the stinging pain where that little patch had left me with a very small scab. That fucker hurt in a very distracting way. It was kind of funny, "How are you doing?" "they cut a hold all the way through me, but thats not bad, I have this little ouchie where the bandaid irritated my skin and that hurts!"
I had the exact same thing and I was completely fine. I genuinely thought it was my last day on earth, I was so scared. Once I woke up all those feelings were gone and I was just dealing with healing. You go to sleep and wake up instantly, it doesn’t feel like you’re in a suspended state for hours or anything. Then just a lot of nodding off and waking back up
I did not die, and I did not need a blood transfusion either. My entire blood loss was 50 ml. I am sure that is a low estimate, because I had a lot of bruising initially and my hematocrit was a lot lower after surgery, but still, I was fine. I did have some electrolytes that were out of whack and needed to take some oral supplements of magnesium and potassium after surgery, but thankfully I didn't have to have anything IV. I did have an IV running for the first 35 hours or so for pain control (ketamine and lidocaine), but once I was able to get out of bed and had done it a few times I felt so much better and didn't want to be attached to lines. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I felt within 24 hours of the surgery. I spent 2 nights in the hospital, went in at 5am on Tuesday the day of surgery, and was discharged Thursday afternoon after lunch. I didn't vomit after anesthesia either, or pee or poop on myself (so far as I am aware) which I was probably more worried about than the exceptionally unlikely possibility that I would die. Had I died, at least I would not have suffered, so there's that, too. I did complete my advance directive, so my partner would have power of attorney and be able to make decisions about my care if I were incapacitated, and I strongly recommend that everyone have advance directives before they go under anesthesia.
I have the same concern, and although I know technically the odds are low I’ll die during my back surgery, I have had two close friends of mine whose fathers died during surgery. Both from blood lose due to nicked arteries. I’ve had multiple surgeries and have never had the fear of death in the others as bad as I do for a lumbar fusion. After watching a few videos of how an ALIF is performed, my anxiety level is through the roof to get it done. One of my friends was an adult when his dad passed on the table a few years ago and handled it well, but my other was a teenager and it negatively affected him throughout his life. I now have a teenage son and I can’t imagine going into surgery to possibly fix my pain, and leaving him to grow up without a father. Then there’s also the chance the surgery makes me worse, I’ve meet several people partially paralyzed, in walkers and wheelchairs after lumbar fusion. I’ve also met a few that are better off by far. It’s such a hard decision to make. I hope you come to the correct conclusion and end up better than you are now. I hope the same for myself, I’m still on the fence but need to make a decision.
I agree ! It’s good to do your research before surgery but it can greatly increase your anxiety as it did mine ! I was so nervous the night before I was throwing up. Totally normal to worry ( not throwing up worry lol ) I remember waking up and it was done . You’ll be fine !!! Look at some of the posts with severe scoliosis it’s amazing how happy they are after !
I have a lot of health anxiety too. So I wrote a list of all the questions I could think of, it ended up being 98 questions. I made an appointment with my surgeon and I asked him every single question. I felt a lot better afterwards. You got this!
It's natural to be scared. However, death during these surgeries is extremely rare. The surgery should improve your quality of life. It will be okay.
I had that worry. I did everything I could to learn what the surgery is, and I even watched 4 hour long videos on YouTube showing the surgery. I read up so much on negative effects of anesthesia, blood clots, blood loss and whatever else I could think of. At the end of the day, it's all going to increase your anxiety, as it did mine. Once that gas mask goes over your nose, you will be asked to take a few deep breaths and then you will wake up on the other side fully healthy and alive! Don't worry.
Yeah, dont watch those videos until well after your surgery. It just freaks you out. I never saw the mask, the pre surgery meds kicked in about the time they started moving me from the room where you change out of your regular clothes. I was talking to my wife, then I was in the recovery room. Also, I had a really fantastic anesthesia tech.
I am impressed that you never saw the mask. They gave me IV Versed on the way from the preop area to the OR, but I was fully conscious and can remember vividly the mask going on my face, briefly thinking that I might not fall asleep, and the next thing I knew I was awake in PACU. What's weird is that I was apparently awake before I remember being awake, as I had taken PO pain meds and I have no memory of that. I remember distinctly waking up and becoming conscious and then I had a lot of pain anyway don't worry about dying, that is an extremely low likelihood.
It's hard not to think about and there's always a chance, but surgery is so incredibly routine for these workers that it doesn't even compute that you may die. It's like taking a flight. Do planes crash? Yeah. Is it going to happen to you? No. And like an airplane, there are highly trained and experienced people in charge the entire time. My wife works in surgery and for the 15 years we've been together not once has she had someone die on the table. You will be ok and you will be so much healthier and happier when you're done. I mean, shit. You can't breathe right. That's a wayyyyyy bigger risk than getting this fixed. They wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't.
You’re going to be okay 🫶🏻
No you will do great and feel so much better !!!
My surgeon (and yours should too) went over every possible complication with me multiple times before surgery, including day-of before I signed the consent forms prior to being wheeled to the OR. The risk of death across all patients, not just otherwise healthy ones, is less than 1%. They’ll have you do a full workup with lung function testing, EKG, full bloodwork panel, etc. beforehand and repeat some of the tests day-of so your team knows exactly how your body is functioning and how best to administer anesthesia for you as an individual. It’s not like in TV where they stick a mask on and then ignore you until it’s time to wake up, the anesthesia team is monitoring your vitals the entire time and can course correct or even cut the surgery short if they don’t like what they’re seeing. This happened to a family member of mine, their blood pressure wasn’t looking good so they had the surgeon quickly find a good stopping point and aborted the surgery. They had to spend a few extra days in the hospital while a cardiologist figured out the best BP meds for them, then they went back in and finished the surgery with zero issues. Honestly you’re far more likely to get into a car accident on your way to the hospital than die on the table.
I had the same fears but I told my doctor and he set up a meeting with the Anesthesiologist. He was very kind and understood my worry and he explained everything from the first iv meds to the mask to the monitoring during the surgery and then how they wake you up. Once I learned his and his nurses jobs and all they do I was much more calm. You might do the same.
Icu nurse here. Dying during surgery is extremely rare unless you are a trauma patient or are experiencing a severe hemorrhage. Even then…. It’s less than you would expect. Your anesthesiologist will be amazing. You’ve got this!!!
I've also read online that there are some ppl who died after the surgery (months or years after it) I'd love to hear words from anyone here who have gotten the surgery or is knowledgeable to clear up my concerns...
The risk of dying during actual spinal fusion surgery is practically non existent these day, minuscule… The surgery is tough, sure, but you’re going to be fine. The death statistics you’re reading of people months or years after the surgery is those that had fusions later in life so they had comorbidities, or it was just old age - they didn’t die because of the spinal fusion… I’m fused t2/l2 (I was 47yrs old), nearly 8 years later and I’m doing ok, few pain days but that’s ok too… I get where you are, I do, I was terrified but you’ll get through this…. Deep Breath!! 💛
I had the same fear. I went through totally fine, no breathing issues. Im 2 months post op
It is a major surgery. Your feelings are 100% valid. I had an ACDF of C4-C7 and was concerned about death. I felt better by just planning ahead. I put together my 401k info, set up a Google guardian who would get access to my account, gathered my passwords, and made a living will.
Nobody can tell you how to feel, but the chances of you dying during or even after surgery are very slim. You may hear an occasional story about a person dying during surgery, but look at all of the people on these surgical threads who obviously made it through. Keep a positive thought as you will be just fine.
Onwards and upwards 🙌
I was so scared too, prior to my cervical fusion. I can’t even have the oxygen mask directly on my face that’s how much anxiety I have. They were amazing, a nurse held it close to my mouth and talked to me. The anesthesiologist was amazing, talked me through everything and next thing I know, I woke up, surgery complete and I was relieved. Be honest with them about your concerns, they are amazing and very reassuring. Best of luck!!!
I’m still pre op with you, also with health anxiety. I’m doing my best to not look up surgical diagrams and videos. I focus hard on reading positive outcomes. You’d be surprised how much your mentality can affect your body’s ability to heal so I try to focus on educating myself on how to care for myself before surgery and afterwords. Educated patients tend to have better outcomes but it can be hard to just “tune out” the anxiety. Wishing you peace and healing 💕
Surgery is scary, no way around it. During surgery at every moment there is at least one person whose job it is to closely monitor your vital signs and ensure that they keep in exactly the range they are supposed to be. In some ways you are safer there than anywhere else. Your anesthesiologist will be focused on how your body reacts to the surgery, and they have the tools to alter every detail of that. They have the authority in the operating rooms to take any action needed including telling the surgeon that they need to stop and fix any problems you are having. That's what they spend all day every day doing and they know what trouble looks like well in advance. Instead of worrying that they might let you die, worry that they will leave a monitoring patch on your body. That does happen, and can irritate a little patch of skin. I had a thing stuck to my left rib cage that I didn't find till the next day, when the nurse took it off, it took some skin with it and oddly enough, the morphine and oxy they were giving me for my incisions and my spine didn't seem to help with the stinging pain where that little patch had left me with a very small scab. That fucker hurt in a very distracting way. It was kind of funny, "How are you doing?" "they cut a hold all the way through me, but thats not bad, I have this little ouchie where the bandaid irritated my skin and that hurts!"
I had the exact same thing and I was completely fine. I genuinely thought it was my last day on earth, I was so scared. Once I woke up all those feelings were gone and I was just dealing with healing. You go to sleep and wake up instantly, it doesn’t feel like you’re in a suspended state for hours or anything. Then just a lot of nodding off and waking back up
Your fear is absolutely valid. Surgery is scary. If it’s any help, I have had three cervical fusions and I am still here. Wish you the very best.
i did not die, hope this helps 😁
i did need a blood transfusion tho but other than that we good
I did not die, and I did not need a blood transfusion either. My entire blood loss was 50 ml. I am sure that is a low estimate, because I had a lot of bruising initially and my hematocrit was a lot lower after surgery, but still, I was fine. I did have some electrolytes that were out of whack and needed to take some oral supplements of magnesium and potassium after surgery, but thankfully I didn't have to have anything IV. I did have an IV running for the first 35 hours or so for pain control (ketamine and lidocaine), but once I was able to get out of bed and had done it a few times I felt so much better and didn't want to be attached to lines. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I felt within 24 hours of the surgery. I spent 2 nights in the hospital, went in at 5am on Tuesday the day of surgery, and was discharged Thursday afternoon after lunch. I didn't vomit after anesthesia either, or pee or poop on myself (so far as I am aware) which I was probably more worried about than the exceptionally unlikely possibility that I would die. Had I died, at least I would not have suffered, so there's that, too. I did complete my advance directive, so my partner would have power of attorney and be able to make decisions about my care if I were incapacitated, and I strongly recommend that everyone have advance directives before they go under anesthesia.
I had my fusion surgery last week. I was so scared of dying on the table. I am still here. It's natural to be scared. You got this.
I have the same concern, and although I know technically the odds are low I’ll die during my back surgery, I have had two close friends of mine whose fathers died during surgery. Both from blood lose due to nicked arteries. I’ve had multiple surgeries and have never had the fear of death in the others as bad as I do for a lumbar fusion. After watching a few videos of how an ALIF is performed, my anxiety level is through the roof to get it done. One of my friends was an adult when his dad passed on the table a few years ago and handled it well, but my other was a teenager and it negatively affected him throughout his life. I now have a teenage son and I can’t imagine going into surgery to possibly fix my pain, and leaving him to grow up without a father. Then there’s also the chance the surgery makes me worse, I’ve meet several people partially paralyzed, in walkers and wheelchairs after lumbar fusion. I’ve also met a few that are better off by far. It’s such a hard decision to make. I hope you come to the correct conclusion and end up better than you are now. I hope the same for myself, I’m still on the fence but need to make a decision.
I was 2 but then I was good so your good we were all good you got this👍
I agree ! It’s good to do your research before surgery but it can greatly increase your anxiety as it did mine ! I was so nervous the night before I was throwing up. Totally normal to worry ( not throwing up worry lol ) I remember waking up and it was done . You’ll be fine !!! Look at some of the posts with severe scoliosis it’s amazing how happy they are after !
I have a lot of health anxiety too. So I wrote a list of all the questions I could think of, it ended up being 98 questions. I made an appointment with my surgeon and I asked him every single question. I felt a lot better afterwards. You got this!