General anaesthesia with asthma?

[servewithmintsauce]

Sorry, I've posted a lot recently!

I was just lying in bed with slightly achy lungs and a cough and funny feeling in my nose (feels like a cold, dammit) and it came into my head how, two summers ago, I had an operation to remove a tumour in my appendix. I had a diagnosis of 'mild intermittent' asthma at the time, although it had actually been getting worse and worse and I was using about 10 puffs a day at that point (soon after, I would be doing nearly 50 a day). I was given GA. I'm CYPIID6 Ultrarapid so opiates (which they gave me for pain relief) put me into respiratory depression, and I was in recovery for at least 3 hours, in which time the doctors had to keep reminding me to breathe.

Anyway, I got out of the hospital the day after my operation, and went home. The next couple of weeks were mainly spent in bed and propped up on the sofa, but one of the most uncomfortable things was my chest, which ached all the time. I didn't have an embolism or anything, but it ached a lot, all over.

I wondered if this might have been due to the combination of uncontrolled asthma and GA?

[starveycat]

No need to apologise for posting a lot its our way of supporting each other. Let's face it if you don't have asthma you don't understand it. Until a year ago I thought that asthmatics just took a puff if something then we're fine. I found out the hard way that that was all ❇❇❇ as for the medical part of your post sorry I don't have the knowledge to help you with that.

[charliep17]

Hi. From my experience it could be the ga as ive had 3 knee operations and each one uve come round having breathing problems though after the second one was the hospitals fault as they didnt read the notes and gave me the strongest anti inflammatory before bringing me round which took hours to get me back round properly and an extra day in hosp and then pain after. They now not let me have ga if i needed another op so it could be but mite be worth just mentioning to someone in case.

Hope you feel better soon

[Hidden]

I had a GA last year for a gastroscopy last year and had no problems, actually I came round from that rather faster than I did from the sedative used on the first attempt a few weeks earlier. That said I do know of someone (a non asthmatic at that) who had breathing problems when coming round from a GA.

[KateMoss]

I have just had a GA for and operation two weeks ago and due to the nature of my asthma, I am severe / brittle etc I had pre op assessments from the anaesthetists and the day before, another assessment with the anaesthetist, surgeon and ITU doctors to plan the way forward. I had upped my oral pred for 5 days before, had lots of IV Hydro during and after op, IV magnesium and probably a load of other meds during op, was in recovery for many hours but was OK and managed to avoid HDU or ITU with close monitoring. Lots of nebs after and good pain relief.

Some people are fine, others need more support afterwards and I think the pre planning helped me avoid any serious issues. I was shattered and quite SOB for a few days and all that steroids made me a bit wired and then zonked!

Lungs a still bit rattly sometimes but OK and I am on the road to recovery.