2d ago

Anaesthesia

Apologies for the grainy text - best version I could find

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As far as I know, that's not how epidurals work. Nothing goes to your brain. It just numbs the nerves in your spine and stops the pain signals from reaching your brain.
- What you are describing is how epidurals are supposed to work. If the epidural needle is a mm too deep, you can inject directly into the spinal fluid which does go to the brain and is probably pretty amazing.
  
  You sound like you kinda know what you're talking about so... What's the down side? There's gotta be a reason not everyone's chasing this high.
- They still often (but not always) give you fentanyl or sufentanil. those feel pretty great especially when injected. Like people do crime for those
  
  TBF MFs be doing crime for food and shelter but then, after hope is extinguished, drugs too.
- Did you not read the part about a Fent derivative being injected into his spine? It's kind of the whole point of the follow-up text.
  
  It's that a properly administered epidural or spinal anesthesic wouldn't work that way.
  NERDERY INCOMING
  An epidural injects a numbing agent just outside of the spinal cord. The intent is to numb the nearby nerves as the anesthetic slowly diffuses into their roots and their corresponding section of spinal cord. It should not go into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
  What they're likely doing is an intrathecal injection for a spinal anesthesic, which does go into the CSF. That intensely numbs a portion of the body and is more common for surgery while conscious. The reason it's done is it's very effective while also using extremely small amounts of anesthetic. In other words, you barely feel it locally, much less systemically, because so little is used. That's the point.
  You might ask how I know all of this. I've had three. The account in the original post is full of shit.
- Yeah, for a moment I was thinking ‘I have to ask for this next time’. Like, they killed me last time they sedated me, so I probably have a good excuse.
  But is that really what that would be like?
  Probably not, and I’d just wind up awake for surgery, which is less than ideal.

apparently smoking weed regularly can make anesthetics less effective too. when I had to get put under recently (nothing serious), I was aware about that and told them ahead of time. they gave me a dose that apparently was supposed to put me completely out, and I just sat there for at least a full minute, fully conscious but incredibly relaxed, before they realized they would have to give me more. and then I definitely started to wake up in the middle and had just the briefest, vaguest awareness that they were moving around me before I was out again, so I assume they gave me more at that point. and then when I woke up after they were like "wow, already?"
- Uhh… yeah this is exactly why you do a t-break for 72 hours before a surgery. Your life is the one at risk though, but your gonna traumatize a lot of workers if things go worst case for you. Best case, you’re a hassle and everyone hates you.
  
  Or just tell the anesthesiologist what drugs you take on a regular basis like you're supposed to.
  
  yes, I know, and I did. what I had read was not to smoke for at least three days, I decided to do four. I asked the doctor like two weeks in advance if there was anything else I should do, he said no, it should be fine. everyone was aware of everything and all the doc's instructions were followed. obviously I didn't go in stoned
  
  Assumption seems like projection?
- I’ve never had any issues with anesthesia as a chronic user (I always disclose and modify usage as requested as well), but I live in a recreationally legal state so the anesthesiologists here might just have more experience working around it. Or I might be lucky/you might be unlucky, who knows why the hell anything happens to the human body
- This is basically the premise of Cabin in the Woods, isn’t it? Though it’s not clear exactly what the guy was smoking.

My wife is a medical professional who works in this space and when I told her this joke, she shared that this is not how epidurals work at all.
It doesn't go into the blood stream. It only effects that area. And it wouldn't go to the brain.
She says it's possible it's a psychosomatic reaction. But leaning towards it being a lie.
Shame, solid joke.
- Or maybe this person was a patient and not an anesthesiologist so she got the specifics wrong…
- Or you wife is lying to you because she doesn't want you to try and fuck god.

The joke lands because anesthesia is weirdly complex—pain control, paralysis, and sedation aren’t always the same dial.

"I'll Have What She's Having"

I've always refused epidurals.
If they fuck up i'm the one that ends up in a wheel chair or worse and they always make you sign a waiver first (which i sign with a dummy signature but anyway not gonna risk it).
No needles near my spine, thank you.
- A dummy signature is still a signature. It's the act of signing, not what you sign. An X counts, etc.
  
  unless the dummy is meant to be someone else's signature, then it's a crime
  
  What if you sign "under duress"
  
  Even if John Doe signs as Donnie Darko?
- Pretty sure they can also fuck up general anesthesia and give you brain damage or kill you 🤷
  
  A bit harder though considering they keep dosage as low as possible.

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