Oftentimes people forget about the various factors associated with having surgery. However, it is important to remember the risk facts of having surgery before you consent to having surgery. Of course, some things will and can only be fixed by undergoing surgery. Yet some things do not necessarily need to be fixed by a surgery and it may be wise to consult other doctors and get second opinions.
The most common part of every surgery is: anesthesia. One of the largest risk factors with surgery is anesthesia. One common risk factor that is associated with anesthesia is age. If you are older then the risks of going underneath anesthesia are increased. For the remainder of this article I will discuss the three various types of anesthesia: local, regional and general anesthesia.
Local anesthesia is normally fine and has very few side effects if any. However, in large doses the side effects can be quite drastic and include toxic effects. This is because anesthesia can be absorbed into the bloodstream of the body. This can affect your breathing, your blood pressure, your heart rate and even other functions within your body.
There are other types of anesthesia other than local anesthesia. One of these other types of anesthesia is: regional anesthesia. Regional anesthesia is injected close to either a cluster of nerves within your body or your spinal cord. This is more serious and can include ( in addition to the breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate problems found in local anesthesia) heart problems and lung problems. It can also cause nerve damage leading to pain, numbness and a feeling of weakness within your nerves.
The last type of anesthesia we will talk about today is called: general anesthesia. For those who are generally healthy people, general anesthesia is unlikely to cause any sort of serious problems. However, general anesthesia is typically administered to the entire body and therefore is more likely to impact people. It, of course, includes all of the previous side effects mentioned for both local anesthesia and local. It also includes coughing and more breathing problems. It can also include headaches. Thankfully, most problems within general anesthesia are easily managed.
As you can see, it is important to remember the side effects and risk factors of having a surgery. Sometimes it is crucial to have a surgery but you may want to consider your options before you make that decision. It isn’t something to take lightly but it also isn’t something to spend too much time stressing over. Hopefully this article has helped you understand more about the various kinds of anesthesia and I wish you the best of luck with any surgical procedures you choose to have.
