anesthesia

Does anyone know if the lapband surgery can be done with local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia? the only thing holding me back is the fear of general anesthesia... going to sleep and never waking up or having a heart attack afterwards.

For the lap-band you have to have general anesthesia because of where they have to get in and put the band. General anesthesia is performed everyday there is nothing to worry about. It was simple when i had it done. Your throat just hurts afterward. I promise you will wake up and your not going to have a heart attack.

Cassie, Certainly no one can promise you that you will not have anesthesia-related problems. And your anesthesiologist might want to do what's called an 'awake look' if you've never been intubated before...or if you have a short, thick neck...or breathing problems. Just to make sure that they can give you a viable airway during surgery. That all sounds scarier than it is. Believe me..they give you the good drugs. You wont remember anything even though youre awake. IF they even need to do that to you. General anesthesia IS a scary thing, no 2 ways about it. But so is living the rest of your life obese, dying young, etc. You have to weigh the possibilities and do whats best for you. Keep us posted!! xoxo Kathy ps all your fears are NORMAL

I doubt the surgery can be done with a local. Have you spoken to your surgeon or PCP about your concerns? Do you have heart problems already? While I think a bit of fear is probably normal, if you are overly worried you might want to talk with someone about your concerns. Millions of people have surgery with anesthesia every year. Aside from a fluke or a pre-surgical known risk, the super-majority of people do just fine. Best of luck!