Lost and Afraid

what does VSG stand for?

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

Thank you and you said it only takes around 30 minutes?

do you have any heart/lung conditions currently?

I am on warfarin for bilateral pulmonary embolisms 

And I have epilepsy 

Here is the link to an article I found on Bariatric Times . It's somewhat long, but may give an idea as to what the OP is referencing. 

I didn't poke around the site all that much, so there may be more articles pertaining to the subject at hand. 

OP, the only way you will find out for sure what surgeries are offered with regional only anesthesia, you'd have to do research  for type of surgery and surgeons who may offer it.

As you can see from the replies here so far, no one here has dealt with that sort of anesthesia ( alone ) for our WLS procedures. 

If I had to make a very uneducated guess which surgical option would be available with that type anesthesia only, it would be the gastric balloon-which IMO...does not seem like a great option for long term weight loss. 

When the article was written ( 2013 ) it stated new types of weight loss surgery were being explored, which-to me-means no surgeries at that time were performed with regional only anesthesia. 

I think the only way to find out for sure is to seek out surgeons and ask them. Sorry there isn't an easier answer. 

To be clear, they don't actually do your breathing for you. What they do is monitor your oxygen levels and vitals vs amount of anesthesia. Perhaps talking to an anesthetist or surgeon about the equipment they use, why you're intubated, how they monitor ect may ease your mind a bit.  

With any surgery there is always a risk. Always. Even doing a block can cause complications. 

I have had several surgeries (appendectomy, tubal ligation,2 c- sections, RNY). The only one that had a complication was my first c-section because the spinal block was given wrong and now I have sciatica because of it. So, you can see that blocks pose their own risks. Also be aware that a block makes your body think you are not breathing because you can't feel yourself breathe and that can cause some panic as well.

Getting some education in how things work in the OR will probably be your best bet in facing your fears. 

You will likely have to visit several doctors for clearance prior to surgery, among them a pulmonologist, with pulmonary embolisms. If your surgeon or any other specialist feels surgery is too risky, you will not have it.

Anesthesia is relatively safe. You will have not only a surgeon, but also an anesthesiologist and nurses in the OR with you.

I accompanied an acquaintance to her surgery, where during pre op prep she told the anesthesiologist she had woken up during previous colonoscopies. He explained the anesthesia used is different for surgery, and he would monitor her. She was very frightened.

Her surgery went off without a hitch, she had no problems with breathing or anything else, and made a full recovery.

This is absolutely not a surgery I would have without general anesthesia.

I woke up in a middle of my first ever colonoscopy.. A horrible experience.  It was under twilight anesthesia.  Way too many people have the same experience with that.  My currentdoc doe general anesthesia only when doing colonoscopy because of that.  When he suggested i had a follow up colonoscopy - I refused.. and explained whey not.  He told me that he knows and that's for the last 5 years he mostly do general... the only time he does twilight is the patient health doesn't allow general. But that the patient gets also other drugs  so even when they wake up in a middle - they would not feel any pain...