general anaethesia v IV sedation?

Did you have general anaethesia or IV sedation? The surgeon I am leaning strongly towards for my extended brachio uses IV sedation for everything, and it scares me. (I have not been to the consultation appointment yet, so I haven't talked to him about it.) I've had GA twice for other surgeries and I really liked knowing that I would be "completely out." I've never had IV sedation. Is it the norm for plastics? Finding a surgeon you trust is hard as it is... am I going to make it much harder if I narrow my search to only those willing to work with GA?

I had epidural and twilight, that's what Dr. S uses.   One of my concerns was general, I don't do well.  I have a serious time with memory for months after it.  I've had five generals, and all the same.  This surgery was longer, 13 hours, but Dr. S would prefer this anesthesia over the rest.  I trusted him.  I have to say my recovery was no problem.  I woke as if from a nap.  I had another procedure 6 weeks later, same anesthesia, no issues.  If I had to pick, this would be the one for me. 

Bonnie

For my previous surgeries, I was placed under general anesthesia, and had a long and difficult recovery, including 4-5 days of intense nausea and vomiting, serious pain, memory issues, and months of insomnia and depressed mood.  This was my greatest fear going into plastics, but my surgeon decided to use an epidural and twilight sedation (with Versed), and I couldn't be happier!  I did actually wake up twice during the procedure so I understand your concern, but was not awake long enough to even be aware of what was happening, and I woke up smiling and talking immediately after my procedure.  I felt great right away, and experienced no issues.  I felt totally free of medication effects within a few hours (once the epidural wore off), and found my recovery to be easy and relatively painless.  Discuss your concerns with the surgeon, and he or she should be happy to go over it more in depth with you and answer any questions you may have.  Some surgeons who prefer twilight may be willing to use general anesthesia in some patients, but twilight is generally used when possible because it is so much safer with fewer side effects