topic Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc. in Community Chat

Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

Shorty2U — Thu, 22 May 2014 18:52:49 GMT

I just had my last pre-op visit before cataract surgery. I thought I was getting maybe a valium to relax me during surgery, as my papers said I wouldn't be put "out" just a low sedative. And my mother in law (who lives elsewhere not near here) said she was hooked to an IV but never needed the drugs for her cataract surgery. Also someone on here said they didn't have drugs for their cataract surgery.

Well they announce oh you will be getting a sedative. I said like valium. They said NO like Propofol. I said WHAT? And told them MIL had no sedatives and it was simple. They said well that's ridiculous that she had no sedative.

Then I said can I take my pain med with a sip of water before I come. She said no. I said youre kidding. I have chronic pain and cant move in the morning but said OK then.

She left and called anesthesia at surgery center and they said if I must I can take 1 pain med a sip of water and my B Pressure med. (I will try to skip the pain med due to mixing drugs)

I got so upset because I hate being put to sleep more than surgeries and because I have been through so much with my back and cancer and now this. I feel like Im 80 in my 50s. I kept feeling sicker and sicker I finally told DH to stop the car and I threw up on the side of the back road.

I am so sick of Doctors and it just got to me today. Now I will worry till next wk when I get my surgery.

Oh and PS I thought you get pretesting before surgery if theyre using Propofol? All I had was a 100 eye tests!

My DH thinks Im over reacting because I have anxiety from everything Ive been through the past years. Maybe I am but the word Propofol got to me today and Im confused and dont understand why other people did NOT get put to sleep for cataracts and I am.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

Melania — Thu, 22 May 2014 18:58:01 GMT

For anesthesia you should have pre-testing if it's been awhile since you had blood work, ekg etc.

If you are not happy with what they are doing why are you doing it? Can you go to another eye specialist?

I agree about needing anesthesia with that surgery...my parents have had both done and never had that or even valium.

ETA: Maybe in your case with your pain issues etc. they felt it was a better approach.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

gidgetgh — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:01:08 GMT

My husband had an IV and they put some anesthesia that made him just a little.... whatever... but he wasn't put to sleep. They came and got me in the waiting room about 20 feet away about 2 minutes after they finished the surgery. He was pretty much fully awake- just a little loopy. He put on his own shirt and buttoned it and everything. By the time we got down to the car, he was fully "with it".

He has Parkinson's and they let him take his tremor medication with a sip of water before we left the house. His surgery was very early, like 7:15 or 7:30 for the first eye and 8:00 for the second. When he was finished both time, we left the surgery center, stopped at the McDonald's down the street and got him a biscuit so he could eat it and take his second daily medication, which has to be taken with food.

I think you'll be fine. You won't be totally knocked out. My husband said he was aware of everything during the surgery, but just a little out of it.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

garmer — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:01:28 GMT

Maybe it's because you are so anxious about it. Perhaps they know lying on the table will aggravate your back pain and they don't want you in pain during the procedure.

I never had testing before surgery, just an appt. with the anesthesiologist before hand. They just checked bp, heart rate, stuff like that.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

abbeythe 8th — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:01:29 GMT

Google it and you will see some clinics use propofol while some do not. If you do not want it to be used on you, say so. You are your own best advocate.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

LaterGator — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:02:14 GMT

You are going to get a shot directly into your eye. For that, you will be put to sleep for about 1 minute and then you will be wide awake. I don't think you want that shot without being put under because it would really hurt. Ask you doctor about this. They don't like to tell you a bout the shot in the eye because it sounds so awful. I had versed which I guess is the same thing. If I hadn't known about it ahead of time, I would never have known that I was sleeping for a short time.

I just had both eyes done in Feb. and it was a piece of cake. You'll be fine.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

LaterGator — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:04:41 GMT

Oh, I was aware of everything during my surgeries too.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

scotttie — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:07:44 GMT

My friend's doctor uses propofol for her colonoscopies so I don't think this is a big deal.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

brii — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:14:21 GMT

Propofol is a short-acting anesthetic.

Do you not want any anesthesia or is it because that's what MJ used as a sleep-aid?

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

hckynut — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:22:25 GMT

Never heard of this one. My eye doctor didn't need an Anesthesiologist on staff for a few minutes procedure. Unless I've got it all wrong, the only one to be able to legally administer Propofol are Anesthesiologists and/or their assistant.

Something sounds strange here to me. I am my now 89 year old mother-in-law both had both of our cataract surgeries done by the same doctor and I can assure you that Propofol was nowhere to be seen in the room they did this surgery.

Now I have had many procedures that required full sedation and Propofol was easily detectable to me in every single one of them.

E.T.A. I just read this is a growing practice for some physicians, and according to studies done, this is a very dangerous practice. The company AstraZeneca the manufacturer of Diprivan states it should be administered only by persons trained in the administration of general anesthesia.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

Mj12 — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:29:11 GMT

On 5/22/2014 hckynut said:
Never heard of this one. My eye doctor didn't need an Anesthesiologist on staff for a few minutes procedure. Unless I've got it all wrong, the only one to be able to legally administer Propofol are Anesthesiologists and/or their assistant.

Something sounds strange here to me. I am my now 89 year old mother-in-law both had both of our cataract surgeries done by the same doctor and I can assure you that Propofol was nowhere to be seen in the room they did this surgery.

Now I have had many procedures that required full sedation and Propofol was easily detectable to me in every single one of them.

E.T.A. I just read this is a growing practice for some physicians, and according to studies done, this is a very dangerous practice. The company AstraZeneca the manufacturer of Diprivan states it should be administered only by persons trained in the administration of general anesthesia.

And I'm pretty sure it always is.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

ShowMe — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:38:00 GMT

On 5/22/2014 gidgetgoeshawaiian said:
My husband had an IV and they put some anesthesia that made him just a little.... whatever... but he wasn't put to sleep. They came and got me in the waiting room about 20 feet away about 2 minutes after they finished the surgery. He was pretty much fully awake- just a little loopy. He put on his own shirt and buttoned it and everything. By the time we got down to the car, he was fully "with it".

He has Parkinson's and they let him take his tremor medication with a sip of water before we left the house. His surgery was very early, like 7:15 or 7:30 for the first eye and 8:00 for the second. When he was finished both time, we left the surgery center, stopped at the McDonald's down the street and got him a biscuit so he could eat it and take his second daily medication, which has to be taken with food.

I think you'll be fine. You won't be totally knocked out. My husband said he was aware of everything during the surgery, but just a little out of it.

This is exactly what they did to me......for each eye. But I was asleep during each..... In fact, the eye doctor said I was snoring just before I woke up after the first one. And just before they were finished with the 2nd one, I woke up and the doctor said he was rinsing my eye, and then he would be finished. Went out to pick up breakfast after each one, but took it home to eat it. Was kind of groggy the rest of the day after each one, but felt perfectly fine. Had a friend come to stay with me during the first day because they said they didn't want me to be alone.....just in case something went wrong. But, really I was fine. And had to be driven to the eye doctor the following morning after each eye was done.

It has even improved since I had mine done...... So Shorty, you will be fine.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

abbeythe 8th — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:44:56 GMT

On 5/22/2014 hckynut said:
Never heard of this one. My eye doctor didn't need an Anesthesiologist on staff for a few minutes procedure. Unless I've got it all wrong, the only one to be able to legally administer Propofol are Anesthesiologists and/or their assistant.

Something sounds strange here to me. I am my now 89 year old mother-in-law both had both of our cataract surgeries done by the same doctor and I can assure you that Propofol was nowhere to be seen in the room they did this surgery.

Now I have had many procedures that required full sedation and Propofol was easily detectable to me in every single one of them.

E.T.A. I just read this is a growing practice for some physicians, and according to studies done, this is a very dangerous practice. The company AstraZeneca the manufacturer of Diprivan states it should be administered only by persons trained in the administration of general anesthesia.

Because you and your MIL didn't have it does not mean it isn't used legally elsewhere.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

JaneMarple — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:49:23 GMT

I just spoke to my sister about this, she was given assistive in her I V but not put to sleep. She had her surgery done at a eye institute and they had her watch a video explaining everything concerning the surgery. They emphasized not being put to sleep, the surgery didn't take barely fifteen minutes both times. She was told to take Tylenol if she had any discomfort, she didn't either time.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

hckynut — Thu, 22 May 2014 19:57:35 GMT

On 5/22/2014 abbeythe8th said:
Because you and your MIL didn't have it does not mean it isn't used legally elsewhere.

You didn't mention the part below of my post. That is called selective/objective commentary. I pay about as much attention to as?

"E.T.A. I just read this is a growing practice for some physicians, and according to studies done, this is a very dangerous practice. The company AstraZeneca the manufacturer of Diprivan states it should be administered only by persons trained in the administration of general anesthesia."

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

pistolino — Thu, 22 May 2014 20:00:34 GMT

My mother was put to sleep for each eye--unfortunately she had very early dementia and the anesthetic made it worse, then she had a colonoscopy a month after the 2nd eye and she was DONE. Couldn't even work anymore.

You really have to be judicious about how often and how long any anesthesia is administered.

That said, if you aren't comfortable with the procedures as explained, you don't have to have it done by that doctor. Go somewhere else.

*********************

Inhaled Anesthetics Bring Alzheimer's Risk

By JANE COLLINGWOOD

Anesthetics have been thought to cause cognitive dysfunction for a long time — the link was first highlighted in the 1950s. But it was never clear whether “postoperative cognitive dysfunction” was the result of the anesthetics or a side effect of the surgery. Further study has implicated the anesthetics themselves.

New research suggests that inhaled anesthetics bring a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease than those given intravenously. This is because inhaled anesthetics are linked more closely with the formation of Alzheimer’s-related plaques in the brain.

http://psychcentral.com/lib/inhaled-anesthetics-bring-alzheimers-risk/000898

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

scotttie — Thu, 22 May 2014 20:02:45 GMT

I'm not a doctor and I haven't studied the literature so what I'm about to say is my own speculation.

I would guess that the amount of propofol given would be very small enough to put you in just a "twilight sleep" as it is called when given fentanyl and versed. Quickly reversible if necessary. Similar to the type of sedation they give you for things like colonoscopy and bone marrow aspiration/biopsy. You are not really completely "under."

ETA: bottom line is,as others have suggested, if you are not comfortable feel free to get a second opinion.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

sophiamarie — Thu, 22 May 2014 20:06:27 GMT

Propofol is given to patients at pain management clinics when they give epidurals. It's not a bad thing.

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

MickD — Thu, 22 May 2014 20:06:51 GMT

....Interesting I had cataract/lens replacement it was only a 30 min. procedure. I was given an IV with a mild sedative, but was fully awake...with eye propped open.....I guess diff docs, diff facilities, etc......

Re: Propofol for cataract surgery, really? etc.

Shelbelle — Thu, 22 May 2014 20:16:35 GMT

That is commonly used when having a colonoscopy too. Short lasting. You are only given as much as needed to keep you sedated enough to complete the procedure.