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My LO had to have general anesthesia for a small procedure in November. I totally freaked out too when I read/signed the consent form, but it ended up being 100% fine. She was only under for 3-4 minutes, so it was a REALLY short amount of time. She woke up right away and was pleased as punch about getting so much attention and getting a popsicle from the nurse. We kept her home from school the rest of the day but she was 100% back to normal and probably could have gone (though I would have worried about her the whole time!).

Good luck!!!

@Raindrop: LO has had anesthesia several times but most recently he was under for about an hour for a hearing test. He did great. He was a little disoriented when he woke up. He wanted to walk but he was a bit wobbly. The nurses took great care of him and he had no issues whatsoever. He was completely normal by the evening. (The procedure took place after lunch.) I hope everything goes well for your LO!!

I know it's scary. Sending you s! I don't have personal experience with my son but I am a nurse at a children's hospital! Kids are strong and amazing.

Here's the thread I was referencing...

http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/infanttoddler-anesthesia#post-2393947

N has been put under twice. I found the first time to be easier then the second. I got to hold him while they got him a little loopy and walk with him to the OR doors. When he woke up he was a little whiny but fine. The second time they walked him down to the OR and we waited in the recovery room. They carried him out to me inconsolably crying but it was short lived.

E has been put under once. He screamed all the way to OR doors. It broke my heart. He was inconsolable for about 15-20 minutes when they carried him back to me.

After they were just fine. Kiddos bounce back quickly. My biggest concern was throwing up. Luckily my boys didn't.

Both my kids have been put under twilight sleep for tubes, but my oldest had to be put under general anesthesia for about 20-30 mins to have his adenoids removed. He did great. He had a little by of a sore/scratchy sounding throat for a couple hours but that was it.

DS has been under twice. Once for an hour and once for 20 minutes. I was freaking out the first time around, but it didn't really worry me at all the 2nd time since they were doing it the same exact way as they did the first time and I already knew how he would handle it. I know it's scary, but it wasn't a huge deal in the end.

My 4 year old recently went under anesthesia for two fillings. For some reason he is absolutely terrified of the dentist. We struggle even getting X-rays. He was out of it most of the day. He also reacts like me to anesthesia- vomiting. We had to get a prescription of something to stop the vomiting because he wasn't able to keep liquids down. By the next morning he was completely fine. I think if I knew nausea and vomiting were potential side effects I would have been better prepared. I don't think the doctors office prepared us for the side effects. They just said that most kids need to rest the day of the procedure

@Raindrop: Our daughter had a lengthy dental procedure done last April, she was under for over 2 hours. She was perfectly fine, the waking up part was difficult as we expected. Make sure you have someone with you to ride home in the backseat. She was pretty out of it for a while, but as soon as we got home she was back to herself.

B went under general anesthesia to have a hernia repaired. Honestly it was way worse for me, than him!
They gave him (2.5yr old) the choice of riding in a car, walking or a wagon. They also gave him a choice of flavoring for the gas. He chose to walk away with them. Out of sight they put him under and took him to the OR. They brought us in to the recovery room and he was still under. Within a few minutes he began stirring and woke up pretty much like he does in the AM. He seemed a little confused but we presented him with a Popsicle and that seemed to help.

I'm sure you've done your research, and sought a second opinion....but it seems really rough to be put under for cavities. Are there no other options?

@Raindrop: I think anesthesia at a hospital is as safe as it can be, and wouldn't be concerned about it at all!

I've heard that dental sedation is much less regulated in many states though. Do you know if there will be a pediatric anesthesiologist in the room? If there is, then I'd be ok with it!

@Raindrop: That sounds awesome to me!!

If your dentist has great online reviews + a separate pediatric anesthesiologist + a clean record with the Dental Board, then I think you've done everything you can to look into safety issues!

@mrbee: this! If a dentist is doing general anesthesia, it's not very well regulated and it's important to make sure there's an actual anesthesiologist in the room. In that case it should be very safe.

@Raindrop: when my LO got tubes the anesthesiologist told me it's basically a 1 in a million chance that there would be any issue if the child has no family history of bad reactions to anesthesia and it's just not something they worry over. Since my husband and I had both been put under without issue that gave me a lot of comfort.

LO1 got tubes and I was sooooo worried about the anesthesia but everything was great and it was no big deal. She woke up right after the procedure and the tubes have been sooooo helpful!

@Raindrop: Hopefully your waiting time is coming to an end and heading home soon. You got this momma!