# If I die in the OR **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 6, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540 "2017-03-06T14:02:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/1 "2017-03-06T14:02:45Z")
I’ll be getting an arthroscopy done in an hour and a half and I’ve had the weak premonition that I’m going to croak on the table for a week or so. I don’t believe in woo or clairvoyance but this is just so I can come back in six hours or so and say, “I’m okay!” It’s not some silly attempt at attention; I’m not well known, being a reader and not much of a poster. So we’ll see you all in a bit. Here we go… ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/2 "2017-03-06T14:03:27Z")
Looking forward to your next post! Good luck and hope it’s an easy recovery. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/3 "2017-03-06T14:05:52Z")
Good luck and best wishes! ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/4 "2017-03-06T14:11:25Z")
Speedy recovery! ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/5 "2017-03-06T14:16:01Z")
Please come back and tell us the suit of the playing card on the shelf above your head. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/6 "2017-03-06T14:31:30Z")
Sending best safety thoughts! Wishing you a very speedy recovery! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/7 "2017-03-06T14:49:35Z")
If it’s a knee or something like that, I’ve heard of people getting epidurals instead of general anesthesia. So maybe that’s an option? ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/8 "2017-03-06T15:04:27Z")
Best of luck. (I don’t post a whole lot either). We should start an on line group of people who read and seldom post. Although, what would there be to read? All shall be well. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/9 "2017-03-06T15:18:39Z")
> [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > …I’m going to croak on the table for a week or so. So you should be coming back to life some time next Monday? Keep us posted. > [@bump](#): > > If it’s a knee or something like that, I’ve heard of people getting epidurals instead of general anesthesia. So maybe that’s an option? Epidurals are standard with arthroscopy. General anesthesia would be the exception. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/10 "2017-03-06T16:01:18Z")
i don’t want to jinx you by saying “you’ll be fine,” but - you’ll be fine. ([Unless you are Tom Sellick in real life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coma_(1978_film)))… ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/11 "2017-03-06T16:53:48Z")
> [@MonkeyMensch](#): > > I’ll be getting an arthroscopy done in an hour and a half and I’ve had the weak premonition that I’m going to croak on the table for a week or so. I don’t believe in woo or clairvoyance but this is just so I can come back in six hours or so and say, “I’m okay!” It’s not some silly attempt at attention; I’m not well known, being a reader and not much of a poster. So we’ll see you all in a bit. Here we go… If it’s any comfort, I suspect that’s normal. I had surgery under GA a couple of years ago for something completely non-life-threatening\* and although I managed not to show it, I did feel a fear that I would never wake up again - not because of the surgery itself, but due to a bad reaction to the drugs or something. Obviously, I did wake up just fine. (Twice, as a matter of fact, since I needed the same procedure two times.) - For the bored or morbidly curious, it was cataract removal and lens replacement, which is normally outpatient surgery, but my eyes are so high risk that my surgeon was sufficiently concerned about complications that he wanted to start under GA rather than have to begin the process mid way if something went wrong. Nothing went wrong, yay! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/12 "2017-03-06T17:04:10Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > If it’s any comfort, I suspect that’s normal. I had surgery under GA a couple of years ago for something completely non-life-threatening\* and although I managed not to show it, I did feel a fear that I would never wake up again - not because of the surgery itself, but due to a bad reaction to the drugs or something. Obviously, I did wake up just fine. (Twice, as a matter of fact, since I needed the same procedure two times.) > > - For the bored or morbidly curious, it was cataract removal and lens replacement, which is normally outpatient surgery, but my eyes are so high risk that my surgeon was sufficiently concerned about complications that he wanted to start under GA rather than have to begin the process mid way if something went wrong. Nothing went wrong, yay! Same here (only two weeks ago), which is why I started a thread about it. Made me somewhat nervous, but I’m sure that’s true for most people. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/13 "2017-03-06T17:29:41Z")
Huh. From the title I thought he was going to leave us his stuff. Wonder if he considered that there is no wifi in the recovery room? ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/14 "2017-03-06T17:33:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > So you should be coming back to life some time next Monday? Keep us posted. > > Epidurals are standard with arthroscopy. General anesthesia would be the exception. Epidural or spinal anesthetic is standard for knee and hip arthroplasty (joint replacement). For arthroscopy, general anesthesia is often more convenient because the operative time can be very short with little post operative pain. Depending on the surgeon’s and patient’s preference, they can also be done under sedation with local anesthetic. Arthroscopies which have more painful or invasive components such as ACL or rotator cuff repairs can be done with general anesthesia and pre- or postoperative nerve block. In any event, the rate of serious anesthetic complications is very low with all of the above so here’s hoping we see the OP back here. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/15 "2017-03-06T18:37:55Z")
Title made me think you were going to Portland. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/16 "2017-03-06T21:52:41Z")
Nope. I didn’t croak in the OR. I was in There for four hours, but I;m Back Home With cold OJ and an ice pack, typing one-handed. Yippee! Here we go on to the tough part, with less stress and less anxiety, too! OK! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/17 "2017-03-06T21:56:39Z")
Hooray! ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/18 "2017-03-06T22:10:06Z")
Congratulations. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/19 "2017-03-06T22:31:45Z")
Yay!! He lives to post another day! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540/20 "2017-03-06T22:53:51Z")
I had some minor knee repair done last week under general. First time in my life; I guess I’ve been lucky. Was lucky enough to come out without complications, as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-die-in-the-or/781540.md?page=2)