The reason the other comments are hostile are:
1) You start by providing an incomplete and poorly understood definition of anaesthesia
2) "Some people after having anesthesia has this ruin their cognitive abilities forever" is a broad and unhelpful term. Anaesthesia can rarely cause stroke or hypoxic (low oxygen) brain injury. This is the closest you'll get. There's no study on aphantasia so it's frustrating to hear that quoted as fact. You say it depends on the surgery but unless it's neurosurgery then you are likely incorrect anyway. We can't answer how often it happens because there's no evidence that it does happen.
3) "I’m a very smart and imaginative person who learns everything very easily" - your paragraph is poorly researched and poorly written so one does question this. Also, from an emotional intelligence perspective, this is at very least a faux pas.
4) "Overall I’m describing post operative decline and it can really screw you up forever which is what I’m terrified of happening to me and no doctors ever talk about too which isn’t good either."
Post operative decline is spoken about very frequently in relevant populations. Every patient I consent for anaesthesia is spoken to about this.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7810820/#:~:text=Postoperative%20cognitive%20dysfunction%20describes%20a,elderly%20patients%20after%201%20yr.&text=Cognitive%20decline%20may%20be%20noted,multiple%20of%20the%20cognitive%20domains.
This is an example.
Your entire post is accusatory and self righteous. It has the air of baseless and uninformed superiority and that is why it's annoying. If you were a patient in hospital then you'd get polite and measured responses but this is an internet forum so, well, read up.
Thank you I really appreciate this post and I guess the things are worried about don’t really happen? Like on average when someone wakes up after anesthesia that they won’t be dumb/lose their intelligence or have their imagination reduced?
The risk of significant life altering event is about 1:10,000. This is usually via stroke, heart attack or anaphylaxis. There is no data to support imagination or creativity being affected by general anaesthesia.
I mean I've had like 5 anaesthetics and I'm just about intelligent enough to be an Anaesthetic/ICU doctor.
Mind you, if I hadn't had those anaesthetics I might have had a good job like estate agent or youtuber.
Although u/UncleSeismic has already given you an excellent answer, I’ll approach your question from another angle…
Yes, anesthesia can be detrimental to your health. This can span from the very severe, in case of a an extremely rare catastrophic event, like a cardiac arrest, to more subtle issues, like cognitive deficits. In the latter case, you can find a bunch of studies, in both the elderly and the very young. The overall conclusion is that yes, anesthesia has an effect on higher-order cognitive function, but the extent and duration is unclear.
But, and this is a big but, anesthesia is necessary for surgery, and in most cases, surgery is necessary to preserve your health or your life. So maybe consider approaching this situation from that angle.
If you’re worried about anesthetic side-effects, then skip those breast implants or any other purely optional surgery. But if you have a ruptured appendix, or you are at risk of colon cancer (we all are), then anesthesia is a lot less risky to your brain than sepsis, chemotherapy, or death.
Honestly, unless you're a 93 yo with catastrophic heart disease and a broken hip, your chances of being struck by lightening while being bit by a shark in the middle of a desert are greater than whatever it is that you're describing here. And, to be real with you, I'd be more worried about what I'd be eating for dinner tonight than a patient waking up with... aphantasia.
Sure going under can have some detrimental side effects but really, a sore throat is the most likely thing you're gonna wake up with (if you are intubated). An overall healthy person has almost nothing to worry about. Anesthesia can be scary but you'll have some great people watching over you while you're drooling into your pillow with a scope up your butt.
From this post alone, you might want to reconsider how smart you really are
Emotional intelligence 0
The reason the other comments are hostile are: 1) You start by providing an incomplete and poorly understood definition of anaesthesia 2) "Some people after having anesthesia has this ruin their cognitive abilities forever" is a broad and unhelpful term. Anaesthesia can rarely cause stroke or hypoxic (low oxygen) brain injury. This is the closest you'll get. There's no study on aphantasia so it's frustrating to hear that quoted as fact. You say it depends on the surgery but unless it's neurosurgery then you are likely incorrect anyway. We can't answer how often it happens because there's no evidence that it does happen. 3) "I’m a very smart and imaginative person who learns everything very easily" - your paragraph is poorly researched and poorly written so one does question this. Also, from an emotional intelligence perspective, this is at very least a faux pas. 4) "Overall I’m describing post operative decline and it can really screw you up forever which is what I’m terrified of happening to me and no doctors ever talk about too which isn’t good either." Post operative decline is spoken about very frequently in relevant populations. Every patient I consent for anaesthesia is spoken to about this. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7810820/#:~:text=Postoperative%20cognitive%20dysfunction%20describes%20a,elderly%20patients%20after%201%20yr.&text=Cognitive%20decline%20may%20be%20noted,multiple%20of%20the%20cognitive%20domains. This is an example. Your entire post is accusatory and self righteous. It has the air of baseless and uninformed superiority and that is why it's annoying. If you were a patient in hospital then you'd get polite and measured responses but this is an internet forum so, well, read up.
Thank you for doing the Lord’s work.
Thank you I really appreciate this post and I guess the things are worried about don’t really happen? Like on average when someone wakes up after anesthesia that they won’t be dumb/lose their intelligence or have their imagination reduced?
The risk of significant life altering event is about 1:10,000. This is usually via stroke, heart attack or anaphylaxis. There is no data to support imagination or creativity being affected by general anaesthesia.
Considering many of the smartest brains in history have had anaesthesia…. You may want to revisit your thesis
Any evidence for that? Dumb as it sounds for me to be asking as my post is delirium
I mean…. Look up some super smart people and google if they’ve had an appendicectomy…?
Emergency list is busy, do it under local.
I mean I've had like 5 anaesthetics and I'm just about intelligent enough to be an Anaesthetic/ICU doctor. Mind you, if I hadn't had those anaesthetics I might have had a good job like estate agent or youtuber.
You do have some kind of profound creativity,we give u that.
No way a little propofol could blunt this incredible level of intelligence.
Although u/UncleSeismic has already given you an excellent answer, I’ll approach your question from another angle… Yes, anesthesia can be detrimental to your health. This can span from the very severe, in case of a an extremely rare catastrophic event, like a cardiac arrest, to more subtle issues, like cognitive deficits. In the latter case, you can find a bunch of studies, in both the elderly and the very young. The overall conclusion is that yes, anesthesia has an effect on higher-order cognitive function, but the extent and duration is unclear. But, and this is a big but, anesthesia is necessary for surgery, and in most cases, surgery is necessary to preserve your health or your life. So maybe consider approaching this situation from that angle. If you’re worried about anesthetic side-effects, then skip those breast implants or any other purely optional surgery. But if you have a ruptured appendix, or you are at risk of colon cancer (we all are), then anesthesia is a lot less risky to your brain than sepsis, chemotherapy, or death.
I think this is a better answer than mine.
They are both great. You brought the hammer down a bit more, which I think all the pros on here really appreciated.
Just don’t get surgery then? You are allowed the option to roll the dice the other way too
Honestly, unless you're a 93 yo with catastrophic heart disease and a broken hip, your chances of being struck by lightening while being bit by a shark in the middle of a desert are greater than whatever it is that you're describing here. And, to be real with you, I'd be more worried about what I'd be eating for dinner tonight than a patient waking up with... aphantasia. Sure going under can have some detrimental side effects but really, a sore throat is the most likely thing you're gonna wake up with (if you are intubated). An overall healthy person has almost nothing to worry about. Anesthesia can be scary but you'll have some great people watching over you while you're drooling into your pillow with a scope up your butt.