The following procedure is a work of fiction and in no way is to be construed as a recommendation to do this in real life. Procedures of this nature should only be done in a medical setting by a licensed professional. Safety is always first.

You’re sitting in one of those Barco chairs, already changed into your gown, cap, and booties. The pre-op nurse has been over and collected her data, started your IV, and covered you with the blanket from the warmer. I’ve been over to see you and discuss the anesthesia plan and we’ve agreed to general anesthesia. I left your chairside for a few minutes, telling you that the room isn’t quite ready and that I’ll be back when it’s time to go inside.

About 10 minutes later, a nurse in a green scrub dress and purple cloth scrub cap comes over and talks with you for a few minutes. She verifies your procedure, your ID band, and a few other questions. As she reaches the end of her checklist, I reappear, but with a surgical mask over my nose and mouth.

“Any questions before we go inside?”

You shake your head no.

“Walking or riding?”

“I’ll walk”

The circulating nurse and I help you stand up and wrap the blanket around you. She puts her surgical mask on and we guide you into the surgical suite and into the second room on the right.

As you walk in, you see the table in the middle of the room, a couple of people at a table in the back of the room, one of whom is already in a sterile gown and gloves, and the anesthesia machine. We guide you to the table.

“I just want you to sit on the side of the table.”

You follow the direction perfectly. I then untie the top of your gown and open it. I place the 5 electrodes from the heart monitor onto your back, directly opposite where you would expect them on your chest.

“Let’s get you to twist and lay back.”

We help you bring your legs up and then help you bring them up onto the table. As you start to lay back, you’re just shy of the doughnut.

“Scoot on up the table for us, until you feel my hand on your shoulder.”

You do exactly as I ask and after a short scoot, my right hand in on your shoulder. The circulator covers you with a heavy green sheet as I start to unsnap the sleeves on your gown. She then places the safety strap over your hips.

I position your left arm onto the arm board and place a strap over it. I then attach the LR to the saline well that the pre-op nurse started in your forearm. You feel the cool fluid entering your vein. I take a few syringes from the tray on the anesthesia machine and turn to you with them.

“Just a little something to help with your nerves.”

You sigh, knowing that your heart is racing a bit – about 100 times a minute. You then nod at me. I take the first syringe, which you read the label as “FENTANYL 50mcg/ml”. I screw it onto your IV and slowly start to inject 2 ml. As I finish the injection, about a minute later, you start to feel the medication helping you to calm down a little. You look a bit more relaxed, too. And your heart rate comes down into the 80s.

I then turn my attention to getting the rest of the monitors on you. I take the blood pressure cuff and place it on your right upper arm, then strap your arm to the arm board. The cuff starts to inflate and get tight. I then place the oximeter onto your right ear lobe and as soon as I do, the monitor starts to beep with each beat of your heart.

“Ready to breathe a little oxygen?”

As you nod, you hear me don a pair of gloves then take the black mask and attach it to the breathing circuit. I turn to the machine and dial the oxygen to 10. You feel my gloved left hand under your chin, bringing it back just a little. Then the mask comes into view and gets closer to your face. As it touches the bridge of your nose, I smile under my mask.

“Nice big breaths. That’s it.”

I encircle your nose and mouth with the mask and hold it in place firmly, but gently. As you breathe, the bag on the machine deflates with each rise of your chest and inflates with each fall of your chest. After a minute or so, I bring the tails of the mask harness up and strap the mask to your face.

I then take the second syringe which you read as “REGLAN 5mg/ml” and I screw it onto your IV and start to inject it into your IV fluid. It takes me a couple of minutes to inject it. You start to feel a bit drowsier. As I finish it, the blood pressure cuff inflates again.

I look back at the monitor and you seem to be a bit more relaxed. Your heart rate is in the mid-70s, blood pressure looks great, and you look more relaxed than you did when I gave you the fentanyl.

“Time for a little gas to help you relax a little more. Keep with the nice deep breaths.”

I turn back to the anesthesia machine and lower the oxygen to 5 and turn the nitrous to 5. It takes a breath or two, but you start to smell the sweetness of the nitrous on top of the rubber of the mask. You start to feel a little tingling at the ends of your fingers and toes. With each breath, the tingling becomes more intense and travels up into your hands and feet. And, your nose and face start to tingle too. I’ve turned to the anesthesia machine and turned the nitrous to 7 and the oxygen to 3.

“You’re doing really great, and it’s time to go odd to sleep.” I rub your right shoulder.

I reach back to the vaporizer and turn the sevoflurane to 4. After a breath, you start to smell the lemony-chemical smell on top of the sweet rubber of the mask. I let you take a few breaths, then turn the vaporizer up to 8.

“Off to sleep now. Nice big breaths.”

With your next breath, you seem to feel like you’re sinking into the table. Even the ambient noises, like the instruments clanking together, seems to be further away. You take another breath and that big light fixture above you looks like it’s moving a little. Your eyelids get really, really heavy. And with the next breath, your eyelids close.

“See you in the recovery room.”