Before You Go Under
A Step by Step Guide to Ease Your Mind Before Going Under Anesthesia
By Benjamin Taimoorazy

Every year more than 30 million surgical procedures are performed under anesthesia. When it's our turn to be rolled into the operating room, we hand over full control of our lives to the surgeons and anesthesiologists.

The fear of losing control and of the unlnown can make this a terrifying experience. The book's author, Dr. Taimoorazy has witnessed increasing fear in his 14 years as a board certified anesthesiologist partly because the "airwaves and television screens are flooded with anesthesia-related horror stories."

Dr. Taimoorazy's goal in this book is to "address in simple terms the most commonly asked questions and alleviate concerns by explaining the misconceptions related to going under."

Knowing just what anesthesia is and how it works will help you feel more in control and less fearful.

Did you know that the word anesthesia comes from the Greek and means 'loss of sensation'? Dr. Taimoorazy explains the different types of anesthesia such as

• General
• Local
• Conscious Sedation
• Regional
• Epidural
• Spinal

One of the worst fears about anesthesia is that you will still feel something (pain!) and not be able to tell them that you are not completely under. Dr. Taimoorazy explains how they monitor your condition and says that in recent years, brain monitoring equipment is a valuable tool to monitor your awareness.

There are short sections that address many of the typical concerns such as

• I hate needles
• Why is the operating room so cold
• Fasting before surgery
• What if I feel ill before surgery
• Tests required before surgery
• Allergies
• Special concerns for redheads
• Aging and anesthesia
• and so on

The book is written in very short (a page or two) chapters that address a particular concern in easy to understand language.

If you or a love done are facing a surgical procedure, Before You Go Under: A Step by Step Guide to Ease Your Mind Before Going Under Anesthesia will be a valuable guide in tandem with discussions with your doctor.