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Is it safe to go under general anesthesia 3 times within 8.5 weeks period?

I am having Austin and tailors bunion surgery on my left foot (2.5 hr under general anesthesia). Taking off 8.5 weeks. Have decided to do breast revision (2 hr under general anesthesia) a months after the foot surgery. Now I just found out I have to have a leep procedure done on my cervix (1 hr under general). Is it safe to do all of these in 2 months? If I space it out 4 weeks each? I just can't afford to take any more time off from work.

Doctor Answers 8

September 3rd, 2014

Three surgies in short period of time

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Good question, anesthesia numerous times is not to concerning provided all of your medical staff surrounding all procedures are aware.  Make sure each surgeon and anesthesiologists are well trained and the place you are going for surgery is accredited so you have an educated team.  Good luck and take plenty of time for each recovery.

Dr. Lane F. Smith
Lane Smith, MD


Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon
4.6 out of 5 stars 98 reviews

August 10th, 2017

Is it safe to go under general anesthesia 3 times within 8.5 weeks period?

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Hi Punkybrew777, There are some things that can increase your risks going under anesthesia: you are older, you need major surgery on your heart or lungs, your brain, your major blood vessels, or your bowels, you need emergency surgery, surgery for major trauma or you are very unwell before your operation. If you don't fall into any of these categories so your risk is very low. That being said, you need to make sure each of your surgeons and anesthesiologists know about each of the procedures you have planned, you have completed all required pre-operative testing and they all give you the okay. It's not up to the opinion of us docs online, it's the ones who are directly responsible for your care. Good luck!

William Aiello, MD

William Aiello, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 65 reviews

August 28th, 2014

Is it safe to go under general anesthesia 3 times within 8.5 weeks period?

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If you are healthy, then this should not be a problem.  Just make sure that each surgeon on aware of the other procedures.  Good luck.
Stephen J. Ronan, MD, FACS
August 28th, 2014

Anesthesia few weeks apart

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If you don't have any health issues, it is absolutely safe to have surgery few weeks apart. Just make sure the doctors taken care of you are certified to do the procedures you are getting done. They will make sure your are well evaluated and monitor throughout the process.
Patricia Yugueros, MD
August 28th, 2014

Spacing surgeries under general anesthesia

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In general having different operations under general anesthesia a few weeks apart should not be a problem. with the procedures you are having, I would not try to combine them. Be sure to communicate with your surgeons about the plan and make sure they aggree with the sequence and time between.
Richard Baxter, MD

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 59 reviews

August 28th, 2014

Is it safe to go under general anesthesia 3 times within 8.5 weeks period?

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The answer lies in your general state of health. If you are healthy this should not represent a problem whatsoever. I would strongly suggest that you combine your GYN procedure with the breast augmentation. Good luck
Jose Perez-Gurri, MD, FACS
August 31st, 2014

Three surgeries in a short time

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This amount of surgery is safe.  If your anesthesia is done by a experienced, board-certified anaesthesiologist you will ensure that you have the greatest degree of safety with your anaesthesia.

Best of luck with your surgeries.
Shim Ching, MD

Shim Ching, MD
Honolulu Plastic Surgeon
4.6 out of 5 stars 51 reviews

August 28th, 2014

Having 3 procedures within 8 /2 weeks is certainly possible

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Having 3 procedures within 8 /2 weeks is certainly possible.  I would wonder if you have considered combining the breast revision and your gyn surgery.  
Jeffrey Zwiren, MD

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
4.5 out of 5 stars 20 reviews

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.