I have scrubbed in on a lot of surgeries as a medical student and I can tell you there is ZERO nonsense that goes on in the operating room. As for what will occur .... in the pre-op area the anesthesiologist will come in an talk to you about what to expect, they will start an IV and hang a bag of fluids, you will be given a medication to help you relax before being brought into the room. Once in the room you will be moved over the the surgical table and the EKG leads will be placed on your chest, a blood pressure cuff will be placed on your arm and an O2 monitor will be attached to one of your fingers, you will be given medication into your IV that will make you fall asleep and after that you will have a tube placed down your throat to supply you with anesthesia gasses. The anesthesiologist will monitor your awareness and all your vitals from the head of your bed during the procedure. You will be prepped by the nurse which may mean a catheter if you will be under for any length of time and the surgical site will be scrubbed and prepped for surgery. All during this time there will be many staff members in the room including nurses, scrub techs, doctors, residents, students etc so there is no funny stuff going on while you are under. Before any incision is made they will verify again who you are by your band and chart and verify the procedure to be performed. One the procedure is finished a nurse will clean you off if there is surgical scrub that needs removed etc as you are being awakened by the anesthesiologist you will then be wheeled to a recovery room where you will be monitored until you can be brought to your room. They will usually remove your catheter here while you are still very sleepy so you may never realize you had one in. However it may be left in until they are sure you can get up and use the restroom on your own. After you are monitored in recovery for about an hour or two you will be brought to your room where the floor nurses will take over your care.
