My 5 year old daughter is going to have general anesthesia for the first time and is nervous what can i tell her the doctors will do this is a mask?

Prepare her: Here is a nice article on preparing children for procedures involving general anesthesia:http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/treatments/Pages/Procedures-With-Anesthesia.aspx Also discover your own fears, formulate questions and ask them to the anesthesiologist who will be at the procedure. Hope she and you will be fine.

Anesthesia: anesthesia is becoming relatively safe for children and infants. Now, it is becoming more standard and there are pediatric anesthesiologist who have a lot of experience with handling your child's needs. Rest assured

Depends on procedure: It really depends on what kind of procedure your daughter is going to have...this will determine whether your child will have "MAC" (monitored anesthesia care) vs. general anesthesia. It is normal to be nervous--ask your daughter's surgeon if you can arrange to talk to the anesthesiologist ahead of time so that you can learn more about the procedure and the kind of anesthesia usually used.

There are variations: You should really speak to the anesthesiologist who will be performing the surgery because there are variations, some anesthesiologists like to give an oral anxiolytic, some allow a parent in the room for the induction. Once she gets to the operating room, she will be asked to take take deep breaths from the mask, she will fall asleep, she will wake up with an iv in her hand, and probably a sore

It could be : a mask, but can have oral Versed before leaving parents. Or a patient skilled nurse or anesthesiologist can start an IV while awake without much problem.

No needles!: Usually for a 5 year old we would put on basic monitors--EKG stickers, BP cuff, a finger oxygen monitor--first. None of these hurt. They just help us keep her safe. Then she'll breathe through a mask just like an astronaut going into space. The next thing she knows, she'll wake up and it will all be done. No need to start an IV except in special cases.