two yrs ago, i reported to Cedars-Sinai Hospital for heart transplant surgery.
during the patient prep procedure, the Aneshetist (gas doctor) gave me a pill to relax me and a pill or shot that put me to sleep. I woke up a little while later, and I was being wheeled to the operating room. I knew when I got there because it was cold. But I couldn’t move, speak, or open my eyes. I started to fight the drug in an attempt to let those people know I was awake. I managed to move my shoulders and I felt I had almost got my eyes opened. I heard a male voice say, “I aint never seen anything like that!” and a female voice say in a very sympathetic tone, “Don"t worry Howard, we are going to take care of you.” (female nurturing). Soon after, I was asleep. I assume they applied more anesthetic intravenously. It seem like 10 minutes later I woke up in a Hospital bed wondering when they were going to do this procedure. A nurse said I was done. I remember wondering what their return policy was but never asked that silly question. My wife said the surgery was over 4 hours. however now, I would be very hesitant to go into another major surgery.
For future ref: it’s helpful to other readers if you provide a link, so they can find what you’re talking about without searching time etc. You’ll know for next time.
During my first kidney stone surgery (to date I’ve had four, and I go through something close to a panic attack every time I schedule one) I went under just fine but had a very hard time waking up. I was in a dozing state for quite some time and kept trying to fall asleep but my heart rate/breathing monitor kept going crazy every time I did. I tried to fall asleep regardless – all I wanted to do was sleep and the damn machine kept beeping – but when I sat up to look at the readout… well, those numbers certainly woke me up. My heart rate and blood pressure were dangerously low, I remember, but I can’t remember the numbers themselves. The nurse came in to scold me for trying to sleep.
The joys of surgery without insurance, let me tell you. I’m still having to pay every month for that horrible experience.
Scary!! Hopefully even if you hadn’t moved, you were just mid-induction where they were going to deepen the anesthesia anyway, but it’s a good thing you alerted them.
BTW - once you’re more comfortable with the boards, it’d be cool if you started an “ask the” thread in MPSIMS; I’m pretty sure we haven’t had a heart transplant patient do that! (and I give it 3 replies before some wag asks “recipient or donor?”).