Here is what the master had to say about it - Cecil’s Article.
This happened to me the only time I underwent surgery.
Same thing with me. I was complaining to the nurse who had to stick me three times to find a vein when I fell asleep, just like that, no warning. I woke up around the end of the procedure I think. In my case it was a nose surgery, I felt a scalpel or something drilling the bone far back inside my nose. I was concious but unable to control my muscles. This is almost as bad as the pain. I felt suffocating, couldn’t breath but the ventilator must have been doing it for me. The pain was impossible to describe. Tried to move to warn the surgeon but all I could do was a little trembling of my legs and I made a huge effort. I still remember the helplessness I felt. I heard the surgeon asking the anesthesiologist if this was normal and to my depair he just said to ignore it! I don’t know how long this lasted. Fortunately I must have dosed off again because I cannot remember anything else except waking up on the way to my room.
Not only that but the doctor screwed up and I started developing a septicemia during the following week and had to undergo surgery to correct it, after having my complains ignored. I was so weak I just gave up arguing. I slept 20 hours a day during this period, couldn’t eat and just felt awful.
Painful memories indeed!
The doctor even tried to charge me for the second operation. I wanted to go there and shove the bill down his throat with a sledge hammer but my parents prevented me. This turned into a personal account but reading the article brought back all kinds of memories. I should have sued but the justice here is ridicuilously ineficient. Besides no one would support me, claiming I just imagined the whole thing.
It is a traumatic experience. I have no scars to speak of, never needed psychiatric help or anything although I understand why someone would want it, especially with more complicated surgeries than what I had, but I wouldn’t wish this to anyone except the butchers who did this to me.
Yep. Not three months ago it happened to me. The intern denied that what I rememebered from the operation happened, but my surgeon (who I like A LOT) said it did in fact happen the way I remembered.
It’s not really funny but when I was aware enough to realize that I could feel the scalpel, the first thing I though about was this column. I know I thought I was gonna be like those people Cecil wrote about and would not be able to let the Doc know that I could feel what was going on.
After that thought, I was able to kick my leg. Like Johnnylsgood it took a tremendous amount of effort, for a while I thought I wouldn’t be able to move my leg at all. When I did manage to kick my leg, the Dr said (and I heard)“She didn’t like that” At which point they upped the anesthesia.(Yippe!)
Also like Johnnylsgood I had the sensation that I wasn’t breathing. I knew this couldn’t be but it really felt like I was suffocating. Then, everything blurs…(thank godess!)
I still have nightmares in which I was not able to let the Dr. know I could feel the scalpel. I’ve said before, that was the WORST feeling of my life. (And I’ve had a couple of really really bad moments.)
Several years ago, my sister woke up after anesthesia completely paralyzed but mentally alert. fortunately the attending nurse was somehow aware of her predicament, soothing her and letting her know that her condition was temporary. Apparently she was missing an enzyme in her system that was supposed to break down a particular part of her anesthetic regimen.
A paralytic drug prevents movement, an amnestic prevents the formation of long-term memories. Philosopher Dan Dennett has remarked that if a drug acted as both paralytic and amnestic, people would think it was an anaesthetic. Only the patient would know otherwise, and then only during the operation.
I have heard (rumour 1) that if the surgeon or anaesthetist suspects a patient is conscious during surgery, they administer an amnestic to prevent being sued. I am sceptical as this would require a concerted conspiracy between the surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, administrators etc.
I have also heard (rumour 2) that about a century ago the potent muscle relaxant curare was used for operations on children, and their stories of remaining conscious were dismissed. I have my doubts about this too, although I can imagine curare being used in an emergency situation.
The cerebral monitor sounds like a good idea. Depending on the paralytic drugs administered, it might be possible to detect consciousness through hormone levels. A drug which stops muscles contracting would not necessarily stop adrenalin (epinephrine) or cortisol being released in response to pain and terror.
My understanding is that most “anasthetics” used in surgery are, in fact, a combination of a paralytic and an amnestic. The horror stories related in Cecil’s columns and the various posts are what happens when the first drug works but the second one doesn’t. What’s so ignoble about using amnestics in such a situation? I was probably in excruciating pain when my wisdom teeth were pulled… But I don’t remember a bit of it, so why should I care?
No more, no less.