I did exactly that. I had even started to doubt myself until I recalled particular statements I could not have overheard otherwise. Both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist denied my recollections but I saw a crossed look between them and a “deer caught in the headlights” reaction that sealed it for me. I had also been told it was impossible until I learned of similar experiences on the net.
I was only conscious for a brief period during the procedure. I’m pretty sure that either through incompetence or body chemistry a component of the anesthesia wore off quicker than the surgical team anticipated.
I remember having small talk with the anesthesiologist, and then nothing until I heard the following dialogue:
“That’s like the pot calling the kettle black.”
“You know, I’ve never really understood that expression.” Me:“Well, you see old-fashioned cast iron pots and kettles were both black, so it was pretty hypocritical for one to criticize the other for being black.” Dr. in Recovery Room (the one who didn’t understand the expression): “Wasn’t she in La-La land a minute ago?”
One more thing that no one has mentioned – general anesthesia can also sometimes cause constipation. No one told me beforehand, and since I’m someone who never really gets constipated, it was extremely disturbing until I spoke with my doctor who explained that it was a common side effect of anesthesia and prescribed me a laxative. Not a big deal, just wanted you to be aware of it in case it happens to you.
I have been under for oral surgery and for ankle surgery. I am an anesthesia champ.
When I was 19 I had my wisdom teeth out. I counted backwards, got to 97, and opened my eyes to the dentist leaning over me. They brought me to a room to lie down in. I was wide awake and felt fine, so after a few mintues of boredom I went in search of my mom. The nurse herded me back, though I was walking fine. I waited another five minutes, opened the door and called out that I was really bored, would they please bring me a magazine. They brought it and told me to lie down. When they came back to check on me, they found me sitting up and reading-- again they told me to lie down. Around then my mom returned from the pharmacy getting my pain pills. Two people “helped” me to her car. At home I walked up 2 flights of stairs unaided, had some ice cream, and took my pain pill.
The ankle surgery was much the same. I woke up like a light switch going on- wide awake. A nurse came and asked me about pain. I said I felt fine but was starving (going on like 15 hours without food by that point). All I got was water. I had a jovial conversation with my surgeon who showed me camera pics from inside my ankle. I requested pain meds, drifted in space for a while once I got them, and was discharged with instructions to try some broth and jello in a few hours and progress up to solid foods, as tolerated, in 24 hours.
I explained my last experience with anesthesia (and my hunger) to the friend that drove me. We hit the Burger King drive through on the way home and I ate a whopper, fries, and a hershey’s sunday pie before we reached the house. However, not much short of salmonela (which I’ve had) makes me puke. I would not recommend fast food 2 hours after surgery to others.
(Both my Mom and sister react to being under the same way-- waking up un-groggy and thinking FEED ME. My Dad got violently ill the one time he was under.)
The first time I went under, I enjoyed the few seconds of whacked out bliss where I was still cnscious. The second time, I can remember fighting against it (I don’t know why). Next thing, conscious, I was waiting to hear them say, “give him some more. It’s not working” (this happens to me all the time with dentists’ local anaesthetics), but then they wheeled me out of the theatre. It was all over. The lack of sensation of time elapsed is weird. Nothing like sleep.
Oh, yeah…that second or two before you actually black out where everything slooooowsssss dooowwwwnnn and you feel like your head just got stuffed with marshmallows…
That second or two sounds a lot like what happened when they gave me the Excellent Drugs before taking me back. Man, trust me, you want those drugs. I’m going to ask for them should I have surgery again, which is entirely possible at some point. I do wish I’d thought (later) to ask exactly what they gave me, but I suspect Versed due to the total lack of memory.
Watching them cart my mom off to knee surgery about twenty seconds after giving her either the same thing or something very similar last year was hilarious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy!
I’m glad I’ve had the lack of sense of time thing, because when you’re nervous about something that’s going to happen, and one second you’re nervous and seemingly the next it’s over and everything’s fine is an awesome feeling.
I had the apnoea surgery a couple of years ago. They asked me to start counting backwards from 100 and my next conscious memory was waking up. I didn’t remember falling asleep, losing consciousness, anything. I don’t remember getting any further than 99 or 98.
I don’t believe it only relates to being sick. If the sensation of the OR being cold related to illness then the hospital room, corridors, etc. should also seem cold and they don’t normally seem that way when I’m going for surgery (I’ve had quite a few operations in my time). I’ve had to ask for a blanket too if they’re taking a while to get ready.
It’s been more than ten years and I don’t really recall the going to sleep part, but I do remember waking up. I was in the recovery room and the nurse must have come over to check on me. I reached out for her hand, and she just stood there holding my hand for what seemed like several minutes until I dozed off again. I don’t know why I did that, but it was incredibly comforting.
I had bypass surgery almost 11 years ago. They wheeled me up to the OR, and the anesthesiologist was sitting at a little table outside the room. He put some stuff into my IV, and they started wheeling me in. I remember as far as seeing the lights, and that was it until I came out of it.
My daughter had general last year for a diagnostic procedure. It was much worse watching her go under, even though there were no problems. (She got the gas.) I guess it’s just hard watching your own kid being anesthetized.
You’re very mistaken about this, and in fact Phenergan is often used in conjunction with opiates because of its ability to potentiate the opiate effect. Phenergan (promethezine) is NOT an opiate. It’s an antihistimine in the phenothiazine class which has sedative and antiemetic effects. You might be confused because Phenergan is a competitive H[sub]1[/sub] receptor antagonist, which has nothing to do with opiate receptors at all but sounds an awful lot like “partial mu antagonist,” which does.
Please don’t be afraid to use Phenergan for nausea. It will absolutely not reduce the potency of an opiate analgesic.
If I am, indeed, wrong about this (and I may well be), I’ll defend myself by saying I was going on something told to me on these boards by one of the medical pros here. I want to say it was picunurse, but I’m not certain that it was her. It could have been a different nurse, or irishgirl. I’m pretty sure it wasn’tQtM.
I would definitely be interested in having the question settled once and for all, though, as I generally used to prefer Phenergan (and actually I knew it was an antihistamine), because it would cause me to doze off. Sleeping is a wonderful way to pass the time when you’re in the hospital.
Og forbid anyone ever have that waking paralysis thing happening, though. Any anesthesiologist who lets that happen deserves to have his license pulled and bamboo sticks shoved under his fingernails.
The last time I had GA was when my gall bladder was removed. I remember they placed my IV and then the anesthesiologist said, “We’re starting the drip now.” About 5 seconds later, I turned off like a light. When I came to in the recovery room, I was a bit spacey for a while, but that wore off after about 15 minutes.
Not when I woke up. As the drugs wore off that night it started hurting and it hurt for the next week or two. It took me a few weeks to relearn how to swallow properly.
IV style for my wisdom teeth – the needle was inserted, I thought “SHIT! That.” click. Woke up, tried to finish saying “hurts”, woke up again stoned out of my gourd. I wondered what the beeping was, discovered that holding my breath (to better hear the beeping?) upset the nurses, and then we went to the pharmacy and . . . "THERE ARE HORSIES IN THE PARKING LOT!!one!!. Yeah, totally shitfaced. Mom says I had a conversation with a cop in the parking lot about “Nope. Mommy told me not to touch the door no matter what. No, go away.” before she came back to explain why a stoned teenager had bloody drool dripping down her face.
Mask style (every time): Counted backwards to 98. Woke up, and promptly barfed on the poor recovery room nurse-type person. Went back to sleep, woke up, swallowed a pill, woke up, eventually go home.
I’ve been out twice - once for elbow surgery, another time for septoplasty. I had my wisdom teeth out under a local - sounds like that’s unusual for this group.
Both times I was out were similar. IV in the arm, wheel me into the operating room, they start prepping. No countdown (that I remember). I do remember my face feeling numb and heavy, and being unable to move my face. I said something about how I was feeling, and they told me that was the drugs - I thought “how rude, why don’t you tell me you’re about to do that…”
Then I was waking up. For a second, I thought, just let me sleep a little more, then I remembered what had happened, and tried to do whatever they told me. No nausea for me.
Be forewarned, this is a gruesome thread about being awake, conscious, and in terrible pain during an operation under general anesthesia. If you’re nervous at all do not read it. On the other hand it might prompt you to ask some very probing questions before being put under.