# I've suddenly become mortally petrified of undergoing general anaesthetic (personal identity Q) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2014, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650 "2014-02-06T10:43:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/301 "2014-04-28T03:10:11Z")
Are you going to go through this again the next time you need GA? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/302 "2014-04-28T03:14:48Z")
Actually, I posted earlier about this: the time I went under back in 1990 gave me that feeling of no time having passed, but several months ago, I was operated on probably eight to ten times over a four month hospital stay, and I DIDN’T GET THAT FEELING. I had a sense of time having passed. Also, they’ll give you a bit of happy gas first (or sometimes even a needle) that will really relax you. I mean REALLY relax you. You’ll be conscious when they put you under, but you won’t be caring much. You. Will. Be. Fine. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/303 "2014-04-28T03:17:02Z")
Me too, frankly - felt like I’d gone to sleep (and time passed) the last time I had GA. The last time I had “twilight sedation” (Versed) so I was conscious but had short-term amnesia about the event, I felt like no time had passed at all, even though it had and I was awake the whole time. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/304 "2014-04-28T03:24:22Z")
> [@LifeSucks](#): > > I will be dead forever, and when my replacement ultimately comes on here to say “oh, everything went fine, I’m alive”, there will be no way of knowing if that was truly ME. How do we know the you that is posting today is the same you that posted yesterday? ---
**Author:** ![LifeSucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8c91f0/32.png) [@LifeSucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeSucks)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/305 "2014-04-28T03:32:10Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > How do we know the you that is posting today is the same you that posted yesterday? You don’t. As for the other responses who claim it felt like time had passed, that runs in contrast to every other anecdote I’ve heard. I won’t lie that it’s somewhat reassuring to hear, though. I don’t know how people think it’s consoling to say “one second you have a mask on, and then as quick as you blink you’re back in the operating room”. That to me is absolutely terrifying. These people either believe in a soul or believe that consciousness can be explained in purely physical terms - two concepts I reject. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/306 "2014-04-28T03:41:20Z")
> [@LifeSucks](#): > > I’m having it done in two days now as it happens. I’m so scared. So, so scared. > > Consciousness DIES. It completely goes out. Not like sleep where you know how much time has passed, or where you move into a more comfortable position if you’re in an awkward position, or where you dream. No. This is the CLOSEST thing to death you will ever “experience”. > > … > > HELP! No one can help you because you’ve determined to cling to your faulty reasoning and irrational conclusion and you have steadfastly ignored the actual rational responses that people have offered you. Talking with you is like talking to a brick wall. If you want help, your sole route is to seek professional counseling or open your ears and listen to what people are telling you. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/307 "2014-04-28T03:48:52Z")
> [@LifeSucks](#): > > You don’t. > > As for the other responses who claim it felt like time had passed, that runs in contrast to every other anecdote I’ve heard. I won’t lie that it’s somewhat reassuring to hear, though. > > I don’t know how people think it’s consoling to say “one second you have a mask on, and then as quick as you blink you’re back in the operating room”. That to me is absolutely terrifying. These people either believe in a soul or believe that consciousness can be explained in purely physical terms - two concepts I reject. Thing is, when you are in deep, dreamless sleep, you DO lose consciousness. This is just a little deeper, but essentially the same principle. I guess an analogy would be a modern electrical appliance. Imagine yourself as one - nobody is unplugging you from the wall. You’re just going into standby mode for a bit. Your brain is still functioning, probably a lot more than you would think. I looked on my time in theatre (well, the first minutes when I was awake, and they were setting up) as a bit of an adventure. Checking out all the cool machines, joking with the doctors, “This going to be the Michael Jackson drug?” “Naah, we gave you that last time.” 🙂 Even if you DO feel no time has passed, you will be expecting it. I think I was only freaked that first time because I had never had a GA, and I _wasn’t_ expecting it. So you have a head start (though I still think you might be pleasantly surprised in that this won’t happen. I’m a GA veteran now, and definitely felt time had passed). ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/308 "2014-04-28T04:03:33Z")
> [@LifeSucks](#): > > How is this COMPLETE cessation of consciousness any different from the teleporter scenario? I don’t get it. I don’t know much about teleporter technology, because it doesn’t exist (on this planet, at least), but the fear of it I have read about is that it will dissemble you to your constituent particles, then reassemble you at your destination, which brings up all sorts of questions about “have I died and been replaced by a new me with memories of the old me intact?” But ain’t none o’ that shit happening with the very real world and comparatively simple idea of being put into a temporarily unconscious state. ---
**Author:** ![LifeSucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8c91f0/32.png) [@LifeSucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeSucks)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/309 "2014-04-28T04:05:00Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > No one can help you because you’ve determined to cling to your faulty reasoning and irrational conclusion and you have steadfastly ignored the actual rational responses that people have offered you. Talking with you is like talking to a brick wall. If you want help, your sole route is to seek professional counseling or open your ears and listen to what people are telling you. How? I responded to them. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/310 "2014-04-28T04:07:53Z")
**LifeSucks** , I think **Acsenray** does make a valid point. You HAVE responded, but “notlisteningnotlisteningnotlistening” is also a response. Like you’ve been told multiple times, you’ll be fine. Take a cup of concrete and all that. ---
**Author:** ![LifeSucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8c91f0/32.png) [@LifeSucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeSucks)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/311 "2014-04-28T04:17:18Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > **LifeSucks** , I think **Acsenray** does make a valid point. You HAVE responded, but “notlisteningnotlisteningnotlistening” is also a response. > > Like you’ve been told multiple times, you’ll be fine. Take a cup of concrete and all that. If I recall correctly, there were two main points brought against me: 1. I should be equally concerned about sleep because I lose consciousness then too. 2. There is still brain function during anesthesia. My rebuttals to 1) and 2) were as follows: \*1) We are indeed conscious during sleep and it has been shown there is far more brain activity during sleep than in anesthesia. \*2) The brain function is purely limited to bodily functions and is at an incredibly low level. In fact, sometimes even those parts of the brain fail if the anesthesia is deep enough, for which breathing apparatus is required. None of the arguments brought forth sufficiently convinced me that my fears weren’t unfounded. I’ve been looking around and found that this is a legitimate philosophical problem, so it’s not just some whacky thought experiment I made up while tripping out on drugs or something. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/312 "2014-04-28T04:25:26Z")
Solipsism is a legitimate philosophical problem too, but most people discard it. ---
**Author:** ![LifeSucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8c91f0/32.png) [@LifeSucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeSucks)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/313 "2014-04-28T05:07:10Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Solipsism is a legitimate philosophical problem too, but most people discard it. My existence is at stake. I think the argument is convincing enough to warrant fear. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/314 "2014-04-28T07:12:17Z")
> [@LifeSucks](#): > > These people either believe in a soul or believe that consciousness can be explained in purely physical terms - two concepts I reject. Sorry, what’s option 3? ---
**Author:** ![LifeSucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8c91f0/32.png) [@LifeSucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeSucks)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/315 "2014-04-28T07:17:35Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Sorry, what’s option 3? Something of the metaphysical or quantum realm. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/316 "2014-04-28T07:31:30Z")
> [@LifeSucks](#): > > Something of the metaphysical… That’s just another way of saying it involves souls. > [@](#): > > …or quantum realm. That’s another way of saying ‘physical’. ---
**Author:** ![LifeSucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8c91f0/32.png) [@LifeSucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeSucks)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/317 "2014-04-28T07:47:48Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > That’s just another way of saying it involves souls. Not really. How can you possibly explain all of your vivid experiences? It can be explained physiologically (I think), but the actual experience itself is not able to be explained in physical terms. Soul has a number of connotations, not the least of which is a religious one. I suppose in a sense you could claim I’m referring to something like that of a soul, but I think it’s kind of misleading. > [@](#): > > That’s another way of saying ‘physical’. I’ll reluctantly concede that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/318 "2014-04-28T08:04:30Z")
When you say ‘metaphysical’, do you really mean ‘[emergent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence)’ - that is, complexity arising from the confluence of simpler factors? If so, I’d wholeheartedly agree - I think it’s almost undeniable that our conscious minds are emergent systems, but I don’t think that has any bearing on the question of where they ‘go’ when inactive. ---
**Author:** ![LifeSucks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8c91f0/32.png) [@LifeSucks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeSucks)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/319 "2014-04-28T15:49:30Z")
Anymore contributions? This evening may be the last time I browse this thread before I go under. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650/320 "2014-04-28T15:57:56Z")
> [@LifeSucks](#): > > Anymore contributions? Essentially everyone on this thread has said the exact same thing - GA doesn’t equal death. You’ve ignored them all so far, maybe your replacement will be more willing to listen to reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-suddenly-become-mortally-petrified-of-undergoing-general-anaesthetic-personal-identity-q/680650.md?page=17)