About 7 years ago I was in hospital for a week to treat an acute intestinal ailment. At one point I had to have a gastroscopy (and further into my small intestine).
I was recounting the other day how they said I had to be mildly sedated, but it was necessarily for me remain conscious throughout the entire procedure. However, they said, the procedure was so traumatic that they would give me a drug that would make me forget the entire experience.
This was duly administered by injection when I was wheeled into the room - which I remember vividly - and I came round a few hours later back in the ward. I asked a nurse how I had been, and she said I’d been thrashing around pretty much. Over the next couple of days I lost chunks of memory too, even accusing my girlfriend of not visiting me, when she actually had.
Now I’m starting to doubt this sort of thing would be done, or even that such a drug exists. Am I suffering from a false memory?
I don’t think it’s just Ruffies that’ll do it. I was told that it’s like valium, but makes you forget. I can’t recall the name of it. (Joke not intended.)
I might be able to find out; but hopefully a medical professional will fill us in.
Ah! That would explain the “like Valium, but different” that the nurse said to me. It was weird how the amnesia kicked in so completely—there was no phase out for even the shortest length of time, everything blanked out in one instant.
Crikey! I’ve heard of this before, but I didn’t know the practice was current.
There’s almost a GD thread in this one (except I can’t be bothered) - is it acceptable (ignoring the fact that it might not be avoidable) to allow a patient to suffer terribly, then merely edit the experience from their memory?
Sounds like Versed to me. When I had my knee surgery, they gave me a sedative beforehand… apparently like an hour beforehand.
I was sitting upright on the gurney, waiting to go into the operating room, and the nurse says “We’re going to give you some Versed - it’s a sedative before your surgery.” I recognized it from a Tom Clancy novel (Cardinal of the Kremlin?) and mentioned it and asked if my memory would be wiped out. She seemed surprised, then said that yeah, it would blank out my memory.
Weirdest damn thing I’ve ever experienced. As far as I was concerned, I went from sitting upright talking to the nurse, to being flat on my back, tube in throat, covered in blankets, with a dull pain in my knee. I was startled at first, then thought it was kind of cool when I remembered what had likely happened.
I just wonder if I hit on the nurse after the Versed… she was pretty hot!
Chiming in to agree that yeah, it was probably Versed. Versed relaxes the patient enough to permit the procedure without making them so unconcious that they need help breathing, plus they can usually follow basic commands. And, they have no memory of the procedure.
And don’t worry, Mangetout , we don’t use this drug as the only sedative for major surgeries! It’s commonly used for procedures like endoscopy or colonoscopy, and sometimes for things like reducing a dislocated shoulder (although there are better drugs for that, IMHO). In other words, uncomfortable procedures that don’t really justify the risks of general anesthesia.
The drug was almost certainly Versed (midazolam) which is used for that purpose almost universally. However, propofol might be possible… I’d doubt Rohypnol, unless you thought you had some unusual stains after the operation.
I had a colonoscopy this summer (welcome to age 50) and they administered Versed. VERY weird. One minute lying on my side, the next minute vaguely in a recovery room. No memory whatsoever of going unconscious. Just like an edited video. One minute looking up at the monitor waiting for the drug to take hold, the next minute it’s over. I was disappointed; I wanted to watch!
The weird thing is that I couldn’t remember things the whole rest of the day. I had a conversation with my friend going home in the car that I absolutely do not remember one word of.
On the whole, I found the experience quite tolerable. I would have been really freaked if I couldn’t remember how I got to the hospital in the first place!
Actually, Versed seems to be a useful med for this. I actually did this in a special area of my PPO’s local clinic. Completely outpatient, with no need for an anesthesiologist (sp?) or special equipment. The additional trauma of a complete anesthesia is avoided, and the procedure is cheaper because there’s one less specialist.
Interesting. I got scoped a year or so ago, and they adminstered Versed. The nurse told me that it wouldn’t knock me out, but I wouldn’t remember anything that happened.
However, I remember everything quite clearly. I did drift in and out a couple of times and I was sedated enough that the procedure wasn’t too uncomfortable (I do remember a bit of pain at one point), but for the most part my memory was not affected.
Hmm, Badge, maybe you’re in a minority? My mom was given Versed on a couple of different occasions before hand and knee surgeries, and doesn’t remember anything between “I’m going to give you something to help you relax,” and “We’re done!” She’s a big fan of it. I would be too, if I were having the sort of surgery where they don’t want to knock you out completely!
I had an endoscopy a few weeks ago for a ring dilation, and it was pretty much like 633squadron in the way feeling like a quick edit: one minute rolling onto my side and watching the nurse fiddle with the tube into my hand, the next lying in the recovery room. Happily, I did not have further gaps (that I’m aware of!) later in the day.
Thanks everyone! Sounds like that’s what it was, and you’ve put my mind at rest. The whole thing was so disorienting that I was wondering if I’d dreamt it. 633squadron’s experience is very similar to what it was like for me.
Well I did have a sore butt. But for less worrying reasons.
I’m with Badge on this one (hey, Badge, maybe we should start a support group?). I had Versed (the anesthetist told me it was “like Valium on steroids”) for a procedure that involved them putting a tube into my right kidney. They didn’t want to knock me out, because I was going over to surgery right after, to have a stone removed, and they didn’t want me under general for that long. Anyway, I still clearly remember most of the procedure. I remember that the novocaine (or whatever) needles hurt going into my back. I remember saying “Owww” a few times. However, the procedure wasn’t unbearable; I did feel decidedly dreamy. I might have dozed off a time or two. But I clearly remember most of the procedure.
