posted
I had an operation on my hand (due to a bike injury) during my mission. The whole procedure was strange; but they put in an IV, gave me some stuff that made me cheerful, and went about doing a local anestheisa. I talked to the doctors and nurses during this time, and I swear I didn't hit on any of them. But they said that I wouldn't remember any of the conversation or what went on afterward.
They wheeled me into the operation room, put a screen between my face and my hand, and started to wash it. They must have been wringing it half to death, 'cause I could feel the tugging motions up at my shoulder. In addition to loss of memory, they thought that I would be asleep by then. They had said that local anesthesia + sleep would be just as good as general, and so that's what they tried to do. But I informed a nurse at that point that I was indeed quite awake and could still remember our conversation from before. I said that I would prefer not to be awake during the OP, so they put more stuff in me, and indeed I went out... but I woke up a few minutes later to the sight of a big mechanical arm aiming a mini xrayer just so, and the doctor saying "XRAY" every few seconds. Then I heard the big guns going, the drill preparing a place for the pins, or something.
The drugs had made me quite content, but they niether kept me asleep nor erased the memories.
Likewise, both my mom and my dad had a colonoscopy, with me the designated driver. My mom kept wanting to talk to the doctor about the results, be he kept ignoring her--and assured her and me that talking to her would be pointless, she wouldn't remember a thing about the next little while, take his word for it. But both she and my dad had perfect recall of that time.
What is this? Are we just weird, or are the doctors BSing us?
Have any of you remembered things the docs said you wouldn't?
Posts: 554 | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Different people have different tolerances for different drugs. If 99% of the population would be asleep from the drug cocktail you had, and you weren't, it just means that you are more resistant.
My father went in for surgery, they had to keep him awake to make sure they were not giving him a stroke, yet dull the pain of the surgery. The spent the entire operation asking him questions to make sure he was awake.
We was at Barnes/Jewish/Childrens hospital in St. Louis. Otherwise known as BJC. At one point in the operation the anesthesiologist asked him, "Do you know where you are?"
He answered, and the anesthesiologist couldn't beleive what he heard. He asked again.
His asking twice worried everyone, so they quit working to listen to his answer:
"Yes I know where I am. BJC B******* Ja***-*** Center."
Its never a good idea to make your surgeon laugh while he's working.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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The two may be completely unrelated, popatr. Anesthesia tends to wear off unusually quickly on me; but I'm very sensitive to alcohol. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Yes, that happened to me once. I had two identical procedures with different anesthesiologists. The first one they said I wouldn't remember a thing and I remember it all quite clearly, particlularly trying to scratch an itch and the entire staff panicking because they were sticking needles into my neck (it was an epidural steroid injection into the facet joints of my neck)
They stil said I wouldn't remember it, but I did. I could feel what they were doing too, though it was very very muted.
The second time, I went in expecting to remember but they finally gave me enough of whatever it was and I don't. I like the not remembering much better.
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