Asklemmy

I don't think they knocked me out enough last time. I woke up from a 4.5hr surgery well rested and even dreamed. I scared the nurse right next to my recovery bed because they had just wheeled me in and didn't expect me to be awake yet. I asked for my glasses and noticed everyone in the big level 1 recovery room was still sleeping. So I cracked some jokes. I then asked her how long the surgery has been because it felt like a while (was supposed to be 3hrs). She got a little freaked out and called the doctor who explained the surgery went a little longer due to some precision needed. I remember every moment from when I woke up to when they put me in the level 2 recovery room and was being walked to the car like 5mins later. I was a little bummed because I asked my husband to record me saying anything silly and he had nothing to work with except me thanking every single nurse I saw.

My biggest fear is that you are aware of everything and can feel the pain when under, but forget it all - men in black style - to leave a relatively ok experience if not a little sick feeling.

Twice, and they were completely different experiences.

First was gas at the dentists for taking 3 teeth out as my mouth was overcrowded. I was kind of asleep, I could hear people's voices in a really trippy flanged way, and I could vaguely feel some tugging at my jaw (but no pain). The gas tasted awful.

The second was for an operation at hospital after an accident (requiring 6.5 hours of microsurgery). It was like jumping forwards 7 hours in time, literally counting the seconds after the anaesthetic went in at night, then immediately waking up in broad daylight. It is completely unlike deep sleep (where you still are aware that time has passed).

It was almost scarily smooth for me. I laid down on the operating table, they started prepping me up and I was out before I realized it. When I woke up minutes after the end of my short surgery I had clear memories of the moments before. There was no period of time where I felt confused or realized I was passing out or waking up. I went from being conscious, to unconscious, to wide awake pretty darn fast. The only numbness I had came from the painkillers. Or at least it's how it felt to me. Modern anesthetics are amazing.

Nothingness for general anaesthesia. Sedation for dental work was awesome: IV midazolam. Off to sleep just like GA but woke up at some point, super happy and relaxed. Waking up was like a long sleep. I loved it so much I asked if I could come in again for that without the operation. Turns out, no, that's not a thing. Shame.

I broke my top jaw and needed surgery to put my front teeth back into place. I woke up in the middle of that one. I could see them operating in the little round mirror on the doctor’s forehead he used to direct light.

I was definitely still mostly drugged because it didn’t concern me at all and I felt nothing. The nurse and doctor, however, seemed concerned. Their eyes got HUGE. They said something to each other and I was out again. I remember that very vividly.

Just went under for the first time a few days ago. Pretty sure the Xanax they gave me prior knocked me out before the anesthesia did. Only memory was getting up on the operating table then a few hours after I got home. No memory of anesthesia, waking up after the surgery or getting home. Woke up feeling groggy and didn't realize ~10 hours passed. Couldn't stand up and walk on my own until the next morning.

I had a larger surgical procedure done when I was 7. They gave me the calming pre meds maybe half an hour before the operation to make sure that I wouldn't freak out with the IV. I remember clearly how strange it felt when the pre meds started to kick in, the whole world slowed down and everything felt "good".

Then they wheeled me into the OR and took my robe off. The operating table was cold and I commented on it, the anesthesia doctor just laughed and said "don't worry, in a minute it won't be". Then she put the IV in and asked me to count down from twenty. "Nine" was the last word I managed to stutter before I went under.

Then I woke up in the recovery room, about 9 hours later. It felt like I had slept a really long, dreamless sleep. The operation had gone as planned, but the recovery period in the hospital was still pretty painful.

Was under for a facture correction. Specifically asked to not be given drugs that would cause amnesia.

I was out for 2 to 3 hours. I dreamed. Woke up ready and willing to jump out of my bed; took me a fraction of a second to understand I was still at the hospital.

The weirdest thing I can mention is being extremely aware of all my senses, except for pain, which was what woke me. I was aware how many people were in the room by the sound of shuffling feet, the smell of disinfectant and sweat from the nurses nearly made me gag, the air in the room was too cold and the temperature under the sheets and blankets to warm. That part of me that had been cut felt hot and aching but the feeling of pain was distant; I was aware it hurt but it was not important. I just felt this need to run when I first opened my eyes.

Not a very good feeling.

Quite often! Like everyone else has mentioned, one moment you're in the OR, and then the next moment they're waking you up and making sure you're alright.

A lot of times they don't even seem to ask me to count backwards anymore, I remember one time I asked if they wanted me to and they said "Nope, we've already started the meds so you should be asleep in a few seconds", I remember getting very sleepy and saying something along the lines of "Oh, well that explains a lot" and then I was waking back up. There was a time where they did have me count backwards, and when I got to 80 they were quite confused - apparently my IV had an issue so I wasn't actually getting the meds (they generally use propofol and a local anesthetic over here, the local one first since propofol can have a burning sensation). They fixed it quickly, had me restart the count, and I don't even think I made it to 95 before being out.

I have never had any negative side effects from it thankfully, but I have noticed that the longer the procedure is, the more tired you feel after you come out of it. It's common for me to fall back asleep after a 7 hour procedure, but for one that is an hour or less once they wake me up I'm generally awake for the rest of the day.

I don't remember.

It wasn’t general, but I lost the memory. Sort of. Signed up for a study involving donating my wisdom teeth. Got them pulled for free in return. They described how they were gonna give me an “amnesiac drug” which would help me forget the whole disturbing experience, or maybe even forget the pain I don’t know.

I sat down in a dentist’s chair. A lady in scrubs came in and said “Do you like drugs?”

“Yes”

“Then you’re gonna love this. Start counting backward from 100 for me.”

So I started counting down and then I came to walking down the hallway pushing an IV thing. I was walking toward the waiting room after the procedure.

What’s strange is the memory of them taking my teeth out isn’t gone, it’s just squished down to like 5 seconds. The entire thing, like a move in ultra fast forward. My head whipping back and forth as pliers grip and there are crunching sounds. But it’s all ultra fast.

There's always a risk when getting anesthesia, but I've had it a few times for minor procedures and it's been "fall asleep, things happen, wake up groggy, back to normal after a while" for me.

If you’ve ever done any time traveling before the fixed the hangover issues it feels like that.

I don't remember a damn thing. One moment there was a mask over my face and I was being asked to count backwards from ten (I think I got to about 8?), the next I woke up very bleary with a sore throat.

For a long time I thought I woke in a large room with three rows of cots. It wasn't until some years afterwards that I realised I never saw the room I awoke in.

I didn't feel high at any point, but then I have ADHD and even being shot full of morphine by a paramedic (the previous week) didn't get me high. I wuz robbed.

It varies depending on the drugs used, I've been under multiple times now, the big one being for an open heart bypass.

That one I saw nothing, felt nothing, but coming out of it I remember them pulling out the breathing tube and putting me on a bi-pap machine. I had to beg to be taken off of it because it was stopping me from exhaling. I could breathe in fine, but the back pressure wouldn't let me breathe out.

Then the drugs, it was a combination of a bunch of things, propofol (the stuff that killed Michael Jackson), fentanyl (the stuff that killed Prince). Oxy, the works.

I was having weird hallucinations. If I closed my eyes, I could see a perfectly painted brick wall about a foot in front of my face. I could see the detail on the bricks and the mortar, the texture of the paint. Bonus - every time they put me in a different room, the wall would change color.

I’ve been under a few times but the most memorable (in one sense) was when I had some minor surgery as a kid. From my point of view, it was like teleportation: I was in the operating room, I blinked, and I was suddenly on a bed in a completely different room. No sense of the passage of time.

Depends on the kind.

The good shit: I was just chatting joking with the nurse and doctor then I was really stupid and in pain several hours later

The dentist kind: I was awkward and fell asleep fairly quickly, woke up unable to feel pain but able to feel the vibrations of the drill in my teeth. Everything was fuzzy. Then I barely opened my eyes and promptly got another dose. I then slowly woke up over and over just to vomit in the recovery room. This took several hours. I eventually was able to be walked to the car and remained nauseous and vomiting for the rest of the day

Nothing weird. I’ve had both general anesthesia and the “twilight” stuff (versed no propofol).

I was put under general once in my 20s. I don’t really remember anything odd happening before or after, but I was sick as a dog after.

The last time under general I remember getting wheeled into the operating room. Then, chatting with the nurses/anesthesiologist, and then just a rush of the most amazing feeling ever. I got an “oooohhh fuuiuuccckkkkkkkk” out before passing out. I woke up freezing and shaking uncontrollably (I’ve been told this is normal). I remember parts of the drive home, and getting in the car, but not all of it.

Twilight was effectively the same. Got put in the oral surgeons chair, nurse said something like “here we go” and a rush of pretty good feeling, then out cold. This time I woke up at home with absolutely no recollection of getting there. Husband said I was talking a million miles a minute (not like me). He also said I totally thought I was just going to walk out to the car. My body apparently had other ideas. I woke up the couch in different clothes, so I’m sure that was entertaining trying to wrangle me into.

I actually just had strabismus surgery this past Thursday. I was definitely nervous before going into the operating room, but I've been under before for a tonsillectomy. As I was wheeled on my gurney into the OR, they gave me a "half dose" of something to calm me down, but I didn't really feel much.

Getting in, it was all about the prepping going on around me. Doctors, nurses, residents, etc. all doing their thing. I had these compression-type wraps put on my legs that would squeeze every so often to prevent blood clotting. IV was on the top of my left arm (so much tape and adhesive I now have a few bald spots from arm hair being ripped - I'm a guy if that helps). I had white circles placed on the front of my chest and top of my shoulders which I believe tracked my pulse and such (also took hair when removed).

Everyone was nice, but there was definitely an efficiency and routine to the whole setup. My type of surgery is done regularly in that part of the hospital, so it's nothing new for them.

When it came time to go under, I was given the "other half" of the sedating drug (not sure on the name) and an air mask was held over my face. I was told to keep breathing in deeply. I did it for like 2-3 minutes before a doctor told the guy holding my mask to "increase it, you're a bit low". Maybe that was nitrous? As they were doing that, my arms were being strapped down and I joked if I needed a safe word since this is my first time using straps. They said sure, pick one. Before I could say "pineapples" I was waking up in the post-op area.

Everything was very bright and I was definitely groggy, so I just closed my eyes and let myself come back to reality. The right eye was covered in bandages and a head wrap with sutures just dangling from the inside corner of my eye - that was super weird and caught on the bandage frequently. Eventually I could use my left eye without squinting too much. I was given ice chips and tissues to clear my mouth out from the gunk buildup. Movement was pretty limited with the IV still there and not being able to move my eyes much.

It took about 2 hours before my mom was let in (she was the +1), then another 30 minutes or so for the surgeon to come in to wash my right eye of blood and adjust the sutures. That was a 3x process which wasn't painful, but really uncomfortable. I'd look at a light, they'd measure the eye movement between left and right, then lay me back and tighten the suture. Rinse and repeat until the doc was confident. Another 1.5 hours or so and I was able to leave.

Not sure if it's normal but I'd say I was coherent and ready to wear normal clothes by the 1.5 hour mark after surgery. By the end, I could move, change clothes, talk, everything, but hospital policy was to wheel me out. If you want to know about recovery after, I'd be happy to share - I'm on day 4 now.

I have, a few years ago, and it was for eye surgery. It went perfectly fine. I've second I was counting backwards from 10 and the next I was waking up in recovery.

However my dad, many years ago, went under for summer kind of arm surgery and woke up on the operating table.

As I understand it, the difference is that in the past, the administration of anesthesia by an anesthesiologist was tricky and imprecise. It took a look at your vitals, your weight, gender, whatever and use that to determine how much to give you. Sometimes your body however would be the kind that that wasn't enough for.

Now they monitor your vitals more precisely, and can tell by what your brain is doing whether or not you're properly under or not, and can adjust the anesthesia far more precisely.

Got propofol for a colonoscopy and it was like taking an amazing nap. One moment I'm talking to the doctor, the next I'm waking up in recovery a little groggy but feeling refreshed.

Once for a colonoscopy. Was totally lucid talking to the doctor & nurse then next thing I know I’m in the recovery room. I get dressed & am taken out in a wheelchair. I remember part of the ride home but clearly blacked out in the car for a bit. Had one or two similar blackouts that day, then nothing more.

Had a kidney taken out. Once in the OR they gave me the stuff and I was out like a light. Woke up in post-OP feeling like I got hit by a bus, just groggy and sore from having a Mr. Handy digging around in my belly for a bean. But I healed up and am doing well.

I didn't dream or perceive passage of time while I was under. I just instantly went from being put under for the procedure and waking up after it was done.

As my steezy took pains to point out, general anesthesia is not sedation. General means you cannot breathe on your own. Sedation (like with propofol) means you can still breathe, but you have no working memory of what happens.

I’ve had sedation administered a few times in the past few years, two colonoscopies and a bone spur shave on my big toe.

Colonoscopies are fairly quick, maybe 30-45 minutes for the full procedure. There was a burn in my vein in as the injection was administered via IV, followed shortly by a dizziness that wasn’t altogether unpleasant. Next thing I know, I’m waking up in recovery. The dizziness lasted for about 7-10 minutes. Felt about 90% good for the rest of the day, 100% the next.

For the bone spur, I was out for about 2 hours. Experience was similar, except it took quite a bit longer for the propofol dizziness to wear off, maybe 4-5 hours. Not that I was going to drive anywhere with a recently operated toe, but there’s no way I would have tried. After a good night’s sleep, I felt 100% next day.

I fear anesthesia too much because I have those “redheads need a higher dose of anesthesia” genes even though I myself am not a “true” redhead.

Yes, several times. Surprisingly: my shortest surgery (10 min to remove a device) resulted in about 10 days of serious depression. A shrink says this happens about 10 percent of the time. I wish I'd known this in advance, I'd have opted out. I will be more cautious in the future.

Like a snap of the fingers. Out and back. I remember waking up groggy and apparently I had thrown up on myself right before I woke up which is weird because I find throwing up traumatizing but I don't recall doing it...

With general anesthesia nothing really, I remember them pushing the meds and a strange sensation as they did so, then the next thing I know I'm being wheeled back to recovery. All times I was still a kid, so may not be the experience an adult has.

Under twilight sedation I never go completely under and usually remember the whole thing, the last time it happened they said I had an unusually high tolerance to the medication. It was enough to keep me calm, but I was very much alert and so I just asked the surgeon to narrate what he was doing because it was honestly fascinating. All those experiences were for eye surgeries as an adult.