As a compliment to the thread about near death experiences I’d really like hearing people’s experiences of losing consciousness under general anesthesia and what’s it like coming back.
Also interested of things anesthetists may have noticed about this during their career.
I honestly just felt like a sleept 3days in a row, Reality was like 5~8 hours
If you’ve ever done any time traveling before the fixed the hangover issues it feels like that.
Best sleep I’ve ever had in my life.
Went in for emergency surgery as a kid. I vividly remember the last few seconds, someone turned on the radio with heavy metal and the surgeon said “let’s do this.”
That’s a hilarious thing to say out of context.
It was like nothing for me. They shot the anesthetic into my IV line, took me down to the operating room, and the last thing I remember is the doctor leaning over me and asking “You doin’ ok?” and then the universe stopped. I don’t even remember closing my eyes. Next thought was “Why is it dark? Oh…eyes closed…” and opening my eyes on the recovery room and fumbling with the oxygen line they had me on.
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.
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…
what’s it like coming back.
Waking up and asking the same questions over and over. “It’s over?” “We’re done?” “It already happened?”
I remember them probing my arm for veins, then the surgery was over. Nothing in between, not even blackness.
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.
My girlfriend did that… Woke up in the middle of her shoulder surgery, as the doc was grinding bone away. She asked them to turn the monitor so she could watch. Doc did a double take, moved the monitor, and let her watch for a little bit… While motioning to the anesthesiologist. They must’ve bumped up the meds and knocked her out again, because she went back under.
Better too little, than too much.
I think the last time I had major(-ish) surgery was with 18 (almost 20 years ago) to get my gallbladder removed. You fall asleep, just quicker. Then, at some point you are back, groggy, and in a bit of pain. The end ;)
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 was under general anesthesia three times in my childhood due to arriving into this world only partially assembled.
The first time I was sedated with ether (which I believe is not in use anymore) and only remember a nurse forcing the mask over my face before waking up to the sound of my father snoring next to me. I was violently ill for the next several days, but from what I hear I got off light compared to others.
For the next two I was given some kind of euphoric stimulant (via suppository, go figure) to calm me, but from what I’ve been told it instead made me hallucinate that I was driving a race car and did so all the way to the operating theatre much to everyone’s amusement. I’m happy that I remember none of this and that it was before smart phones or I’d probably be on YouTube forever. 😅
i cant remember i was like 2
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).
The first wouldn’t be considered general anesthesia. Just heavy sedation.
