Awake and in pain under the knife

[snopes]

As the cancer patient lay on the operating room table, she felt the surgeon remove her intestines and splay them over her abdomen. Terrified, she was awake but unable to provide a signal — a wiggle of a toe, the bat of an eyelash — to communicate the excruciating pain she was suffering.

Paralyzed by drugs commonly used to prevent patients from squirming during surgery, the woman was trapped in a body that could feel and hear but could not move as a surgeon sliced a tumour from her cecum, a small pouch connected to the colon, located deep inside her abdomen.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

[landmammal]

I remember hearing about this on a "Dateline"-type show when I was a kid. When I had my appendix out last year, I was terrified this would happen to me. If it had, I think I'd be needing a lot of psych treatment too.

[justusfour]

It's scary about what the article says about the actual art of anesthesiologists. The one I had for DS birth tried 3 times to give me an epidural, and could not get it to work. He was baffled. The one I had with DD worked like a dream the first time and did just what it was supposed to.

I can't imagine going through what that woman did in the OP. My DOYC that's scary!

Years ago I had breast reduction surgery and went thru a similar experience. I became conscious during the surgery and could hear the doctors talking. I didn't feel much pain; however I did feel pressure in the area they were working on. Luckily they realized something wasn't right because I started to freak out and my heart beat started accelerating. They put me back under and I woke up in recovery after the surgery was over. On several occasions after that I would have nightmares of being paralyzed and trapped. It was a truly scary experience and I can't imagine being told that it didn't happen or that I was lying. I hope that this poor woman comes thru this experience OK and that something is done about this "doctor" who obviously has horrible judgment in her treatment of her patients.

[justusfour]

Originally Posted by akwifey

Years ago I had breast reduction surgery and went thru a similar experience. I became conscious during the surgery and could hear the doctors talking. I didn't feel much pain; however I did feel pressure in the area they were working on. Luckily they realized something wasn't right because I started to freak out and my heart beat started accelerating. They put me back under and I woke up in recovery after the surgery was over. On several occasions after that I would have nightmares of being paralyzed and trapped. It was a truly scary experience and I can't imagine being told that it didn't happen or that I was lying. I hope that this poor woman comes thru this experience OK and that something is done about this "doctor" who obviously has horrible judgment in her treatment of her patients.

Oh my DOYC, that is so scary! I wondered about the elevation in HB, BP, etc. when reading the article, and the article said that in alot of surgeries those vitals are up and down anyway, so that's not a good indication. I'm so glad they caught yours! I hope you are over the nightmares and such. What a horrible experience!

[Katness]

My dad came awake when he was having his appendix out as a boy in the 1940's. He watched his surgery on an overhead mirror, and he said that while it didn't hurt, what most surprised him was that he was able to watch without getting grossed out by it. I sure would have been!

[glass papaya]

This happened to me 10 years ago when having a tumor removed from my breast. I said, " I can feel that." I remember the surgeon repeating my words to the anesthesiologist. Then I was back under.

[shivaskeeper]

I’ve had a few surgeries. Always to add or remove pins, plates or screws. Because when I break something I do it in spectacular fashion. I will always opt for a nerve block if I have the choice. I really hate going all the way under if I don’t have to. It is weird to be conscious to semi-conscious and hear what sounds like a battery powered screwdriver working on you. I have also seen what was being done in the mirror. Also didn’t freak me out at all. Of course I couldn’t feel anything so I think that makes a huge difference.

shivaskeeper

[Magdalene]

I'm told I woke up after having been put under to have my wisdom teeth removed, but I don't remember it. I don't have cause to doubt it, because when I woke up (again, according to the dentist), he said, "So why is Chase the demon cat from hell?"

When I asked him how he knew I had a cat named Chase, he said, "You kind of woke up halfway through, looked at me, and said, "Chase is the demon cat from hell." I had you put right back under."

Given that there's no other way he could have known I had a cat named Chase who I *do* think is a demon cat from hell, I'm inclined to believe him.

Magdalene

[The Nanny]

Originally Posted by Magdalene

I'm told I woke up after having been put under to have my wisdom teeth removed, but I don't remember it. I don't have cause to doubt it, because when I woke up (again, according to the dentist), he said, "So why is Chase the demon cat from hell?"

When I asked him how he knew I had a cat named Chase, he said, "You kind of woke up halfway through, looked at me, and said, "Chase is the demon cat from hell." I had you put right back under."

Given that there's no other way he could have known I had a cat named Chase who I *do* think is a demon cat from hell, I'm inclined to believe him.

Magdalene

HAH! Your dentist got lucky! When *I* woke up (I don't remember it either) I beat my dentist up! I ripped out my IV and started pounding on the poor guy (Poor guy, my foot! He was a HUGE man he had two assistants with him-one of them had to sit on me to get the IV back in!)

[Anyte]

I was put under to have my wisdom teeth out as well. I experienced some pain/pressure and I whimpered throughout. I remember some, but not all of the experience of leaving the office. I remember declining a wheelchair to get to the car. But I don't remember that another patient held the door for us on the way out and apparently I thanked him/her. I remember waiting in the car while mom filled my prescriptions.

[Venus]

I saw a documentary on either The Discovery Channel or the Discovery Health Channel that was about that. Anesthesia Awareness is rare but it happens. People end up emotionally scarred for life. Who can blame them?

[Signora Del Drago]

At last, my claim has been vindicated! I had never heard of anesthesia awareness until recently when I saw a report on one of the news channels. I went running into the other room and told my husband and was almost crying.

During my tonsillectomy when I was five years old, I felt it. Yes, I did. I couldn't hear anything, but I felt it. It was kind of like a nightmare. I could see a black background, and every so often there would be a bright, blood-red flash, accompanied by a searing, severe pain. I remember screaming, but I guess that was part of the nightmare because, apparently, nobody heard me.

I told my mother and a couple of nurses, but nobody believed me. Later in life, my daughter believed me, and so did my husband. You cannot imagine what a relief it is to finally know I hadn't lost my mind at the age of five. I plan to send a link to this article to my daughter. She'll find it interesting.

By the way, why is this in "Urban Legends?" 'Tis no legend, urban or otherwise, 'tis the truth.

[MapleLeaf]

Originally Posted by Anyte

I was put under to have my wisdom teeth out as well. I experienced some pain/pressure and I whimpered throughout. I remember some, but not all of the experience of leaving the office. I remember declining a wheelchair to get to the car. But I don't remember that another patient held the door for us on the way out and apparently I thanked him/her. I remember waiting in the car while mom filled my prescriptions.

A similar thing happened to me. I don't remember it being painful at all, but I definitely remember realizing I was conscious for a moment, hearing someone say "Alright, one more...", moaning, and then I was suddenly out like a light again.

[BluesScale]

It is not all that uncommon but the drugs used generally produce amnesia - indeed, that is a neccesary function along with analgesia and sedation. The muscle relaxant (sometimes modern synthetics, somes traditional ones such as Curare) will paralyze but not much affect awareness.

Even under anesthesia, patients respond to pain. The doses are moderated to allow for what is charmingly described as "surgical stimulus"

Blues

[snopes]

By the way, why is this in "Urban Legends?" 'Tis no legend, urban or otherwise, 'tis the truth.

Because truth or falsity is irrelevant to whether something is an urban legend.

- snopes

[Signora Del Drago]

Originally Posted by snopes

Because truth or falsity is irrelevant to whether something is an urban legend.

- snopes

I didn't mean to make you angry, as evidenced by this little jewel , used as your message icon.

Sorry. I suppose I misinterpreted this definition of urban legend.

An apocryphal story involving incidents of the recent past, often including elements of humor and horror, that spreads quickly and is popularly believed to be true.

And this definition of apocryphal.

1. Of questionable authorship or authenticity.
2. Erroneous; fictitious: "Wildly apocryphal rumors about starvation in Petrograd . . . raced through Russia's trenches" (W. Bruce Lincoln).
3. Apocryphal Bible Of or having to do with the Apocrypha.

At any rate, I only asked for my own edification, and after I looked up the above, I was more confused than ever, so I did a tad more research and found articles which did state that an urban legend can be based on a true story. I sit corrected. A day when one learns something is never wasted. Thanks.

Edited to fix quotes.

[Not_Done_Living]

I am HIGHLY resistant to Novocaine and Demerol.

When i had my first dental filling as a child, the doctor gave me the needle, wated 5 minutes and then went to work.

When i cried/complained that it hurtm he ave me more, and then continued.
When i continued to cry, he flipped me over his knee and spanked me.

He attributed it to a small child acting out .. he was unapologetic, and as parents tend to be, they believed him as well.

The next few years of dentistry were hell for me, as the pain became a "psycological' issue.

When i was older and moved to another city, and a new dentst, (Dr. Shark!!! cool name for a dentist) i told him that my old dentist didn't give me enough freezing before, and that i wold need more.

He did some "experimentation" and we deterined .. i was resistant.

This made m mom feel bad for not believing me.. but this knowledge hasn't helped me at all..

Juat last weekend i had to have a pulpectomy, without any freezing...
but the pain of the work was less then the pain i was in, so it was worth it...

[kizzcee007]

This happened to my mum during a hip transplant. She had an epidural but it didnt work. The drugs they gave her to paralyse her muscles did but not the pain relief. She has told us she will only have the other hip done if she's under a general anaesthetic. It traumatised her so much that she still has flashbacks.
Mum has heart and lungs problems....I dont think she'd survive a full knock out.

Both my Mom and I have had this happen. She during surgery after an automobile accident to stop bleeding in her abdomen. I had it happen during hand surgery.

During mine, I turned my head toward a nurse and said "Oww," (they had jangled a nerve that felt like it was tearing a strip of flesh out of my arm from finger tip to shoulder). I remember a flurry of activity near my head and then I awoke in recovery, taking an extra hour than expected.