Posted by Jamal Spelling on December 2, 2007, at 8:56:52
I had surgery recently to correct some breathing issues. They used general anesthesia - the kind where you breathe volatile gases using a ventilator. It was the first time in my life I've had general anesthesia. I was really nervous before surgery. The anesthetist gave me 15 mg midazolam about 15 minutes before surgery to ease my anxiety.
The experience of going under was interesting. As I was lying on the operating table, the anesthetist warned me that he was about to induce anesthesia. I began feeling a tingling sensation in my head, and next thing I knew I was in the recovery ward. The surgery had lasted two hours. What is interesting is just how discrete the experience was of losing consciousness. I was perfectly alert one moment, and next moment it was two hours later in the recovery ward. There was no feeling of falling asleep or anything like that. It was like lying there feeling the tingling in my head, perfectly awake and alert, and - bang! - next thing I'm in the recovery ward.
I had no pain or nausea after surgery. I felt sleepy for a few hours, but I wasn't high or anything like that. In retrospect, it was a walk in the park. My fears about anesthesia were unfounded.
Jamal
poster:Jamal Spelling
thread:798262
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071125/msgs/798262.html