Waking Up During Medical Procedures (after recieving some form of anesthesia) [Archive]

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SiouzQ.

2-12-13, 3:59pm

As of yesterday, this has happened to me twice so far! I went in for my routine colonoscopy yesterday and woke up on the table right during the procedure because I remember looking at the screen and seeing my insides! Needless to say. it was kind of freaky and they put me under again pretty quickly. I think it was some pain that woke me up (I shudder to really think of how far that scope was up inside me). It wasn't a horrible stabbing pain or anything, but enough to feel some discomfort from it.

The first time it happened to me I was a teenager undergoing a rhinoplasty and I woke up during the part where it feels like they are breaking your nose to put it into alignment. I felt a lot of pressure and some pain, and I swear my eyes were open because I remember seeing the doctor's hands above my face doing stuff. But I wasn't able to tell the doctor that I was awake because I was paralyzed from the anesthesia! Again, it's a pretty freaky feeling to be aware during one's own surgery.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? I think if I ever have to have a procedure or surgery again I am going to warn them that I have a tendency to wake up at inopportune moments :~)

poetry_writer

2-12-13, 4:12pm

I once had a procedure under sedation. It didnt sedate me, was a miserable experience. I later had another procedure under sedation and told the doc of my experience. They can use different meds for people who dont go under anesthesia easily. The second procedure , I was out cold and dont remember a thing. Tell your docs, they can help with this.

ApatheticNoMore

2-12-13, 4:21pm

I didn't know coloscopies took full sedation, rather than localized, and frankly that makes me never want to do them. Because sedation itself kills people. Major medical procedures kill all the time, I don't trust it.

Gardenarian

2-12-13, 4:42pm

SiouzQ.

2-12-13, 5:17pm

Why yes, I am somewhat of a redhead! How interesting! I have had general anesthesia when I had an ovarian cystectomy and I stayed totally out for that. Yesterday I think they used Fentanyl (sp?) (which is not general anesthesia). I was given something for pain and something for forgetting about what they were doing. I wasn't scared when I woke up but it was kind of odd. Later when I was in recovery they told me they had to use extra Fentanyl for me to put me back out of it so I wouldn't be aware of anything else going on. When I finally got home, I slept for about 5 hours, was awake for one more, then dosed off and on for a couple of hours until it was time for bed. I was out like a light at 9:30 pm and had to work at 6am this morning. I have been actually feeling pretty good all day, back to my old self.

Apparently they found a small polyp (which got removed) and sent it to a lab to be analyzed. I'll find out soon if it is anything to be worried about (I am not worried at all about it; I think they are fairly common).

CathyA

2-12-13, 5:38pm

MY DS woke up in the middle of his wisdom teeth extraction.......no fun.
I woke up a bit early from some foot surgery, but I was higher than a kite.....couldn't quit talking.

Was totally asleep for 2 sinus surgeries, but felt AWFUL when I did wake up.
Totally asleep for a D&C, and also for a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy.
I'm thinking it probably isn't uncommon to wake up during a colonoscopy, since they don't put you too far under.

I used to work in Open Heart Recovery and one time we had a guy who insisted that he woke up during his open heart surgery. The surgeon sort of laughed it off, then the patient proceeded to tell him what they were all talking about! Yes, he was awake.
I'm glad you got that colonoscopy out of the way SiouzQ. And I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get good news. That will be a big relief for you........plus you won't have to have another one for awhile!

creaker

2-12-13, 9:11pm

I woke up during my last colonoscopy - I watched the procedure a little (they suggested I could wear my glasses if I wanted to watch the monitor in case I woke up), and fell back asleep after a couple of minutes.

I woke up during having impacted wisdom teeth removed when I was much younger - again I passed out again fairly quickly although I got really worried I wouldn't, I did not want to be there.

iris lily

2-12-13, 9:21pm

This is so freaking creepy. Keep me away from The Knife.

I would be interesting to read abstracts of the professional literature on this subject.

Float On

2-12-13, 11:16pm

Never had to be put under for anything and the thought of waking up.....or not waking up...... really scares me. I have such strange allergic reactions to things I'm almost sure I'll react badly to sedation.
I'm very allergic to the iodine wash they use to clean you for surgery or having a baby. I ended up with horrible burns...much worse than giving birth. 2nd baby every time someone new would come in and say 'oh we haven't prep'd you yet' I'd have to shout 'no iodine!!!'.

Wildflower

2-13-13, 3:33am

I was supposed to be sedated for a lumbar epidural injection for my spine problems. They started shooting the sedation med into my IV long before the procedure. It made no difference at all. I never got sleepy and I was never relaxed. I experienced it all, including extreme pain. But when it was over, the sedation had finally kicked in and I could hardly stay awake on the ride home. I think someone seriously miscalculated the sedation drug or something. I had never had a bad experience like that before. Not fun.

Mrs-M

2-13-13, 11:28am

Scary... I've never experienced such, nor know of anyone who has, but I've watched television programs where people have shared their experiences Re:, and there should be precautionary measures in place to ensure such a thing can't/doesn't happen.

Miss Cellane

2-13-13, 12:19pm

Back in the 1960s, I needed two root canals because of a bicycle accident. I was 7 or 8. The oral surgeon decided to put me under with some sort of gas. I distinctly remember waking up in the middle of the procedure, with the surgeon wiping some tears from my cheeks and giving me more gas, as he spoke to me. I didn't feel any pain at all. So why the tears, I don't know.

After the procedure, they kept me in a little recovery room for a long time. Apparently, they hadn't expected a child to need quite as much of the gas I had taken, and they were worried about possible side effects.

I was fully awake and I wanted to Go Home. Barring that, I Wanted My Mother. So the nurse went and got Mom, who acted very concerned and stayed with me until it was determined that I was okay. As in, I saw Mom and got ready to leave and Mom pretty much had to hold me down on the red leather couch they had me on.

The surgeon told my mom, "I hope she doesn't start drinking when she grows up. She'd need a lot to get drunk."

I've never needed anesthesia since then, fortunately.

It's interesting about redheads. I'm not a redhead, although in the sun, my hair does look reddish. But there are a lot of redheads in the family, grandparents, siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews. So if it's genetically linked, maybe there's some recessiveness going on? I certainly have the fair, easily burned, easily freckled skin that many redheads have.

BayouGirl

2-14-13, 10:37pm

I had to have major kidney surgery to have a large kidney stone ( about 1 inch x 2 inches big and embedded in my kidney). The plan was to cut thru my bck and into the kidney to get the stone. Unfortunately the anesthesia didn't work completely. The paralyzing meds worked but not the meds that made me unconscious or anesthetized me.. I woke up during them cutting me open.

It was scary as heck, it hurt so bad but I was paralyzed and kept trying to tell them to stop it, that it hurt!! Luckily the anesthesiologist noticed that my BP and pulse went crazy and I heard him say something about it and then i went out again. Later they told my husband they had never had to give anyone that much anesthesia before. Turns out that redheads are harder to put under anesthesia. I had nightmares about this incident for years. It was thoroughly traumatizing!.

Wildflower

2-16-13, 4:03am

What an awful experience, BayouGirl!

Waking up during a major surgery is one of my biggest fears. It keeps me putting off surgery that I really need to have...

SiouzQ.

2-16-13, 9:09am

Welcome back, BayouGirl! What a scary story-at least when I've awakened during surgery it wasn't from intense pain, but more from the pressure on whatever body part they were working on.

I didn't realize this happened as much as it seems to do....next time (if there is a next time, for whatever reason) I will be sure to tell them before-hand!

Sad Eyed Lady

2-17-13, 10:47am

Yes, it happened to me during a complicated tooth extraction. Yuck.
Are you by any chance a natural redhead? I am, and most anesthesiologists know that redheads require more sedation than others. Here is an article (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1362956/) on that topic.
If you ever need to get knocked out again, tell them about your experience.

The kind of anesthesia used for dental surgery and colonoscopies is not the same as used for major surgery, but you should remain out the entire time.

Yes that redhead thing is real. My DH is, (was -hair is silver now), a natural redhead and he always told me how he felt EVERYTHING at a dentist visit. I kept insisting he didn't because he would be numb. Through the years the only time he would go to a dentist was almost at a have to case and he would tell me how terrible it was and that he wasn't numb while it was going on. One day a woman I worked with enlightened me to the fact that redheads have a hard time being numbed in their mouth. I never heard such a thing! Then not long after that I heard it discussed on a radio program. An answer - DH was right all along! A few weeks ago he had to have a tooth extraction and this time he discussed with the oral surgeon his problem with feeling what's going on and the surgeon assured him he had something that would work. It did (thankfully) but parts of his mouth and face remained partially numb for days! He didn't mind that, just so glad to have the procedure without feeling all the pain that went with it.