Thursday, November 8, 2007

1 in 700 Remain Awake

The last time I was under a general anesthetic I woke up during the surgery. But I wasn't really awake. I was in my body, but not like I am normally...I was completely aware of my surroundings. My soul was floating somewhere around my middle in darkness. I felt exactly what they were doing to me. I felt the motion of the scalpel as it scraped. I heard the doctors discuss their vacations with complete comprehension. I could not move. I could not speak. I did not feel any pain...only pressure. I fought my way out of it and woke up completely in the operating room with the hose still down my throat. They thought I had just woke up. I didn't say anything. I told my doctor what happened at the follow-up appointment. I showed her how she did the surgery and recited the conversation she had with the anesthesiologist. She felt bad about it, but honestly, I did not care. It was just a weird experience.

I am a little worried about my next surgery. They will slice my neck open (from the side) and take out part of my spine...vertebrae 5 and 6. They will replace it with some fabricated material, or cadaver bones. I would hate to wake up during this and have that amount of awareness of the process. Especially when they remove the bones around my spine. I do not want to hear bone saws and nurses laughing.

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