Tidbits

[cjsmith]

indyansel, I don't believe this! They're awesome! They arrived in styrofoam with an ice pack. And you knew I liked dark! How'd you know/remember that??

apparentparadox, that pillow thing is a GODSEND. I used it all day yesterday and I'm using it now.

The long-acting local is definitely all gone now. It's interesting learning how to get around without letting either forefoot touch ANYTHING. I am realizing how much easier things would be with one good leg, particularly in the bathroom. But I'm still glad I don't have to go through surgery twice!

I suspect, as ouchy as this is, that I have it easy in the post-surgical pain department. After all, at the bottom of the incision just coincidentally happens to be a spot where I don't have a nerve any more.

Since the local's worn off I can feel my toes... most of them. On each foot there is a spot I will never feel again, and let me just say right now that is the weirdest sensation I have experienced in thirty-seven years on this earth. It's not half so freaky when I know it's an anaesthetic. This is ME; this is how my body is, forever. A local is also, somehow, not quite as complete a loss of sensation. I touch these toes with my fingers and it's like they're not there at all. Someone substituted plastic toes. Except that the other side of each toe is there. At that point my brain segfaults. It simply cannot make sense of the input it is getting.

For some reason I am still thinking of all this as a grand adventure.

Comments

[platypus]

I'd like to know what IV sedation is like -- I'm strongly considering it for my wisdom tooth extraction, and I'll certainly have it if I ever get Essure. Are you totally zonked out or do you remember anything about it? What's the recovery like?

I'm glad things seem to be going well for you so far!

[firecat]

I had IV sedation via the drug Versed for some wisdom tooth surgery. I remember a few bits of it, but the whole procedure seemed to take about 5 minutes. (It actually took 45 minutes.) It wore off to "just sleepy" in a short time.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm a little bit envious -- icky as it probably was, I sort of want to have some memories. :-) It's probably for the best that I don't, though...

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

My numerous experiences with IV sedation agree with firecat's. It makes you really loopy as you're waking up, but the sensation is that no time has passed.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I even remember having been conscious while getting dressed, in recovery, but the actual memories of that are mostly gone as well (drat it).

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

That's one of the things that bothers me about both IV sedation and even general anaesthetic: I like to remain in control of my mental faculties. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I at least like to have souvenirs, even if only in the most literal way possible (my memories)!

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

I didn't want any sedation during my knee arthroscopy -- I wanted to watch it on the video monitor! They gave me a bit of IV Valium to put the spinal in, and I don't remember that at all, but then I woke up again and was just relaxed and happy. I reminded the surgeon to turn the monitor so I could see it, and he did. He gave me a guided tour of the inside of my knee, told me about the procedure, and answered all my questions. I never thought surgery could be fun, but this one was!

On the other hand, I told the proctologist colorectal surgeon that I did not want to be there during my colonoscopy. He made sure I wasn't, and I don't remember a thing, which is exactly what I wanted for that particular procedure!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm probably way too squeamish to ever WANT to be conscious during a procedure. That knee thing -- no way could I have done what you did! But knowing that I *was* conscious and yet being unable to access those memories? That's just cruel! :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I don't remember a bit of it. This frustrates me because I suspect I was at least partially conscious! But the drug also has amnesiac properties, and I'm bummed to find out that those properties work fine on me.

First I got an IV installed. That caused a stronger pinch than the usual needle because they put the... shunt? whatever... in THROUGH the needle and then withdrew the needle, meaning that the needle had to be bigger than usual. But it really wasn't bad in terms of pain. Just a pinch. My squeamishness about needles was the thing that bugged me.

Then I was hooked up to some saline. Shortly afterward the anaesthesiologist said "You're going to start to feel relaxed." I don't know whether she was giving me the beginnings of the sedation or a separate drug. I allowed as how I was pretty nervous and relaxed sounded very good to me. I had a few more conversational exchanges with the doctor and the nurse, and I have a very vague memory of my surgeon coming in, and that is IT until I was pridefully fighting to be awake in the recovery area.

I had general for my wisdom teeth, and since I've always bounced back well from that, I have no regrets on that score. I had very very very mild queasiness after IV sedation, possibly attributable to being overhungry. A few pretzel rods cured it, anyway.

Good luck with the wisdom tooth!