Before someone questions me, this is a phenomenon that has been documented. https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2022/05/24/during-general-anaesthesia-1-in-10-people-may-be-conscious-follo.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/surgical-patients-may-be-feeling-painand-mostly-forgetting-it/547439/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190313-what-happens-when-anaesthesia-fails

Forgive me if this is the wrong place to post; c/mutualaid feels like it would draw attention away from people with more urgent issues, and c/mentalhealth is very inactive and rarely anyone ever sees it.

  • єχтяαναgαηтєηzумє@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    So, based on your sources, the first one states “'connected consciousness’ occurs when people under general anaesthetic are able to respond to outside stimuli such as pain but may not be able to recall the event afterwards.” This occurred with 1 out of 10 patients in their study. But responding to the environment is much different than consciousness under anesthesia.

    The second source was pay walled, but in the third from the BBC, it states “the unfortunate result is that a small proportion of people may lie awake for part or all of their surgery without any ability to signal their distress.” It’s important to remember it’s only a “small proportion” of folks!

    I’ve unfortunately had more than 10 surgical procedures and I’m also a major odd ball when it comes to treatments for my autoimmune disorders. But I’ve never once had any issues with anethesia, aside from specific drugs making me irritable when coming too. You’ll almost certainly be fine. I found this research paper that’s super specific to your question: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2743249/

    It covers how somewhere between 0.05% and 0.1% of patients undergoing anesthesia are aware of the operation during the procedure. While this is a truly minor proportion, it isn’t 0%, and this is one reason why surgery is a last resort. Regardless, the numbers are on your side and do your best not to manifest this into taking place during your operation!

    • bumpusoot [any]@hexbear.net
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      5 months ago

      Thanks for bringing number sense here - It is absolutely a phenomenon, but it is also a frequently overstated one.

      These kinds of events (as well as risk of death) also predominantly include other complicating factors, like recent alcohol misuse, nervous system damage, drug contraindications, etc. As an otherwise healthy person I suspect your risk will be significantly less than even 0.05%.