NIGHTMARE: Waking Up Too Early From Anesthesia

This is one of the notes I jotted down after the surgery- traumatized, in pain & utter disbelief. Little did I know at the writing of this post, even more surgeries were to come.

After having several procedures including an emergency c-section, emergency Dilatation and Curettage (D&C), and others that required sedation, the surgery I was scheduled for just a few weeks ago seemed like a walk in the park. My surgeon explained I would only be under for 60-90 minutes max and that as long as there were no “surprises” while in the operating theater, I would be allowed to recover and go home by lunchtime. That was the plan, but that’s not at all what happened.

I’ve had my fair share of medical surprises that sidelined me. All of a sudden needing several bags of blood due to a hemorrhage they couldn’t get under control. Or the time I went to the OBGYN for an ultrasound at 36 weeks pregnant and instead of it being a normal appointment, I was sent across the street to the Women’s Center due to placenta previa concerns and held my child in my arms less than two hours later. I know to expect the unexpected and roll with the punches.

This day was much different. After three nurses failed to get an IV into any vein in my body during pre-op, the anesthesiologist appeared, ready to apply his expertise. Super witty with a bubbly personality, he seemed to really love his job. He explained that he enjoyed being the one person who had the power to relieve people from their pain and give them a bit of a rest while the surgeons did their thing to correct whatever issue brought them into the operating room. That made sense to me because each time I was put under, I looked forward to it. This was a rare moment when I wasn’t in pain or fretting over the issues I was dealing with in waking life that severely altered my quality of life. That swift descent into sleep is something that I welcomed. And of course, waking up from anesthesia, having completely left my filter behind, and saying ridiculous things had always been the highlight in the middle of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. So going into this procedure, I was excited to get going and take my two-second nap. When you go under, you’re extremely sleepy for a few seconds, then you wake up in a different room having already had the procedure done. It’s a really strange feeling, but it’s also refreshing to know you’re on the other side of the surgery itself and on your way to recovery.