Wake up on the operating table
Anesthetics enable surgical procedures that would otherwise be too painful and stressful for the patient. Some people still have to experience their surgery - because they temporarily regain consciousness.
Even a little thing like a turtleneck that's too tight can bring back traumatic memories for Donna Penner of her surgery more than ten years ago. Due to heavy bleeding and pain during her periods, her doctor recommended surgical evaluation. It was supposed to be a routine procedure, but for reasons that are unclear, the anesthetic wasn't working properly on Donna. She experienced the entire operation in pain. The 55-year-old from Manitoba, Canada, says she still has "two or three nightmares a night". Donna fears she may never fully escape the aftermath of this incident.
Being able to operate on patients under anesthesia is one of the most important achievements of modern medicine. Since ancient times, surgeons have been looking for ways to reduce pain during invasive procedures. Drugs such as alcohol, opium or poisonous hemlock juice have long been used as anesthetics during operations - they should protect patients from the worst torture, but they often have an insufficient effect or fail completely. In the 1840's, scientists discovered that various gases sedated patients when they inhaled them…
