Heart of the City by Steenz for January 27, 2015

I want that stuff! I’ve been put to sleep a few times and nothing like that happens, it’s just blink and I’m done.

When I had surgery, they put the mask over my face and I was out in an instant. No counting and no explanation.

Today’s strip needs to be in colour…..

When I was in labor, I had TWO epidurals; THAT was fun!!!

I had a little gas when I got my wisdom teeth out. Distinctly remember getting the idea that an ogre was building a tiny metal bridge inside my mouth, though even at the time I think I could tell that was make-believe and not something that was really happening. ;)

I was asked to count backward from 100. I think I got to 97…

Here we go.

In my last oral surgeries, the anesthetic was in an IV, not in a gas form.

I don’t remember that happening when I had my wisdom teeth pulled

Anyone else see a dream sequence coming?

I had an IV put into my arm when I had to have all four wisdom teeth removed and the two bottom ones were at an angle. I asked the nurse if she had hit bone it was that sore, but it was just the pressure of the IV which was adjusted. I felt bad for the dental doctor who had to cut and pull those two bottom teeth out due to the angle they both were in. The nurse who put the IV in me was talking to me and the next thing I knew was my head turned to my right. I woke up with my head turned to my left and a blood pressure machine taking my blood pressure every 10 minutes.

Over 1/2 century later I still remember the auditory hallucinations I had from dental surgery. I can understand how some people report hearing heavenly choirs or the like.

gmartin997: I remember my appendectomy too. I had a cold, so they decided to go with a spinal. The surgeon and I discussed adventures in biology dissections and my blood pressure (I lost two…I lost two more. Dr.: Well, you got ’em back.")

This is exactly why I don’t mind colonoscopies….Only a certain sort of person thinks drinking all that stuff is worth it.Sigh…..

A factoid I found disturbing: During a colonoscopy you may have been given an IV sedative that obliterates your short-term memory. That way you remain conscious enough to obey commands (“Shift your weight to the left.”) or report pain (I remember shouting “Too much! Too much! Too much!”) but you just don’t (usually) remember the discomfort. I am still trying to understand the issue of being unconscious of being conscious (or is it the other way around?)

I lost count of how many time have been put to sleep since more than 10 years ago, two years in hemodialisis, needed to put 2 hoses in my arms, one cateter in my neck and another hose in my armpit becausethey kept coagulating.When doing the transplant protocols was put to sleep several times, once for a bladder exam, where they found something that had to be cut off, so I had to have it checked twice a year, then each year and now about each 2 years. And then there was the kidney transplant itself.

Each time have not seen anything colorful, just trying to count to see how much could I last, but never remember how much lasted, less than 10 I guess, then you blink and suddenly you are seeing the ceiling in the recuperation room.

This last December I didn´t even made it to the operation room, the relaxing pill was too strong maybe, they just half awakened me so I could help them put me in the plank. The only thing I hate is the IV because I have thin veins and it is difficult to puncture, and later I have had flebitis in my hand.

As for dental surgery, here they almost never use laughing gas, just local anesthesics like lidocaine, so have not had any hallucinations.

When my daughter was born (years ago) the medication du jour for childbirth was something called ‘twilight sleep.’ That didn’t really numb the pain. It made you forget about it afterward. Many years later when my son was born, ‘natural birth’ was all the rage, Early in my unmedicated labor, all the memories of pain came flooding back, including the drug induced hallucinations I suffered when my daughter was born..It only took one suggestion by my doctor before I opted for an epidural.

I had 4 impacted wisdom teeth. Maybe I lucked out with my oral surgeons.. (uppers done by one doctor, lowers done years later by another doctor.) I was awake both times. The uppers left me with an aching jaw from having my mouth open so wide, but the lowers took about 3 minutes a side once the novocaine took affect.

Octopus Powers: Activate.

Oh, I absolutely adore that last panel!