General Anesthetic: Thoughts and Misconceptions

[Dr. Freeman]

Today, I had my wisdom teeth removed after being given a general anesthetic. I was under the impression that this would be an interesting (mind affecting, trippy, ect...) experience. At my request, my mother filmed me shortly after I regained consciousness. Looking back, (though admittedly still partially affected by the anesthetic and pain medication) I seemed to be almost completely lucid (though tired). I have seen several other people come out of general with almost no presence of mind, while I seemed almost unaffected.

How were you after you came out of general? (If applicable)

Is it a "mental strength" issue?

Does it depend on how your mind functions? (personality type, for example)

Does it have anything to do with the fact that I have been on ADHD medication for a significant portion of my life? (I haven't used any for over two months)


Also, I believe that this is my first post in several months. I would like to take the opportunity to say, "I'm back!"

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

I imagine it depends on the person as well as the type of anesthesia used.

I remember most of what happened after I came to (and fell asleep and woke up and fell asleep, etc). I woke up, asked the nurse for water, repeatedly and loudly to the point where I was screaming. I was then moved to the lobby in a wheelchair and cussed out the oral surgeon for a good half hour while I was waiting for my mother to pick me up (flat tire). Fucker left me with bone spurs too.

 

[Hadoblado]

I find mind-altering drugs to have extremely unreliable influence on me. Sometimes I will shrug it off completely, sometimes I'm flat on my face.

 

[Hadoblado]

Edit: oh and welcome back!

 

[Dr. Freeman]

The only thing I remember doing when I woke up is inventing a straw (minus the prototype) that could be used by someone who couldn't use a normal straw. Aside from memory gaps, what I remember seemed like a slightly more tired version of myself.

Edit: Also, aside from the ADHD medication, this has been the only time I have used any type of mind affecting drug/medication.

 

[Proletar]

Same thing for me. I stay lucid for a long time when intoxicated. Conscious and logical. I adjust my thinking in knowing that the thinking is weaker.


But then, I reach that threshold. Suddenly, I just become way too drunk. Going from 0-100 in minutes, and my friends always wonder what the fuck is happening.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Same thing for me. I stay lucid for a long time when intoxicated. Conscious and logical. I adjust my thinking in knowing that the thinking is weaker.


But then, I reach that threshold. Suddenly, I just become way too drunk. Going from 0-100 in minutes, and my friends always wonder what the fuck is happening.

I guess I never hit the point where I was overwhelmed.

 

[Cognisant]

I've been under before and I don't remember anything other than waking up a bit stiff (No) but then I was only kid at the time with a history of palpitations and reacting badly to anaesthetics so I think they had me to me sleep it off in the hospital.

 

[TriflinThomas]

I think it's experience. I've been many different types of high, and after I woke up I was a bit ramble-y for a while until I adjusted to the effects but I was fine after that.

 

[Fukyo]

The first thing I remember after coming out of it was being taken in or out of an elevator on a wheeled stretcher. My vision was blurry, but I was somewhat aware of my surroundings and didn't have trouble understanding sound and speech. The blurriness got better fairly soon but it was nothing compared to the nausea. I was 6 years old though. I don't think general anesthesia is supposed to induce any kind of trippy feeling.

 

[Moocow]

This might be something to ask a doctor or pharmacologist. It bothers me a little bit when people suggest that having less of a response to drugs is an indication of some kind of "mental strength" when it's all very much an issue of neurological structure quite a but more complex than that, although, I don't mean this so as to single out that part of your post.

Within the same species, many brains may have widely different expressions in the numbers of certain receptor sites, for one example. It may be involved in the emergent properties of personality too, with how our brains adapt to carry out the same general functions with different biological expressions. I'm rather curious myself about the way any drug may affect people in correlation with personality type, but often the variation seems to happen most on the subjective effects anyways while behaviors remain predictable.

 

[skip]

The only time I've had general anesthesia was for multiple teeth extraction, too. When I came to I was in an all-white room which freaked me out for a moment. I was also face-down in a pillow - not sure if that was intentional or not. I felt sharp enough mentally once I realized I had not died and gone to heaven (I was only 11 or 12 years old).

 

[redbaron]

Been under twice. Once for wisdom teeth, once to remove appendix.

Both times I woke up I felt pretty normal. Kind of groggy like I'd just woken up in the middle of the night, but very lucid.

 

[scorpiomover]

I've not had a GA yet. For some reason, I've only ever been given Lidocaine.