+1 on the ptsd.  Talk to a pro.

Let's all be clear about something:  the discogram is a procedure that REQUIRES the patient be awake, at least for the part where they pressurize the disc.  He has to be able to tell the docs what the pain feels like.  

That's the whole point.



If the pressure on the disc replicates the pain the patient is having, it suggests what needs to be done to help solve the pain problem.  While I admit it's a rather barbaric and probably cruel procedure in some instances (and often of very limited diagnostic benefit), it's a diagnostic procedure that was proposed to and understood by the patient.

Just in case anyone isn't clear about this, nobody "woke up unexpectedly".  This wasn't an operation, more like an epidural injection like they give women in labor.

Part of the problem I'm sure, is that waking from sedation is a totally wierd experience, especially from something like propofol, which really wigs people out sometimes.  You can be really disoriented, disinhibited, and without any of your usual psyhcological defenses to process the barrage of inputs.

Coming awake only to experience intense pain can't be any fun.






It does explain the dolls, though...  

...yeah, but propofol at least can give people erotic dreams...

(edited b/c I can't spell at 4:30am)

Sounds like you should sue someone's ass.... it your time window for doing so hasn't closed yet. They trumatized you.

[Farmer Mode]

WUSS

[/Farmer Mode]

Quoted: ...yeah, but propofol at least can give people erotic dreams... (edited b/c I can't spell at 4:30am)

And I've heard that the, uh, "cure" for the, uh, "manifestations" of those dreams in men was a very small dose of curare...

Back when I was 19, I was in the hospital for several weeks. I went in to have my tonsils removed but they found something else worng with me so they stuck me with needles almost non stop for weeks. before that, I was ok, but after, I simply cannot watch a needle go into someones skin anymore. I can watch anything but that.

Ive had back surgery twice, I couldnt imagine waking up during the procedure!!! thats rough! Was it a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon?

Sgtar15, after my back surgery the incision got infected. You wanna talk about pain? After the doc took the staples out he said "now I have to cause you some pain". He took a gauze pad and worked on the incision like you would sand wood. He opened the top layer of the incision open and went down to the next set of stitches. I had to go back 5x for the same procedure to keep it clean. This was all done with no pain meds. I was trying to tear the corners of the table off when he was sanding my back. My dad came in with me for one of the sessions and walked out. I have had a lot of injuries and pain, but that one was the most memorable.

Yup, when I got home I had claw marks on my shoulders about 6" long.


I still remember that day quite clearly

Quoted: Quoted: OMG, that's horrible!  Did they know you woke up?  They probably stilled charged you too!   You'd be surprised at how easy this can happen.  Some anesthesiologists run patients real light and others real deep.   I see them wake right up and other take 45 minutes just to get out of the OR suite! And yes muddydog, radio is are integral part of every OR.

Anethstesia, like ALL medicine, is more art than science. People are as varied as snowflakes and can react very differently to the same stimulus. Some patients (especially those severely overweight) cannot be put into deep sleep because they will choke to death. I know of one man who has tonsils so big that he cannot have a tube put in him to keep his airway open.

I have seen very large men who can't take much medication (usually bigger people require more juice to knock them down) and very small ones that needed enough to kill a horse. I have seen people not react until they get a very high dosage of meds and then once the medicine has taken effect code because they had too much. (Emergency surgery and the patient was highly adrenalized...took a lot to knock him out, but once out he quickly lost respiratory function. They had to tube him to keep him alive. Heart rate slipped to the lowest anyone has seen....Scary, but it couldn't be helped....)

The human body and mind are hardly figured out even with all of our technology. They are mostly a mystery. I have heard of people who were completely unconscious tell every single detail of a procedure done to them and recall every word that was spoken in the OR before. Freaky stuff.

Medicine is based on the "mostly" principle. MOST people react this way to medication A, and MOST people react that way to procedure B. But there are lots of people who don't react the way that MOSTLY does, and that's when you run into problems. Many people, even though they don't react in the common way, still react predictably. A certain percentage, however, NEVER reacts the way ANYONE expects.

The fact that more people don't die is a real miracle.

I know that a lot of brain surgeries are done with the patient completely awake and alert. Now that is creepy: To see a guy sitting there having a conversation with his doctor while they put various things inside his skull....

THAT is the stuff of horror films. But it works.

Needles usually become a problem for people who have to go through extended treatments. They get stuck so much that they become afraid of needles. Not at all uncommon.

To repeat what dmuldrew and DScott said, and to put the legal issue to rest:

Awareness during sedation is not negligent and actionable, since complete amnesia and analgesia (pain relief) are not guaranteed in this case.  I also do some consultation with attorneys, and can tell you that a claim based on this would have almost zero merit.  

Emotional trauma from pain?  Yes indeed it happens, and it's not a sign of weakness to talk to a professional about that.