When I had my last surgery, I saw the doctor’s scapel coming up at me and I said something like, “Excuse me, I’m still awake.”
I had my leg amputated without general anesthesia. Got the medicine that makes you woozy, and a nerve block, but no general due to my weak heart. I confusedly remember sawing noises and being jerked around and great discomfort. I do NOT recommend this.
I’ve had a number of eye surgeries, from minor laser and cryogenic repairs of small detachments to bilateral cataracts and scleric buckles.
The cataract surgeries were about 20 years ago. I watched the procedure, there was no pain and I was juiced up enough to enjoy watching the scalpel cut my eyeball, watch the tube enter and suck out the lens. I complemented the surgeon on his skill. He seemed to freak a bit and asked if I was doing OK. I replied to start sewing it up. In recovery he told me he wasn’t used to patients talking to him during surgery.
I had my last scleric buckle a couple years ago. When the surgical team were talking to each other I joined the conversation. We even started joking.
I was semi awake during a colonoscopy and told the nurse “I’m cold” when she started wheeling me to the recovery room. She asked how long I had been awake, and I said, “The entire time. I was watching the screen most of the time”. She turned as white as the sheets on the bed.
When I woke up in recovery after my last surgery, I was not breathing. I had to force myself to take a breath and while struggling to get up and scream I almost fell off the cot I was on.
In pre-op, my surgeon asked "why's that tape there?" I replied, "It's a message for you".
Written on the tape...
Shortly after being wheeled into the OR, I was out and have no recollection of anything until the following morning.
However, according to my wife, I did some pretty wild things in recovery.