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Original poster

Hallucinations after tracheostomy.

54 replies

Richone · 01/03/2018 06:00

Hi, I recently had a 10 hour operation which left me unable to talk for two months. My surgeon is convinced that I had been hallucinating due to the anesthesia. But I don't believe him because it was so horrible and real.
Has anybody had a similar experience in the last five years or so? The tracheostomy bit is very relevant.
I am a 64 year old bloke, which I think may also be relevant.
Up until 2 years before the operation I drank a bit, but I stopped.
Is there a better place to post this? Dya think?
Thanks

I wanted to be Rich1 but somebody already baggsed it. Got no money at all nearly.

OP posts:
Phosphorus · 01/03/2018 06:05

What form did the hallucinations take, and over what timescale?

Original poster
Richone · 01/03/2018 06:07

Re hallucinations, they were in the 13 hours after the operation . Nothing happened during it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Richone · 01/03/2018 06:09

Don't want to say as I want to see what anyone else says. Morning.

OP posts:
youarenotkiddingme · 01/03/2018 06:15

I know someone who hallacinated after a serious operation, whilst under sedation and in a serious condition due to infection.

The hallucinations included believing they were being killed by nursing team and well as horrrific figures and characters that were clearly fictional.

Phosphorus · 01/03/2018 06:20

Well hallucinations are very common after anaesthesia.

If your surgeon says you were hallucinating, why do you doubt that?

Ivebeenaroundtheblock · 01/03/2018 06:21

As a retired nurse I would say that some elderly alcoholics do experience delusions and hallucinations post operatively.
Honestly even non alcoholics occasionally experience this, sometimes a reaction to the sedatives.

Evelynismycatsformerspyname · 01/03/2018 06:29

I hallucinated after an anesthetic as a child. Obviously none of the rest of my history was the same!

It was a reaction to the anesthetic and happened the following night. It was an "out of body" kind of sleepwalking type state, and I was physically (in reality, not just in my imagination) walking around the house switching lights on but believed it was still pitch dark and some undefined "thing" was after me and that I was hovering above myself watching and unable to control anything. My parents couldn't properly wake me and I had to fall properly asleep and wake naturally before I was back to normal.

I was only 7 and it was pretty terrifying. I remember it vividly though it was 35 years ago.

Reactions to anesthetic aren't that unusual.

TabbyMack · 01/03/2018 06:50

Is this going to be a "near death experience" type thing? You think you went to heaven but your surgeon thinks you were hallucinating?

I had a few hallucinations the one time I had a GA. I was young and in pretty good health (obvs. apart from the issue I was having surgery for) and came through the op and anaesthetic without a blip. But I definitely hallucinated for a few minutes when I initially came round and before I went back to sleep.

bruffin · 01/03/2018 06:51

My mum hallucinated on morphine after an op. She thought the nurses were spys

bruffin · 01/03/2018 06:52

And my grandmother said she saw the angel gabriel in the night. Think it is quite normal

bruffin · 01/03/2018 07:05

Neither my DM or GM hallucinations were under sedation. It was when they were back on the watd. My DMs were on and off for a few days

Vitalogy · 01/03/2018 07:35

Is this going to be a "near death experience" type thing? You think you went to heaven but your surgeon thinks you were hallucinating? Hopefully the OP won't be put off by sharing due to your comment if this is the case.

DiplomaticDecorum · 01/03/2018 07:40

I had minor surgery in the summer, home the same night, and had 'mild' hallucinations. I am neither elderly or alcoholic. It was mostly boring shit like it being dark outside, or the Christmas tree being in the corner - it's 10 foot tall and has quite a presence! It was almost as if my mind was re-running old pictures, instead of being able to process all around me. It had gone when I woke the next morning, but at the time it was making me feel very disorientated and confused.

scaredofthecity · 01/03/2018 07:40

Hallucinations are fairly common after anaesthesia, especially after being under for such a long time. Have you any ideas what drugs you were given? Did you wake up on ITU?

DiplomaticDecorum · 01/03/2018 07:42

I also came round convinced that I was having an anaphylactic episode, which somewhat worried the nurses - I have a history of it and panicked.

picklemepopcorn · 01/03/2018 08:08

My mum and grandma both get very odd for a few days after a GA. Delirium, kind of thing.

LoniceraJaponica · 01/03/2018 09:19

When DH had his oesophagus removed her had some scary hallucinations afterwards. He rang me sounding rather panicky to ask if what he thought he had seen and heard was true, but it wasn't. He had been under for about 5 hours and was on morphine straight afterwards. He felt very reassured when he knew it was just a side effect of the drugs.

Not sure why the trachy bit is relevant. I have experience of looking after a child with a trachy and as far as I know the only time she might have had hallucinations was when she was unwell.

Original poster
Richone · 01/03/2018 17:15

Hi, trachy is relevant because I couldn't tell anyone what actually happened to me.
It wasn't hallucinations but only a person who it had happened to would believe it. A whistleblower let me know it has happened to someone else. She won't say it out loud because of what happens to whistleblowers in the NHS i.e. career destroyed. There is something nasty happening at night in this hospital, it could be a bunch of perverts but I think money is the motive because there are at least four people involved.
The police told me that being scratched on the heels is only common assault which has a 6 month time limit so they filed the case. Being scratched on the heels was the least of my problems. I am looking for one of the other victims to back me up. Sorry to be so vague.

OP posts:
Evelynismycatsformerspyname · 01/03/2018 17:24

Couldn't you write things down even if you couldn't speak?

youngnomore · 01/03/2018 17:28

I’m really confused 😐

missyB1 · 01/03/2018 17:33

How are people making money from doing weird stuff to patients? I'm not saying weirdos don't exist in hospitals, I was a nurse for 26 years and met the odd member of staff that didn't seem quite right. But you seem to allude to a group of staff?

Ivebeenaroundtheblock · 01/03/2018 17:35

Scratching people on the heels is a method of determining a persons babinski reflex. When someone is in an altered state of consciousness it is done to check for brain damage.

Original poster
Richone · 01/03/2018 17:39

It is difficult to write down what happened over 13 hours even now especially when the good guys think you are out yer head and the bad guys are still there corrupting everything you write I.e. "he's got dt's let's squirt more drugs in'.' which sent me to sleep.
Also, due to the operation I only had the use of one arm which means you can't even hold the paper

OP posts:
Roomba · 01/03/2018 18:10

I hallucinated Timothy Claypole from Rentaghost being in my room after anaesthesia - pretty sure that didn't actually happen! Also had auditory hallucinations, feeling of doom and general weirdness after surgery. It's very common especially after really long major surgery.

Original poster
Richone · 01/03/2018 18:19

Nasty, did he scratch you on both heels and up the bum area?

OP posts: