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Original poster

Did anyone here ever get sedated before? What was your experience?

35 replies

AutumnDance · 31/01/2022 14:56

I had to go to hospital for a procedure. I was taken into the ward. The nurses gave me a paper gown and paper shorts for the bottom. A nurse prepared my hand with a cannula.

When it was time, I was wheeled into the treatment room. I remember two nurses approached me quickly and started setting me up with an oxygen tube for my nose, an oximeter for my finger and a blood pressure cuff. Then the doctor came over he he worked on the cannula injecting what I presume was the sedation. I remember I was awake watching the screens and the monitors and waiting to dose of to sleep but I don't know if I slept or not. I remember talking during the procedure but I can't remember what I said. Next thing I know, the procedure was coming to an end and I said 'all done now'. It actually felt like a minute or two. Afterwards back in the ward I was a little bit confused wondering if the procedure was completed or not because it felt like only a few short minutes. I got a camera up the bum and into the colon and they found a few things so I presume the procedure was completed.

What are other peoples experiences of sedation? Are there any doctors or nurses here on Mumsnet that deal with these procedures. All in all it was an interesting and pain free experience.

OP posts:

SalsaLove · 31/01/2022 15:00

That sounds exactly like my experience. It’s all done with great precision and lack of fanfare and you’re out before you have time to think about it. I like that because it can be scary to go under.

BeautyGoesToBenidorm · 31/01/2022 15:04

Yup, my sedation with fentanyl was very similar, except I spent the what felt like a very short time talking absolute bollocks at terrific volume 😁

Bunce1 · 31/01/2022 15:05

Did you not realise you would be sedated?

Mine was the same- calm, efficient and lovely.

GA takes a while to get out of your system, for every hour under it takes a week to fully recover.

mandajmo · 31/01/2022 15:06

I was sedated recently before being given a spinal anaesthetic. I was having a knee replacement.

I was terrified but cant remember a thing.

BobbieT1999 · 31/01/2022 15:06

Yep, just the same experience.

BeautyGoesToBenidorm · 31/01/2022 15:08

Mind you, I was recently sedated for an endoscopy (first time was for a gynae procedure), and apparently I was very resistant to the camera going down my throat. I remember very little of it, other than it was a totally different experience to the stress-free time I had previously.

Original poster

AutumnDance · 31/01/2022 15:13

@BeautyGoesToBenidorm

Yup, my sedation with fentanyl was very similar, except I spent the what felt like a very short time talking absolute bollocks at terrific volume 😁

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

That's so funny. They should really record these procedures and play it back to the patients.

I think I remained awake and looking at the screens and pointing my fingers at the screen talking about how cool it was and I vaguely remember another point where I said 'EWW' but I can't fully remember. I vaguely remember talking about a pinch pain.

OP posts:

gogohm · 31/01/2022 15:14

I absolutely hated it, made my brain go crazy so I have refuse ms consent since and just have local (ongoing medical issue) apparently I'm the only idiot who refuses the lovely sedation drugs but upside is I can drive myself to my appointment!

Original poster

AutumnDance · 31/01/2022 15:14

@Bunce1

Did you not realise you would be sedated?

Mine was the same- calm, efficient and lovely.

GA takes a while to get out of your system, for every hour under it takes a week to fully recover.

I knew I was going to be sedated but I remember being awake too.

I'm just trying to make sense of it. That's all.

OP posts:

ClumpingBambooIsALie · 31/01/2022 15:19

Went to hospital, sat in waiting room till my name was called, went through to have a needle wanged into the back of my hand and a few checks done, back into waiting room. Called through again and told to lie down, wheeled into theatre. They told me what they were going to do, and I assume that after that they gave me the drugs and did the thing. Don't remember anything much until coming round in the recovery area, marching up the nursing station despite being barely able to see or stand, and demanding I be discharged as I was clearly fit to leave. Turns out I get kinda bolshy on midazolam.

Original poster

AutumnDance · 31/01/2022 15:23

@ClumpingBambooIsALie

I was wheeled out from the treatment room where they wanted me to relax or sleep of the sedation. The minute the curtain was closed behind them I was getting up. When I got up I felt a bit dizzy but continued to get dressed and I grabbed a bottle of water from my bag and started chugging that down.

OP posts:

ClumpingBambooIsALie · 31/01/2022 15:27

AutumnDance I was kind of surprised by my response to midazolam as I have to take benzos quite frequently for my mental illness, and usually need a higher dose than expected of most benzos but don't usually get particularly stroppy or anything. Interesting drug.

BobbieT1999 · 31/01/2022 15:30

@AutumnDance that's completely normal. You're not fully knocked out with sedation and the effect of the medication while you're under it makes you lose time and forget things you were awake (really, partially awake for). Dizziness afterwards is also very normal.

Pushkinia · 31/01/2022 16:21

I was sedated with fentanyl and propofol and don’t remember anything meaningful, except my body going into spasms as I was starting to wake up. Apparently it was an extra pyramidal reaction and I had to be given diazepam to stop the spasms.

Original poster

AutumnDance · 31/01/2022 17:38

[quote BobbieT1999]@AutumnDance that's completely normal. You're not fully knocked out with sedation and the effect of the medication while you're under it makes you lose time and forget things you were awake (really, partially awake for). Dizziness afterwards is also very normal.[/quote]
I find it fascinating. The procedure really did feel like it was only a minute or two. It didn't feel long at all. It was probably about 15 or 20 minutes but it only really felt like a minute or 2.

OP posts:

Toothsil · 01/02/2022 01:21

Similar to you, op. I've just had a hip replacement with a spinal and sedation. I felt as if I was awake and lying there still waiting to get numb from the spinal. I remember saying to the anaesthetist that I was worried in case I wouldn't be numb when the surgeon started the operation and she said he'd already started about 10 minutes ago! Then what felt like 5 minutes later I was aware of hammering, drilling and sawing noises and another couple of minutes seemed to pass and they were taking the drapes down. I was fully awake by this time. I'd been in there got 2.5 hours but it felt like 20 mins max.

Hoolihan · 01/02/2022 01:26

Have an annual colonoscopy and really look forward to the drugs. Best bit is the floaty aftermath when they tuck you into bed and bring you tea & toast. Bliss!

momls20 · 01/02/2022 01:31

I love it 😂 feels so nice and sleepy as you drift off

pudseypie · 01/02/2022 01:36

I have my first colonoscopy next week and this is very reassuring! I just want to sleep through it all...

AlternativePerspective · 01/02/2022 01:44

I’ve been sedated several times to varying degrees, and it really depends on the strength of the sedation as to how aware you are/aren’t and how you react.

So e.g. I was sedated when I had my wisdom teeth removed in my 20’s, and I know that I talked afterwards, and apologised to the dentist, who I called by his first name, if I had been over emotional in anyway, which apparently I hadn’t been.

The other times have varied depending on the reason. So e.g. I’ve had a procedure called a t.o.e. Which is not unlike an endoscopy in that they put a probe down your throat, but it’s to look at the heart from both sides, and when I’ve had that I don’t remember anything about it, but I am awake quickly afterwards.

When I had my ICD fitted I had very mild sedation essentially to relax me a bit, and I had a full-on conversation with the staff during the procedure, and a bacon roll afterwards. .

But the other two times I’ve been sedated were once when I was on life support for 3 days, and the other time when I was just on a ventilator following a cardiac arrest, and in both instances I remember absolutely nothing, and very little of the subsequent hours when the sedation was removed.

Whenever I’m sedated though it makes me very sleepy for hours after. But I don’t care.

In fact when I was in ICU in 2019 and they were inserting lines and tubes and such I asked if I could have sedation so as to not have to be awake, and was told no, because my blood pressure was too low so if I lost consciousness they would know why, whereas if I was sedated they wouldn’t. Gutted. g

HerRoyalNotness · 01/02/2022 01:47

I was told I’d have sedation to get a nerve block which they were doing into my neck. I was out cold. Woke up and though they must have done the surgery. Sadly they hadn’t. It was a bit discombobulating

HerRoyalNotness · 01/02/2022 01:49

@Toothsil

what!!? They keep you conscious during a hip replacement. I had no idea

tkwal · 01/02/2022 01:51

I have had the same procedure several times and in my experience the sedation consists of two drugs, fentanyl or similar and one that gives you temporary amnesia, definitely makes the whole thing bearable

KTB19 · 01/02/2022 02:11

When I had my first colonoscopy, the last thing I remember was the sedation going in. Then I woke up back in recovery where I was quite distressed and accusing the doctor of stealing my bottom. The poor man took my hand and got me to feel my own bum because I was convinced he had stolen it.

It felt so real at the time, I truly believed he had taken my bottom. I remember the nurses giggling and I couldnt believe they were giggling about something so serious.

They must hear some funny stuff I bet.

MooseBeTimeForSnow · 01/02/2022 02:22

@HerRoyalNotness Not necessarily. I was put under for mine.

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