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[–] 30 points 1 day ago (20 children)

Had that when I had a surgery under general anesthesia. They injected something, for about 20 seconds nothing happened, and next moment I was in the ward and everything was already done. Just instant time skip.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 day ago (19 children)

    One of the first drugs they give you before surgery interferes with the formation of long term memories. There’s a good chance you were awake and aware for quite awhile after the first injection… you just couldn’t make long term memories about it.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 day ago (8 children)

    Plot twist: you were awake and screaming all through the surgery but you don't remember it.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 day ago (4 children)

    There's a theory about general anasthesia similar to that. Probably false but fun to think about.

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  • [–] 5 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

    Yeah the theory that general anaesthesia doesn't put you to sleep and numb the pain, it only paralyzes you and prevents you from forming any memories. So you remain awake and feel all the pain of surgery, you just can't scream and you won't remember it.

    The only reason I doubt that theory is because the pain would cause the heart to race which would be noticeable on the monitors and other autonomic effects like sweating and vomiting.

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  • [–] 2 points 21 hours ago* (1 child)

    When I had to get surgery, they gave me opiates first, then the other stuff. I remember them giving me the opiates, everything became... soft and fuzzy. Like, not visually, just, the opposite of sharp. Actually, quite a nice feeling. And then they announced that they'd proceed with the other stuff, and I time-skipped to when it all was over.

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  • [–] 2 points 20 hours ago

    I got half a valium when I had my last surgery. I was super jittery. I remember the nurse giving me this tiny half-pill and thinking "That ain't gonna do shit" 30 minutes later, as they're wheeling me into the theatre, I'm smiling up at everyone and thinking " Hey, you know what's great? Everything. Everything is so damn wonderful."

    Then I woke up normal again and vomited on a nurse.

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  • [–] 1 point 19 hours ago

    The only reason I doubt that theory is because the pain would cause the heart to race which would be noticeable on the monitors and other autonomic effects like sweating and vomiting.

    i've had three procedures where my anesthesia was insufficient. two, fortunately, were dental and i could grit my mental teeth for five minutes. one was a gastro surgery and i think they just forgot to give me the ForgetMeNow because i was wide awake and talking to them the entire damn time while they rummaged around in me.

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  • [–] 1 point 16 hours ago* (2 children)

    How long term are we talking about? Because I remember being immediately surprised by it once I got awake, way before the effects fully subsided. It's not that I just don't remember it now, specifically.

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  • [–] 3 points 15 hours ago (1 child)

    Yeah, you won't remember anything from the time it kicks in to the time it wears off, give or take a couple of minutes.

    The first time I went in for a surgery, my memory ends shortly after they pushed the first drug into my IV but my mom was there and she said we talked for another 15 minutes before they took me to the OR. I remember none of it but she says I was completely lucid as far as she could tell.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 day ago (6 children)

    Is the inability to form long term memories a side effect of something, or is that the main point of one of the drugs?

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  • [–] 2 points 22 hours ago (4 children)

    I’d assume they meant short term, cus losing long term memory formation for any amount of time would be trrrifying

    I’m unsure of it being the intended effect or a side effect

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  • [–] 1 point 22 hours ago (3 children)

    Nope, I definitely mean long term. That's the whole point... you don't remember what happens for a little while, and it's definitely on purpose. They also give you a soporific (makes you unconscious) and a paralytic (so you don't move voluntarily or otherwise).

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  • [–] 2 points 21 hours ago* (2 children)

    That sounds like short term though

    Like roofies affect short term memory, you can’t form memories during a short period of time (e.g hours). Short term memories feed long term memory.

    Short term memory is what I ate for breakfast, long term memory are my ABCs and knowing how to drive.

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  • [–] 3 points 17 hours ago

    What we have here is a terminology problem.

    When you experience anything it immediately forms a short term memory. To retain it for more than a brief period that short term memory has to be converted or moved to long term memory. These anaesthia drugs interfere with the process that moves short to long term memory.

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  • [–] 1 point 21 hours ago

    Hm. I am not super firm on the definitions, but I remember having a hard time forming new memories when I took quite a bunch of cannabis. Scary shit. I basically "existed" in intervals of around a (subjective) minute or so, with nothing to do except to wait it out.

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