As it turns out, anaesthesia works in a lot different ways than you might think.
When you go for surgery, you’ll always have to fill out this pre-surgery criteria and interview to make sure that you’re all prepared to be put under, and there’s no nasty surprises for the aesthetician.
After that, you’ll be popped on a bed in a gown, which shows your bum to the world, and you might even get these cushy mesh pants to wear too.
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When all is said and done, you’re injected with a dose of who-knows-what and told to breathe in some air and count back from ten (or list your favourite soaps).
Within the blink of an eye, you’re opening your peepers again to find out that the surgery was a success, but you’ve remembered nothing as you were asleep.
Right? Wrong.
According to an expert, it doesn’t put you to sleep at all.
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From the YouTube channel, Medical Secrets, the aesthetician explained in response to a commenter claiming that it isn’t a sleep drug, that it’s actually a lot different than many people think.
He began: “You are absolutely correct, anaesthesia is not sleep on that table back there.”
He explained: “We give you medication that turns off your brain, making you completely unconscious so you can’t perceive pain.
“Then we give some medications that paralyse your body if needed, then we also give some medications to wipe your memories so that you’re less anxious and so that we minimise the risk of PTSD under anesthesia.”
That’s crazy.
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What he said is true.
According to the National Institute of Health: “Despite the many similitudes, it is clear that anesthetic-induced unconsciousness is not sleep.
“There are some fundamental physiological differences present that suggest that the two states are not as close neural correlates as is often described.”
While it’s cool to think about the science behind it and the difference between being drugged and being asleep, it’s also absolutely horrifying, and viewers agree.
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One person wrote: “Sounds so much more scary when you describe it that way.”
Another said: “You're giving me anxiety rn describing this!”
Someone else agreed: “This is actually more horrifying.”
“This very very true!! Being under is so weird …. First you’re counting …then boom you are in recovery… 4-6 hours only felt like 4-5 minutes!,” commented another.
For others, it didn’t go that smoothly and they have some issues about surgery now.
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A person shared: “This is TRAUMATIZING! After my 1st open heart surgery my brain woke up before my body so I could hear my mother in the surgeon and my doctors in the room with me but I was not able to move any part of my body move my head over my eyes nothing it was absolutely mortifying!
“The ventilator was breathing at a different rate than my natural body was trying to. This lasted over an hour. True meaning of being stuck in your head and this is a TRUE story.”
Britt Jones