I am sorry to hear about your trauma. As for my own experience, been to numerous surgeries, some I was fully awake due to some treatment reasons. I was glad to be informed of the procedures and of what to expect on the surgery day. And as for my side, I always look up for extra information from the Internet just to equip myself better and to lessen my own fear. I made sure I had no more doubts concerning the surgery. Maybe it did really help.

Last year, I had 2 separate Facet joint injections for my back pain. I was fully awake in assisting and answering questions throughout in the surgery theatre. I was tenser in the first treatment though I was given an injection just to calm me down throughout the ordeal. I was supposed to feel the pain and I had to stop all painkillers for 24 hours before it. It’s a procedure to locate the exact pain location with the help of live x-ray while the doctor inject into my spine at different depth, starting at the skin, muscle and then into the spine facets itself. I saw everything on the x-ray monitor as the needle went deeper. I was to feedback of the pain intensity and relief if any at all stages. A procedure to numb at various stages.

I also underwent a posterior cataract eye surgery last year. I was born with it and it was not a usual procedure back then but it’s now a minor surgery, a day surgery in fact. I was also awake and in fact chatting with my ophthalmologist throughout the 30 minutes procedures. He told me the progress and similarly I was to assist by moving my eye left or right up or down. I was feeling ok.

I still remember fragments of my spine surgery 16 years ago. I was well informed of the surgery and I was expected to follow some instruction half way through the surgery, to make sure things went well. I was supposed to move my toes as told. I remembered being told not to fight the tube inside my throat and heard some conversation before and during the surgery. I also remembered the anesthetist and everyone had a hard time trying to find a suitable vein for the drips, I was too thin at that time. They searched and tried for more than half an hours, even trying their luck at my legs. In the end it was my spine surgeon who succeeded in finding one himself after the rest had failed. I was afraid of the surgery but it did not left me traumatize except the post surgery pain. Maybe I had great trust in the surgeon myself and was well informed ahead of what to expect during and after the surgery.