Things people say coming out of anaesthetic

Nurses General Nursing

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I had my wisdom teeth out on Friday, and when I came too the anaesthetist told me I'd been 'showing him some affection with my fingernails'. :imbar I don't even know what he meant because I couldn't talk properly and then they put the oxygen mask on me to shut me up. I hope it was something innocent, that table is pretty much on groin level :lol2:. He was quite dishy too!

Since then I've been comforting myself with the thought that the staff had probably heard worse things from patients. So, what's the funniest thing you've heard from someone coming out from under anaesthetic?

Specializes in NICU.

When I had a biopsy for what turned out to be a costochondroma, I woke up x2 during the procedure, the second time restrained, because apparently I got a little punch-y the first time. Nothing like watching some guy slice a chunk of cartilage out of your chest! Anyway, I woke up in the PACU absolutely screaming bloody murder. As soon as the nice man gave me some more drugs, I looked at him and said very seriously "I'll come back next week and do it again." Mmmm, IV pain meds...

I should also point out that when the anesthesiologist was putting the IV in in pre-op, he actually stuck the angiocath in and CAME BACK OUT through my skin. Hmm, wonder why I woke up during the procedure. He was clearly quite good at his job. [/sarcasm]

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I work in the OR, so I get to hear a LOT of funny things!

My own story, I remember waking up from the general anes. when I was 19, my mom was at the bedside and asked me how I was feeling. I replied "it feel like the time I got drunk." pause... "oh, momma, please don't tell daddy!"

Patients:

under sedation:

"When can I have sex again? We were practicing all night with my foot in the air" (bunion surgery). Surgeon told her she had to wait until she got to the recovery room...

a lot responses along the line of "this is good stuff" from minors

Waking up in the OR:

after finally getting a pt to admit to very recent meth use, anes. and surgery proceded as scheduled. As she was waking up, she was quite combative so my scrub tech came over to help keep her on the stretcher. She looked at him, then started to scream at me "you said you wouldn't report me, you can't take me to jail" I;d tell her we weren't taking her to jail, then she'd ask "then why is HE here?"

we sometimes have to struggle to keep the patient covered during transport to PACU because they get restless and/or combative. This guy was struggling, so I kept throwing the blanket back over him (I swear, why do these people make the 30-second trip to PACU seem like 30 mins). He then sat straight up in the stretcher, threw back the blanket, pulled off his gown and declared for all to hear "I was born nekkid, I'm gonna stay nekkid". Okay, fine, I can stop trying to cover him up now.

Also had a prison guard, who had surgery to repair a broken wrist battling with a prisoner. As he was waking up, I leaned over him a bit and called his name. He reached up with his other hand and grabbed me by the neck and started squeezing. I was babbling "I'm your nurse I'm your nurse" while everyone else was busy laughing at the scene (thanks for all your help, folks, especially you, anesthesia, standing RIGHT NEXT TO ME and his hand). I NEVER lean over a corrections officer or a policeman now!

Bonnie in Snohomish, WA

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Specializes in Medical-Oncology.

These are indeed hilarious. I've been under twice. First time I had my deviated septum corrected at 19 years old. When I woke up I had tampons shoved up my nose and I was furious! I yelled, "Get this @$%@#%$ out of my nose NOW !#%$%$ it!!" The nurses went running and asked the doc. He said ok! They came back and took all the packing out and I was soooo relived.

Second time was for wisdom teeth. I woke up and cried my eyes out sobbing, "Thank goodness I'm alive!"

Anesthesia makes me emotional!! I am normally cool, calm, and collected.

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Specializes in MedSurg/OrthoNeuro/Rehab/Consultant.

I had general anesthesia when I had my first C-section, and when I was waking up, I kept asking if my baby was fat. If I said more things, nobody told me. I also remember pleading with the anesthesiologist to take care of me and not let me die, that was just as I was being put under.

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Specializes in icu ccu or cath lab.

As a former OR nurse, my experience has been that the anesthesiologists, without exception, would not share with the patients or families any specific comments that could be embarrassing or cause humiliation to already stressed individuals who were not in control of their faculties at the time those statements were made! And don't experienced nurses realize that Versed is an amnesiac----and is used in combination with other drugs for that very reason?

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I've had only four surgeries in my life, and a colonoscopy, but I've said some pretty hilarious things. When I was coming around from a wisdom tooth removal, the nurse said "Wake up, Susan." I said My name's not Susan." She said, "I know, I just wanted to see if you were awake." Then I said "**** you," which she understood as "thank you" because of the wadding in my mouth, and she said "you're welcome." Of course, I let her go on thinking I had thanked her.

During a liposuction, where I had something called "twilight sleep" anaesthetic, my friend, who was assisting, said I went on and on about how I loved my doctor sooo much.

During my colonoscopy, I felt drunk but was awake (sort of) and I watched part of it on the screen, and I kept saying how pretty and clean my colon was, then apologized when the camera showed rice from the soup I had eaten against orders after I drank the go-lite.

When I had my tubes tied (done by laparoscopy with two little incisions) I was just coming to when I asked if they weren't going to "shave me down there," which made the tech laugh.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

This thread has been hilarious! I'm getting my tonsils out this week and I really hope that I don't say anything stupid! Although I'll probably be in enough pain that I can't use my voice anyways!

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

Back in the 70's when I had surgery done for endometriosis (way before laproscopic surgery), I remember waking up asking what time it was and tried to sit up in bed and the nurses were trying to calm me down when I felt the pain of being cut from under my belly button down to my public area. A few choice words came out of my mouth that begin with F and end with K.....what the xxxx did he do to me. OMG..etc. etc. and going off like that.

Another time I was having an apeco (sp) done at the oral surgeon and this surgeon was extremely tall, dark and handsome. Lord knows what I said to him when I was coming around but he was laughing as well as the dental assistants. I wouldn't doubt it was sexual in nature because that freaks me out.

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When I was brought into an ER with a badly broken arm three years ago, I was screaming in pain, but when they gave me the dilaudid (sp?) I was on cloud nine. They asked if they could cut my Tshirt (a Vegas souvenir) off me, and I laughed and said "I guess I'll never get to sleep with Tom Jones again."

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As a certified registered nurse anesthetist, this is a subject dear to my heart. Of course, people occasionally say humorous things around the time they are exposed to anesthetic/sedative drugs. As nurses and as professionals whose job it is to care for the whole patient that means to me that we should also be concerned for their dignity after the time of anesthesia/sedation has passed. It may be fine for us to giggle to ourselves and share the humor of some of these hilarious words, but it seems unforgivable to share them with the patient who is not in control of him/herself at the time they are being said, After all, what is the point? If the point is to help the patient avoid a life threatening event in the future, go ahead. Otherwise, what happens or is said in the OR/PACU should stay in the OR/PACU! After all, would you approach a patient later and tell him/her, "You lost control of your bowels four times yesterday and we had to clean the bed, change the sheets, and wipe your buttocks and perineal area!" If you don't embarass the patient becuase he/she lost control of his/her bowels, why embarass the patient because he/she lost control of his/her tongue? It is even worse because some drugs (such as Diprivan/Propofol) are actually known to have as a side effect, somewhat aphrodisiac effects. Therefore, we, as nurses are creating a situation where the patient loses control, steering that loss of control in a particular direction, then informing the patient of the silly things he/she has done while under the conditions we as nurses created for that patient. They do say funny things. Laugh. But please be professional and don't "share" with the patient.

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When I had my Port put in, apparently I told the doctor " I want to come out with new boobs and Angelina's face".

My grandpa told his nurses " Louis Lamour taught me about the wild wild west". Now that's funny :)

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When I had my Port put in, apparently I told the doctor " I want to come out with new boobs and Angelina's face".

My grandpa told his nurses " Louis Lamour taught me about the wild wild west". Now that's funny :)

Yep, that IS funny!

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