"William James describes a man who got the experience from laughing-gas; whenever he was under its influence, he knew the secret of the universe, but when he came to, he had forgotten it. At last, with immense effort, he wrote down the secret before the vision had faded. When completely recovered, he rushed to see what he had written. It was "A smell of petroleum prevails throughout." - Bertran Russell, A History of Western Philosophy.
When someone is going through a painful procedure, whether it be putting a dislocated hip back into place, setting a broken bone, or pulling out wisdom teeth, patients are often put under what's called "conscious sedation." Usually using a combination of Fenanyl (for analgesia) and Versed (for sedation and memory loss), or Katamine and Propofol, patients will not be aware of what's going on, but can also maintain their own airways during the procedure, thus nullifying the need for intubation (which is a very risky procedure). Patients will also not remember the procedure or what they say or do while the medication is wearing off. These people may be breathing and blinking, but trust me - they are high as kites on a blustery day. And it's fun.
For example, I had one of my patients go on and on and on about "chaos and waterfalls" while coming off a Ketamine and Propofol conscious sedation. I had his girlfriend write down the things he said so she could tell him after he came to. We all had quite a few laughs. I had another patient say he was in "Zu-Zu Land" after we pushed his hernia back into place.
While some people like to smirk and giggle and observe people for their own private amusement (me), some people like to film their loved ones under the influence of conscious sedation.
Watch these two videos and try not to bust out laughing. Sorry guys - I'm having technical difficulties and YouTube is not letting me embed these links, so please feel free to click the two links, and enjoy.
David after Dentist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs
Unicorn after Wisdom Teeth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQD2y-ZL8s0
xoxo
