My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken!

[ScaredCop]

I extensively read this forum during the days before my wisdom teeth extraction. I work in law enforcement and my dental chair phobia stems from losing control in a situation. It's a common thing with law enforcement, military, and people who are used to controlling situations. My oral surgeon said cops were in his top 3 of worst patients.

After my extractions, I felt the need to give back my story as a repayment of what comfort this site gave to me. I was flat out the most scared I have ever been in my life going into that chair. I've been in plenty of dangerous situations, but this scared me more than anything I have ever done.

I agonized for weeks about the procedure and only slept 3 hours the night before my appointment. I one point in the night, I almost dry heaved into the toilet from nerves. I was scared of giving up control and specifically scared of IV sedation. For some reason the very thought to was tantamount to dying. I assumed I would wake up vomiting gauze pads and blood.

Boy, was I WRONG

IV sedation and getting my wisdom teeth out was the single best dental experience of my life.

Operation Yank Wisdoms came off surprisingly successful. Here's how it went down:

Entered the operation suite and sat down in the chair at 1:20 PM.

I asked the Doc a bunch really silly questions because I was petrified with fear. He was a kindhearted soul who chuckled at my questions, but answered all of them with the same seriousness with which I asked them. The chuckles actualyl relaxed me.

They hooked my up to a blood/pulse monitor where I registered a BP of 165 over 90 and a resting pulse of 120 . I was that scared. I told my wife I'd rather being serving a warrant on a crack house than getting my wisdoms out and I meant it.

The Doc made light atmosphere and cheekily taunted me about my nervousness and shot something into my IV he said would calm me down before they could put me out. This was the moment of truth I was so scared about. What would it feel like? Would it feel like dying? Would it feel like being drunk? Would I panic and rip the IV out of my arm?

I don't know what was in the injection, but it made EVERYTHING funny to me. EVERYTHING. I remember laughing when he asked the nurse something aboout the procedure. It was literally, the funniest thing I've ever heard because I howled with laughter. I was such a completely relaxing and fun moment that I let myself go in it because it was like my own personal comedy party.

Then, as I was laughing, lights out.

Seemed like 10 seconds and boom they were waking me up to head out. I felt pretty good and started joking with the nurses. I was lucid when I woke up. I felt good. There was NO pain. There was no gagging on gauze. There was no nausea.

I had put myself through more pain in the days leading up to the procedure, than I ever felt during the procedure. I do not remember a thing except driving home with my beautiful, patient wife.

Wife drove me home at 3:00 PM and I'm now sedative and novacaine free. Much more healing, pain, and bloody spit to go, but I am very happy with the experience.

I hope this can help someone else out there who is feeling the way I did. Just get yourself to the chair and the rest takes care of itself.

 

[letsconnect]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

Well done !!!

Many thanks for sharing your story, I'm certain it will really help others who need to have their wisdom teeth removed under IV (it crops up pretty frequently!).

Congratulations !

 

[Tate]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

I just had sedation dentistry yesterday...

I'm not a cop, but I am a male and everyone always says "Aww, tough it up!"

It was the best thing ever.

I don't remember a thing.

When I go back to get 2 more cavities ( he couldn't finish it all) and two crowns replaced, I'll be having sedation again and I have no fear.

It worked.

Congratulations for your success story,
Tate

 

[kitty]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

Scaredcop, thank you so much for sharing your story. I am 45 and will be having my lower wisdoms yanked in a few weeks. My dentist says my jaw bone is really thick and the extractions could get ugly. I am petrified of the IV sedation and of losing control. I am a nurse, you would think this would be a piece of cake for me. Well, during nursing school we had to practice inserting IV's on each other. I refused to let anyone touch me. Instead, I started several on myself. Everyone thought I was crazy. It did not bother me a bit. I had complete control. Somewhere along the line I developed this horrific dental anxiety. It does not keep me from getting treatment, but it will get me shaking, and my heart racing. If there were any way that I could perform my own dental treatment, I would! I read with pleasure your story and it really helped calm me down. I hope that I will have a story with a similar tone that I can share when the deed is finally done. Thank you again.

 

[d4nnie13oy]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

I extensively read this forum during the days before my wisdom teeth extraction. I work in law enforcement and my dental chair phobia stems from losing control in a situation. It's a common thing with law enforcement, military, and people who are used to controlling situations. My oral surgeon said cops were in his top 3 of worst patients.

After my extractions, I felt the need to give back my story as a repayment of what comfort this site gave to me. I was flat out the most scared I have ever been in my life going into that chair. I've been in plenty of dangerous situations, but this scared me more than anything I have ever done.

I agonized for weeks about the procedure and only slept 3 hours the night before my appointment. I one point in the night, I almost dry heaved into the toilet from nerves. I was scared of giving up control and specifically scared of IV sedation. For some reason the very thought to was tantamount to dying. I assumed I would wake up vomiting gauze pads and blood.

Boy, was I WRONG

IV sedation and getting my wisdom teeth out was the single best dental experience of my life.

Operation Yank Wisdoms came off surprisingly successful. Here's how it went down:

Entered the operation suite and sat down in the chair at 1:20 PM.

I asked the Doc a bunch really silly questions because I was petrified with fear. He was a kindhearted soul who chuckled at my questions, but answered all of them with the same seriousness with which I asked them. The chuckles actualyl relaxed me.

They hooked my up to a blood/pulse monitor where I registered a BP of 165 over 90 and a resting pulse of 120 . I was that scared. I told my wife I'd rather being serving a warrant on a crack house than getting my wisdoms out and I meant it.

The Doc made light atmosphere and cheekily taunted me about my nervousness and shot something into my IV he said would calm me down before they could put me out. This was the moment of truth I was so scared about. What would it feel like? Would it feel like dying? Would it feel like being drunk? Would I panic and rip the IV out of my arm?

I don't know what was in the injection, but it made EVERYTHING funny to me. EVERYTHING. I remember laughing when he asked the nurse something aboout the procedure. It was literally, the funniest thing I've ever heard because I howled with laughter. I was such a completely relaxing and fun moment that I let myself go in it because it was like my own personal comedy party.

Then, as I was laughing, lights out.

Seemed like 10 seconds and boom they were waking me up to head out. I felt pretty good and started joking with the nurses. I was lucid when I woke up. I felt good. There was NO pain. There was no gagging on gauze. There was no nausea.

I had put myself through more pain in the days leading up to the procedure, than I ever felt during the procedure. I do not remember a thing except driving home with my beautiful, patient wife.

Wife drove me home at 3:00 PM and I'm now sedative and novacaine free. Much more healing, pain, and bloody spit to go, but I am very happy with the experience.

I hope this can help someone else out there who is feeling the way I did. Just get yourself to the chair and the rest takes care of itself.

Your story gives me a lot of hope. I hope I can find a dentist in the Los Angeles area who can offer this service.

 

[brit]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

There will be loads of them - try Dr Oogle, other internet searches for websites etc. Your main problem will be paying the bill from what I can work out from other posts on here!

 

[Dana]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

ScaredCop: I'd like to join the congratulations Well done indeed!

 

[Profetisa]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

Hi,

I just had 22 teeth removed and bone augmentation under IV sedation 2 1/2 weeks ago and it was the best ever! I go in for implant placement in 3 months and you bet I am going the IV sedation rout again.

Profetisa~

 

[RedShirt]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

Hello scaredcop!

I came on this website so I could share my story...I was loooking for the appropriate place to share it, and here I am!

I love conscious sedation! My first 2 times were when I was 15 and 16. I wasn't scared in the least, just curious as to what would happen. I remember the first time I had it done, I was laying on my side looking at a windowsill in the surgery suite. I watched in amazement as the windowsill just started to run sideways like wet paint runs down a wall. Then I woke up. LOL.

The 2nd time I went under, I had a dream that my boyfriend (Tony) was leaving me. I woke up crying and demanded to use a phone so I could call him. He said everything was fine. Two weeks later he told me he met someone else and he left me

Five years later I had to have my wisdoms removed - all four. I was so psyched! I was talking about it all week...Not only was I going to be free of pain, but I was going to get to go to sleep!

I climbed in the chair as happy as my kitten at suppertime...talked with the OS as he set up an IV line in my antecube...Then, on the radio, Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" came on...Sometime before he injected me, I told him how calming and appropriate that it was for me to hear this song going under. He asked why.

......that's all I remember telling him....

I heard a noise in my ears, it sounded very faint. Then it sounded like screaming. Then I realized....I WAS screaming! And it wasn't just screaming...someone was trying to say something!..I was trying to say something! I yanked at my wrists but I couldn't move my wrists very much. I opened my eyes to see a doctor with a very surprised look on his face. I was screaming and screaming. I couldn't move my tongue. My tongue was frozen! Yet I kept trying to say something! I kept getting louder and louder in my own ears.

Whatever froze my tongue was wearing off; there was also wads of cotton in my mouth. "I uuuu aaaaa!! I uuuuaaa!!!" was what I said. I kept pointing to my left. "I uuuuuuaaaaaaaa!!!!!! I uuuaaaa!!!!!!" I looked around me, desparately trying to say whatever it was I was saying.
Finally my tongue started to unfreeze. I said as carefully as I could, "I...waaaan....Arrrs!"
The doctor said, "Bring [Debbie] in...maybe she knows what she's saying."

They brought Debbie into the room...Debbie said, "What's wrong?" I took the necklace on my chest, held it out to her, and pointed in the same direction, and said, "I wannnnn Aarrrrss!" I started to cry. "I eeeed Aaaars," said plaintively.

"Honey, you know I can't do that for you," she said sympathetically.

"I havvv oo go oo Jaarls!" I said as well as I could. I knew what I was saying. At that exact moment, I knew precisely what was going on. And I knew WHY I was saying it...I just couldn't STOP saying it. I couldn't question it or control it. I just ...said it. And kept saying it.

They tried to stand me up...which was a very different experience for someone used to using their legs...because I couldn't use them then. It took three of them to steer me to a small cubicle with a bedshelf and a chair in it. I lay down on the bedshelf and got all sick in my container...lots of blood had been in my stomach. It was not pleasant.

I lay there crying. Then suddenly I looked at Debbie and...I re-realized I had been saying "I want Charles" and that I couldn't stop saying it until now. I stopped saying it. Suddenly the feeling that I had since I woke up slipped deep inside me into a place that I could not seem to feel anymore.

I looked at her, and said, "Debbie...I don't know why I was saying that..I mean..I know WHY I was saying it...and yet I don't know why I was SAYING it....I'm sorry."
"It's OK," she said, smiling.

A week later I went for my follow up appointment, and I apologized profusely to the doctor. He told me he was amazed at my wake-up reaction; he had never seen anyone react like that to anesthesia. I told him it was probably the song that kicked in a dream or something. I asked him if I ever answered his question of what happened because I didn't remember answering it. He said, "You told me, you were walking in the woods with someone one night and you realized you were in love with him, and this song was on?"

I smiled and said, "Essentially..yes, I guess. The song wasn't 'on' per se, but I always equate the song to that night."

Then I asked him, "Why did I wake up like that? Why was I screaming something that I would never say in public or to anyone but myself? Why was I struggling to get out of the chair and go to him?"

He answered me, "The medication you were under takes away inhibitions."

I've been thinking about this for a long time.

I asked him why I was restrained; he told me that it was standard to do that. The doctor never told me he was going to restrain me under meds. I was very upset waking up to find myself in restraints when I was never told beforehand that it would happen. I'm still upset about it, and because of that I will never, EVER go back to him.

I was told that I was screaming so loud that someone had to go out to the waiting room to tell the people there that everything was OK, that someone was just waking up from anesthesia.

It's something I'll never forget as long as I live.

 

[RedShirt]

Re: My IV sedation success story - I was a Chicken

Come to think of it...today is Charles' birthday...

The doctor was saying to me, "It's all finished! It went just as we planned! Everything turned out beautifully!" And all I could say was scream, "I want Charles!:" like a little four year old.

I was really really embarassed...