Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 6/17/2008

Question
I've had two surgeries and both times I have had bad experiences. While asleep, I dream of being dead or have a dream where I'm trying to wake up but can't. No one I've talked to has ever heard of this. I'm scheduled for surgery in three days and would like some answer so that I don't experience this again. It's very frightening. Thanks

Answer
I cannot explain your dreams but I don't think they are linked to the anesthesia directly. If you had general anesthesia, you are in an asleep state that is deeper than dreaming. Now it is possible that you are having these dreams as you are waking up and think you were having them for the whole surgery, but you weren't. There is not much we can do about it other than to give you Versed so that hopefully you won't remember the dreams. Let your anesthesiologist know about the problems you had so they can try to prevent it for this procedure.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston