Expert: Dr Ian Jackson - please note UK based - 12/21/2006

Question
I recently had 4 wisdom teeth removed under general anesthetic. I have had general anesthetic twice before and was fine both times. However this time, when the anesthetic was injected into my hand it was excruciatingly painful. I could feel it flooding up through my arm, into my chest and stomach, causing me to scream in pain.
Then I went under and was unconcious, I had no more pain after that, but when i woke up I was sure I could vaguely remember parts of the operation.

Is this normal?

Answer
Hi there Laura
What you experienced was almost certainly a side effect of the drug being given to put you to sleep. This drug is called propofol and comes as a white injection that you may have noticed the anaesthetist giving you. About 1 in 3 people feel some degree of 'discomfort' during the injection of this drug. This appears to be a direct effect of the drug on the veins causing pain. In a smaller group of people this discomfort is very intense, indeed painful and extremely upsetting.
It is probably this upset that has left you feeling that you remember parts of the operation. I am really sorry that you experienced this.
If you ensure that you tell your anaesthetist what happened if you should need anaesthesia in the future they can ensure that it doesn't happen again.
I hope this helps in some way.
Kind regards
Dr Ian Jackson