Science Photo Library - IAN HOOTON. / Getty Images
"Count down from 100."
Those instructions will sound familiar if you've ever been put under for surgery or a dental procedure. You also know that you're not quite yourself when you wake up.
Reddit users were asked various times to share their best stories of people being under the influence of anesthesia and almost 6,000 people responded.
Speaking in Tongues
When I was being put under for oral surgery, the nurses said I started babbling in a strange language, and recorded part of it for proof. It turns out I was speaking Welsh (my grandparents were from Wales). Odd thing was, under anesthesia I sounded pretty fluent and conscious I only know random words and phrases. ProfessorLake
Rewards For Bravery
My dentist kept a big basket of little toys and prizes to reward the youngest patients, you know, mini yo-yos and stickers and stuff. When I got my wisdom teeth out, I remember stumbling over to it and deciding I really wanted a treat, but I was too clumsy from the drugs to pick anything up. So I thought, "F* it, I was so brave, I deserve all of it," and I swept it all into my sweatshirt pocket.
Woke up to my sister and her boyfriend laughing at me, sleeping next to my pile of treasures. Temporary tattoos, stick-on earrings, little whistles and pinwheels, pencils, bouncy balls, I got them all. I couldn't laugh, so I just made a sound like, "Hoo hoo hoo" and went back to sleep.
I feel a little bad about it now. what_n0w
Dave King / Getty Images
Can I Get A Frosty With That?
When I went in to have my appendix removed after it rudely burst the doctors were trying to keep me in good spirits. So they asked me before I went under for surgery after not feeling well or eating for about 48 hours:
Dr: "What is the first thing you want to eat?"
Me: "Wendy's"
Dr: "What are you going to get at Wendy's"
Me: "Everything."
Then I went under for surgery and woke up like 2 hours later and it felt like (I ate) a cactus so I obviously asked "wtf?" the nurse that was with me simply told me that I had woken up in the middle of surgery. I guess I slipped my arm out of the wrist holder restraint and reached over and ripped my breathing tube out and advised "I'm fu_king starving" and they apparently freaked out and told me they weren't done to which I replied "Oh I'm sorry, continue" and passed back out. I remember nothing, but my throat does, as well as the orderly that was laughing about it with me in the AM. parkesto
Feeling Frisky
I put people out like once or twice a day.... Funniest one I can remember is this dude in with a dislocated shoulder, kinda a meek guy and his wife was in the room - usually we make family leave, but not always. Anyway, start talking to him while we push the drugs and at first he's totally with it, "Oh well, my wife and I are going to Hawaii (words getting more slurred) thiss weeek and (eyes droopy) Imunna f___ the SH*T outtaver... (almost out)...". His wife was SO RED. We all tried not to smile and she excused herself. elaxandletithappen
Good Name Though
When I went under to have my appendix removed, I apparently kept telling everyone I could about my cat, Russell.
I don't have a cat. Demaikeru
Who's There?
My oral surgeon told me a knock knock joke while I was being put under for my wisdom teeth removal.
Afterwards, he told me that I laughed so hard at the joke that I threw up and pissed my pants. He said no one had ever laughed that much at one of his jokes before.
I don't remember any of it, but my pants were definitely moist while I was in the recovery room. It was pretty embarrassing for 23 year old me. [deleted]
Yes Sir, General Anesthetic
As I was being wheeled into the OR for brain surgery the drugs were heavily kicking in. My wife, referring to the two dozen or so people preparing for the operation said, "Man, there's an army of people here to take care of you."
I replied, "How the hell are we going to feed them?" RDRHostage
Chris Ryan / Getty Images
Call Me Sal
I (a guy) had a simple surgery about a year ago to remove some bone fragments I had floating around in my ankle when I broke it. Apparently right after they got me back from my anesthetic they were asking me the date, where I was, and my name to make sure there were no complications. I apparently looked the male nurse dead in the eyes and told him "You can call me Sally if it makes you feel better, but it isn't going to help you get lucky tonight." Thunderthorz
$4,000?
My 15 year old son had a fever, stomach ache, and pain in his side. We went to the Doctor, who sent us straight to the hospital fearing Appendicitis. ER doc told us the same thing. They start an IV and sedate him then run tests to confirm diagnosis. Turns out he had a stomach flu, and the pain in his side was gas. Or as we call it now, the $4000 fart. Anyway, as we are leaving the hospital my son is freaking out. He is yelling at me "You are a huge idiot, and getting ripped off. You didn't even ask the doctors to shrink my head back to normal size. How am I going to fit this giant head in the car. There is no way I am going to school like this. What if my head just floats off my body. Do you even love me? Why didn't you ask them how to shrink my head?" I was laughing so hard and trying to console my son who was really concerned about his giant head floating off of his shoulders. A positive side effect of his outburst was he got so riled up yelling, he let out a huge fart then let us know he felt better, and only occasionally asked us about his giant head for the next hour. fictionalname
Tattoo Tail
I had a colonoscopy done last year. I also have a tattoo of Bender from Futurama on my a**. Apparently I was very aggressive in trying to show the nurses and doctors my tattoo. That was a weird day. pjkenk2
Laughter is the Best Medicine
This happened as I was just waking up from surgery for something done below the waist. As I saw the nurses looking under my gown. They were laughing about something, and I said, "Usually when a woman looks down there she doesn't laugh."
Which caused them to laugh even harder. [[deleted]1]
David Sacks / Getty Images
I've Seen This Episode
One time I was under and my doctor spoke to me briefly while standing outside my curtained room, with only his head peeping past the curtain. When he saw that I was awake and talking, he elaborately opened the curtain up to reveal a group of 10-15 people standing, watching me in my hospital bed. Apparently I kept saying that I was on an episode of Scrubs, and I wouldn't stop calling the doc JD. Idunno-doyouknow
Don't Make Me Turn This Gurney Around
I was sitting in the recovery room after my girlfriend had her appendix out, and they wheeled in an older woman. The nurses were talking about nurse stuff, like what cubicle to put her in, and the older woman goes "HEY! Quiet down back there, or I'm turning this car around right now!" in a dopey anesthesia voice. On cue, both nurses go "Sorry, Mom!" The lady smiles. [deleted]
Neustockimages / Getty Images
Under Attack
I had a breast reduction several years ago and when I came out of anesthesia I immediately punched my nurse in the face and started screaming and trying to get up and get away. It really didn't go well. I don't really remember them getting me out of the surgery center, but I remember on the way home I was screaming and cursing and just generally freaking out in an insane way, all while my mother attempted to keep me from hurting myself. I guess I thought I was in a captive situation and everyone was trying to kill me, or take my organs for the black market. I have no idea.
When we got home she instantly handed me 2 of my prescribed Percocet and left me to drool and watch TV. I went back a week later and apologized to the nurse, gave her a gift certificate to a day spa, and gave the staff a bunch of baked goods. I felt awful about it. I work in the medical field, and I was the nightmare patient. CosmicDustbunny
Vivid Imagination
At 18 I had my wisdom teeth removed. I distinctly remember the doctor asking what I saw out of the window as I was going under. I realized later I described in great detail a topless woman in the window of the building across the street.
...the doctors office overlooked a field. SpiritOf76ers
Greatest Ever
I was put under general anesthetic for surgery a few years ago. The doctor told me afterward that I vividly described what I called "the greatest seven minutes of porn ever created". He said the nurse had to leave the room because she was so embarrassed. I have no idea what I was even talking about and remember none of it. StickleyMan
True Confessions
I was coming out from general anesthetic after my colonoscopy (a few months after I turned 21), I described in glorious detail the events of my 21st birthday to my parents and our church pastor (who'd come to visit), including my younger friend hooking up with my boss, how the car had actually gotten damaged, and how the security deposit for the apartment was withheld for "excessive carpet staining."
The first thing I remember was my mother's disapproving stare ?_? and my dad saying. "I don't think you should ever drink that much again."
The next time I had a colonoscopy was a few years later, shortly after I returned from Europe. I asked the nurse to make sure I was conscious of what I was saying before they let my parents in that time since the stories I was likely to tell were much more embarrassing.
To clarify, I was raised in the bible belt, and this was the first time I had discussed anything alcohol consumption related with my parents. That church pastor stopped inviting me to events at her house and hasn't looked at me the same way since. thewalex
Jim Cornfield / Getty Images
Prim and Proper
As a student, I spent a day observing (and trying to be helpful) in the recovery ward for a GI clinic (think Colonoscopy). I was bringing a gentleman's wife in to see him and went over to see if he was fully awake. Now, this was a very proper gentleman, who came in in a 3 piece suit, and seemed super-embarrassed about the whole process.
So, he looks up at me, farts, then says "nurse, I think I have just been violated" before falling back asleep. His wife just sorta stood there. I booked it out of the room, spent 5 minutes laughing hysterically in the cleaning room, surrounded by all manner of equipment designed to go into people. KirinG
Lizard King
I had wisdom teeth removed. I remember my doctor mentioning that after I went under I started talking about lizards with hats. That doesn't trump what followed the surgery though.
Upon being roused from my seat my father jokingly offered to let me drive home. He and the doctor had to chase me and take the keys from my hands. Next thing I remember is waking up on the couch making car noises. acktac
Fernando Trabanco Fotografa / Getty Images
Freddie Is a God
My mom was my driver while I had my wisdom teeth pulled and was in the room when I was being 'brought back' from the anesthesia. I don't remember any of it but my mother told me that the nurse told me that I had to keep my mouth still to stop the bleeding. I then preceded to start singing "Under Pressure" by Queen and when she told me to stop talking, I looked at her with a face full of disgust and said "Freddie Mercury is a god and it's bullsh*t you don't like him." This all happening while my mouth was stuffed with gauze. bigsausagepizzasven
Nachos
When I had my wisdom teeth taken out last summer, I tried to get into a fist fight with my doctor because he kept hitting my gag reflex and I was mad about it. When I came to, he was pretty pissed, then while I was being lead to the recovery room, the anesthetic made me feel tall, and I started laughing and said "what is this, an oral surgeon's office for ANTS?!" I sh*t you not...my memory's spotty, but I very vividly remember yelling that in the office. Then when I got to the recovery room, I asked for nachos, the nurse said no, and I cried for 3 hours afterwards.
Pretty sure the doctors and nurses never saw someone switch moods that fast. TeHNyboR
How High?
I am deathly afraid of needles so I got laughing gas before getting put out when getting my wisdom teeth removed. My Indian dentist was testing how out of it I was to see if it was okay to put the needle in me and asked, "How high are you?" really meaning, "How tall are you?". I'm a stoner so my natural response was "I'M HIGH AS F___ DUDE!". Gave him a little laugh that day. prebreeze
Flipper
Had two operations about ten years apart in the same hospital. Got wheeled in to the pre-op room for the second operation and looked at a picture on the wall of an underwater scene. Recognized it from when I was 14 and had a flash back of talking endlessly under the pre-op anesthetic to the nurses the last time about "the pretty dolphins". Attempted to relate this hilarious story at 25 to the nurses present and found myself raving about the pretty dolphins all over again. Thomboy
Rodrigo Friscione / Getty Images
Metal Health
I had to go under for a lithotripsy for a kidney stone (they shoot sound waves into your kidney to break up the stone.) They had been giving me morphine all day so I was feeling pretty good. When they brought me into the room for the procedure they brought over the gas mask and asked if I was ready, I looked at the nurse and said, "F' YEAH! BLAST THAT F'ER OUT OF THERE WITH SLAYER!!" tommyservo
Getting Comfortable
When I was younger, I dislocated both my shoulders. When I went to the hospital, they put me under and when I awoke I was still feeling the effects.
My dad later told me that when I woke up, I started to strip off all my clothes and called my doctor a dirty (girl) multiple times. I guess I don't react well to anesthetic? sockshot
Mitsuko Nagone / Getty Images
Feeling the Love
I'm a nurse who administers "twilight sedation" for endoscopy procedures. My patients come in thirsty, starving, and usually scared sh*tless.
In general, I'd say the whole sedation process makes them less rather than more weird. It's very rewarding when a highly anxious patient awakens to find it's all over, they don't remember a thing, and the news is (hopefully!) good.
That said, there are entertaining moments! Sometimes, relief and a Versed buzz translate into deep affection. One guy woke up to learn he didn't need invasive surgery, told me he loved me, went back to sleep, and repeated that process every five minutes for an hour, even after I brought his wife back. tadababa
Age Inappropriate
I had to get stitches. Something went wrong and the gash got ripped open a little more. I was told that they had to put me under. While going under I apparently grabbed an older lady nurses' (talking mid 50's) chest, and told her I like my milk spoiled. [deleted]
Don't Eat the Baby
When I was born, there were some severe complications and my mum was given gas & air. She was convinced that she was giving birth to a tin of spaghetti, and kept saying how she was looking forward to eating me. duffgirl
Excused Absence
40 year old man, waking up: "No Mum! I don't want to go to school today, the kids are mean." whistledick
What Not to Watch
Apparently when I was put under to get chemotherapy in my spine, I yelled "demons! Demons! The Apocalypse is coming!" I had watched a whole marathon of Supernatural the day before. maciballz
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.