I woke up during my heart surgery and experienced everything.

My name is Sidney Williams and this is my horrible story.

It was in 2002 when I was 56 years old and I needed to go through an open-heart surgery that involved a complete cut in the chest.

Before the surgery, the surgeon told me that the chance of me surviving or dying on the operating table was around 50%.

They gave me anesthesia and I still felt it when I fell asleep, but the absolute horror began when I was awakened by the sound of a saw just before my chest was cut.

I tried to alert the doctors about what was happening, but I couldn't make any sound.

So, I tried to make some movement with my body, also without success.

I couldn't even cry, because the anesthesia prevented my tear glands from working.

Tormented by incredible pain, I felt my chest being opened and I still heard the doctors discussing the state of my heart and how damaged it was.

Seconds later, a piercing pain crossed my heart.

Shocked, I realized that my heart had just stopped beating.

The doctors immediately applied electric shocks and I went through the most painful moments of my life.

During the three-hour operation, I lost consciousness several times for brief moments.

The worst of all was the complete feeling of helplessness and the fact that I could not signal to anyone that I was conscious.

After waking up, I described the event as the funeral of a living man.

Fortunately, I managed to survive, but the consequences never disappeared.

Despite the psychotherapy, I am still tormented by the constant fear of death.

To this day, I have had terrible nightmares, so realistic that pulling my teeth during sleep caused the breakdown of several of them.

It is estimated that every year, about 20 to 40 thousand of the 21 million patients who receive general anesthesia wake up during the operation, either by accident or because doctors fear that an excessive dose of anesthesia is dangerous.

Half of them, like me, can hear or feel what is happening, but cannot communicate it because they are temporarily paralyzed.

Almost 30% feel pain, as studies have shown.

As a result of these experiences, about 50% of the victims of consciousness during surgery develop serious psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder.


Speaker 0: I woke up during my heart surgery and experienced everything. My name is Sidney Williams and this is my horrible story. It was in 2002 when I was 56 years old and I needed to go through an open-heart surgery that involved a complete cut in the chest. Before the surgery, the surgeon told me that the chance of me surviving or dying on the operating table was around 50%. They gave me anesthesia and I still felt it when I fell asleep, but the absolute horror began when I was awakened by the sound of a saw just before my chest was cut.

I tried to alert the doctors about what was happening, but I couldn't make any sound. So, I tried to make some movement with my body, also without success. I couldn't even cry, because the anesthesia prevented my tear glands from working. Tormented by incredible pain, I felt my chest being opened and I still heard the doctors discussing the state of my heart and how damaged it was. Seconds later, a piercing pain crossed my heart.

Shocked, I realized that my heart had just stopped beating. The doctors immediately applied electric shocks and I went through the most painful moments of my life. During the three-hour operation, I lost consciousness several times for brief moments. The worst of all was the complete feeling of helplessness and the fact that I could not signal to anyone that I was conscious. After waking up, I described the event as the funeral of a living man.

Fortunately, I managed to survive, but the consequences never disappeared. Despite the psychotherapy, I am still tormented by the constant fear of death. To this day, I have had terrible nightmares, so realistic that pulling my teeth during sleep caused the breakdown of several of them. It is estimated that every year, about 20 to 40 thousand of the 21 million patients who receive general anesthesia wake up during the operation, either by accident or because doctors fear that an excessive dose of anesthesia is dangerous. Half of them, like me, can hear or feel what is happening, but cannot communicate it because they are temporarily paralyzed.

Almost 30% feel pain, as studies have shown. As a result of these experiences, about 50% of the victims of consciousness during surgery develop serious psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

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