surgery flashbacks
Mar. 22nd, 2004 12:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
adrian_turtle(If you're planning surgery, you might not want to read this. It's my understanding that I had an unusually unpleasant outcome, though I believe the surgeon continues to claim my case among his 85% success rate, because my range of motion did increase after the operation.)
Do other people who had surgery with local anesthetic have nightmares about what it felt like? Very vivid nightmares about that specific kind of cutting pain. At the time, it was worse than anything I'd ever felt before. Since then, unfortunately, I've discovered worse pain, but that memory of hand surgery is still terribly charged. Part of it is simply the intensity of the pain. Part is the nerve-twanging horror of it. Part is the retrospective awareness of damage being done. I guess that's what transforms memory into nightmare.
I started using Lidoderm last night. It numbs the skin from the surface, and relieves about 1/3 of the pain. This is definately worthwhile. But I suspect the numbness might have triggered the nightmare (which usually turns up occasionally, mostly when the hand pain is exceptionally bad). I'm not sure it's worth it, if that's the cause and effect relationship.
Do other people who had surgery with local anesthetic have nightmares about what it felt like? Very vivid nightmares about that specific kind of cutting pain. At the time, it was worse than anything I'd ever felt before. Since then, unfortunately, I've discovered worse pain, but that memory of hand surgery is still terribly charged. Part of it is simply the intensity of the pain. Part is the nerve-twanging horror of it. Part is the retrospective awareness of damage being done. I guess that's what transforms memory into nightmare.
I started using Lidoderm last night. It numbs the skin from the surface, and relieves about 1/3 of the pain. This is definately worthwhile. But I suspect the numbness might have triggered the nightmare (which usually turns up occasionally, mostly when the hand pain is exceptionally bad). I'm not sure it's worth it, if that's the cause and effect relationship.
