I had a vivid dream after I was anesthetized for back surgery. I have partial amnesia regarding that day and the next in the hospital, but that dream - unlike others that I've had - has stuck with me. I can still imagine how one of the characters looked. It was so realistic that I struggled for awhile to figure out how those events fit into my actual life, which of course they didn't.

The anesthesia seems to have affected my thought processes for about three days after the surgery. I can't remember much about that period, and I remember several things taking place that may have bee imaginary - like the other guy in my room keeping me awake by playing familiar African music all night.

When I was "coming to" after a previous surgery, I felt intense terror, like I was dying. It was worse than any actual pain I've ever endured.

I dread the prospect of ever being anesthetized again.