Chemical Experiment: Awake

PART II: ANESTHESIA AWARENESS

"Very rarely — in only one or two of every 1,000 medical procedures involving general anesthesia — a patient may become aware or conscious. The condition, called anesthesia awareness (waking up) during surgery, means the patient can recall their surroundings, or an event related to the surgery, while under general anesthesia. Although it can be upsetting, patients usually do not feel pain when experiencing anesthesia awareness."

- Anesthesia Awareness (Waking Up) During Surgery, American Society of Anesthesiologists

_________________

A dull ticking clock

Echoes in waves between

Blinding fluorescent fireflies

Buzzing over monitors and the

Drip dripping of fluids

Voices echo in the dead space

Whispers of how the patient was

Debriefed for the operation

And how her eyes simply emptied

Like blood from varicose veins

As she accepted the risks

A new batch of chemicals

Bubbles in poisonous vats

But the patient lies still

Eyes closed to the light

The voices quiet as she is

Put under, tension thick in the air

The surgeons know what

Must happen next

After 100 is counted down

Her skull will be cracked open

Her inner workings exposed

And she will be forced awake

-

This is the seventh poem in RE: SURGENCE, a poetry collection by Amanda Starks that shares what it's like to have and fight against mental illness in a free-form, lyrical prose.

Be aware that topics and themes may include suicide, self-harm, and isolation.

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