Versed Anaesthesia- The Side Effect They Don't Tell You About
Who Am I ???
Before I had my heart surgeries, I had a photographic memory...Now because of the Versed I have had to have so many times, and especially after being in surgery for 3-1/2 hours during my cardiac bypass surgery (Or CABG as they like to call it...)I am lucky if I can remember my own name half the time!
While this may be a bit of an exaggeration, it's actually not that far off from the reality! I have lost a good portion of my memories, and my short term memory has been severely affected. Was this ever mentioned to me as a side effect, before ALL of the times I was given this drug Pre-op??? Nope!! I sure wish it had have. Of course, if they did mention it, I MIGHT NOT REMEMBER IT! I am a bit upset about all of this, because this isn't just a little bit of memory gone, this is big chunks of time and events that are just erased from my mind like they never happened!
Now, if it was the bad stuff that was gone, that would be great-but it's not! My husband of 10 years will ask me about something he and I did in the past, and it's like it never happened. Then I feel terrible, because I have no recollection of the GOOD thing we did together. I am so thankful that I have such an understanding husband, or I could be in a bad situation over all of this. At least I think we are married...
Where Am I???
I can be having a conversation, and suddenly-I can't remember the next word I was going to say! I will stand there with my mouth hanging open, the word on the tip of my tongue, but it refuses to come out! I feel like an idiot at the best , or a senile old woman at the worst...It is definitely something that bothers me.
I have to make lists for everything now. Then I forget where my list is...It just goes on and on, all day long, and doesn't get any better. I have found that the more I "exercise" my brain, by writing, adding and multiplying numbers in my head, doing crossword puzzles, etc., the better it has gotten, but the days of the photographic memory are long gone, I'm afraid!
I suppose that at "49 and holding", at least until August, I should be thankful I can remember things as well as I can! I have had to have Versed for a total of probably 6 times in the last 4 years for various surgeries, Two heart stents, a CABG, and numerous angiograms...I'm lucky to have ANY memory by now! So, if I happen to forget who you are...just poke me and yell "It's (insert name) in my GOOD ear, okay!?