Dr. Jens C Strand M.D.

Sedation not given for surgery. I knew conscious sedation was to be given for my cataract surgery. Dr. Strand assured me and stated specifically I would be given a med that would make me not care or remember the surgery. That was all I thought I needed to know and felt comfortable with his response. Unfortunately and in retrospect , I should have asked what med. Have had conscious sedation many times, always with Versed, and worked perfectly. I assumed I would get the med before the surgeon started. I felt what I believe now was a saline flush in my hand with the IV because I waited for the sedative to have an effect which didn't happen. When the surgeon placed the apparatus to keep my eye open I said "Wait, I didn't get sedation yet." The surgeon started the surgery and I again stated more anxiously this time that I did not receive sedation. I know I asked for sedation again. As surgeon continued with surgery, I became very anxious as still felt no sedative effect and remembered every moment of the surgery, and my pleas for sedation were ignored. I finally knew I had to try to cooperate and only whimpered through the surgery and asked surgeon several times what are you going to do. He kept telling me I was doing a great job, something he probably does automatically, he was so focused on the surgery (grateful he didn't become distracted though it would have been appropriate for him to ask anesthesiologist about adequate sedation) and he probably assumed every one else had done their job. I wrote a detailed account of the surgery I wasn't supposed to care about or remember on the surgery center questionnaire. Although not all painful, (numbing eye drops are given) I could hear and felt the strange sensation of the lens being suctioned out and felt the pressure of what seemed like an oversized lens was being pushed into my eye. The painful part was having to constantly look (as they kept telling me to do) into the bright lights as they continually flushed my eye which was draining down into my hair. I asked the surgeon what he was going to do when I saw his hand moving to the left side of my eye (everything else was done on the right side). He said he was giving me the steroid shot I needed (I knew it and believe he said it was recommended by the retinal specialist) and that did hurt. It took everything I had to hang on, be cooperative and not start crying, still wondering why sedation either wasn't given or didn't work. I found out from the anesthesiologist for surgery on second eye (demanded I have a different one) that I was given Versed. I knew then that I DEFINITELY DID NOT get sedation. [Versed always worked well for me. She offered a different med and I reassured her that Versed was all I needed and did not want or need any until settled comfortably on OR table and right before surgery started. Versed WAS GIVEN and WORKED perfectly for the second surgery.] When I got off the table after this first surgery, my only comment was a sarcastic "Well, that was a most unpleasant experience." I heard from a third party that I must have been given sedation, because a nurse wrote I was somnolent. I was definitely not somnolent. All I wanted was to be cooperative so I could get out of there as soon as possible. I said nothing because I might have started screaming at the nursing staff, then I'd start crying hysterically. It wasn't their fault and my vision was too important to chance crying that I might not be able to stop. I didn't even tell the surgeon when he checked my eye in the recovery area because I had to hold in what I was feeling, otherwise I would have started crying. I did not hear from anesthesia about this experience. I'm not one to sue, but if Dr Strand ever showed up again before surgery, I would definitely let him know that if he touched me I would consider that.