Do You Know When The First Open-Heart Surgery Was?

I didn't know until I had my first surgery that versed doesn't work on me. Why is that?

• I was always awake in the operating room until given something else. When I had my vital port put in my chest, I was awake the entire time. My surgeon kept telling them to give me more and finally they couldn't give me any more. They know now that it doesn't work on me and always have a hard time putting me out for surgery. Are certain people just more tolerant???? Lower-tabs and vicadin don't work for me at all. I have found I have a very high tolerance for pain.

• Answer:

  Some people have a paradoxical reaction to Versed and its relatives. It keeps them awake instead of calming them down. You need to tell your anesthesiologists in the future that you think that might be what happens to you. Hydrocodone (the active ingredient in Lortab and Vicodin) isn't a very good analgesic. Different people have different sensitivities to opioids and to pain. Yes, some people are just more tolerant. Did you have an anesthesiologist sedating you, or a nurse under the direction of the surgeon? In the latter case, they are limited with the types and amounts of drugs they can give, and giving more of a drug that doesn't work well isn't a good solution. I guarantee that *I* can get you to sleep. I haven't met anyone in 21 years that I couldn't anesthetize. General anesthesia isn't necessary for a port placement unless you are out of control. There are some other sedation tricks that could be tried, though.