Counting Backwards: A Doctor's Notes on Anesthesia

I've had one minor surgery in my life, and I don't even think I know who the anesthesiologist was. I'm a bit of a needle-phobe, and I remember being absolutely wigged out about the idea of an IV in my arm. A “bit of a pinch” is an understatement, but I remember the person administering the IV was super nice and encouraging. I remember getting wheeled away, and then I remember waking up and being told I had to leave because it was like 5:30pm and these people had to get home (it wasn't at a hospital, more like a specialized clinic, I guess, not a 24/7 operation). I'm assuming things went smoothly, but after listening to this audiobook I regret not learning more about the whole “going under” portion.

Dr. Przybylo specializes in anesthesiology, putting people under, keeping them there during the operation, and bringing them back out again. He's a bit proud of his profession (as I would be too, were I in his shoes), and this book explains his practice and the history of it through example cases he's encountered. I learned a lot about the early days of being put under for painful operations, the drugs used, the changes in the field. As with many things taken for granted in the medical industry, there's a lot more going on here than I knew about. I particularly liked the story involving the gorilla, and the exchanges between him and various kids throughout the book.

Super interesting stuff that I'm glad I took some time to read about. I'm hoping to keep some of this stuff in the back of my head, just in case I'm put in that position. Not necessarily to pick their brains, but maybe give my anesthesiologist something better to work with to ease my anxiety rather than the mundane chitchat they have to come up with on the fly. “Hey, I read a book once....”