Even that krap is totally worthless against (what I would imagine) are the benzo tolerances of most of us on this board. I had surgery 3 weeks ago that I had managed to sublimate my fears over (for the most part) up till then. The anesthesiologist let roll with what he presumed should be a good dose for a person of my size. Absolutely nothing. Nada. And I am not a daily benzo user.

He gave me a second dose and that's when I started freaking out and bawling (as I had, quietly, one or two nights in the week before in my bed) b/c there was a much larger chance for complications than there would be, say, if the appendage being operated on was receiving blood flow. Or if this surgery with these complications had ever been performed before. Then they gave me 100mcg of fentanyl. (That must have been when they realized that calculating "sedation" for surgery with a local only needs to take something more than weight into account. I should have told them I weigh 200 lbs)
I did finally feel the effects of 2 shots of versed and 100mcgs of fentanyl, but there was absolutely no way I was going to have the surgery without a general anesthetic. I did not want to be capable of consenting to amputation. I just didn't want to have to make that decision. I kept crying and saying, "I don't want to be awake for this, I don't want to be awake for this." My surgery was delayed over an hour because I guess they thought, for some reason, that the IV midazolam would suddenly take effect?

I don't know. I remember all of that. I remember that my surgery was scheduled to start at 11:15. That I was late into pre-op and I was bawling and watching the clock a 12:30. I said "I don't want to be awake for this" many, many times before someone finally said, "Don't worry, you wont be."

After that I don't remember anything.

This was definitely not a reaction to Versed, in case anyone was wondering. I've had IV versed for an Electrocardiogram with no effect (whatsoever) and I have taken Dormicum on numerous occasions.

The moral of my story? Get drunk before surgery and add a hundred pounds when you speak to the anesthesiologist.

J/k. I'm sure there's got to be *some* reason every drug guide in the world claims midazolam is a powerful sedative. Be careful. I don't think they will operate if you're drunk, anyway.