Fun with Dissociative Anaesthetics

We had our first trip to the emergency room last night. My baby cut his head. Orion and Linus were monkeying around on the floor. Alas, an evil wine glass lay in wait nearby. Most unfortunate. A bad roll, a crash, and much crying and bleeding ensued. Lots of bleeding. That's the way with head lacerations, I'm told. Fortunately, I'm pretty good at keeping my cool in these sorts of situations. Not one for panic, generally. So, we bundled into the car with a dishtowel pressed to his forehead and headed for the emergency room.

Really, no big deal. It was just a cut on his head that was in need of some stitches. Ok, a big cut, and nobody wants to be in the emergency room ever, especially not with their child. But just a cut. Totally fine. That is, until the ketamine.

Apparently, ketamine is what they give toddlers these days when they need them sedated (Linus is 16 months). According to the ER doc, in young kids it works by "disconnecting" the regions of the brain that perceive pain. It puts them in a sort of dissociated state - not asleep, but not aware of what's going on. That way, the doc can stitch without general anesthesia or physical restraint. All good, right? Sure, ketamine's a derivative of PCP, but let's not let that stop us.

So, I'm sitting with Linus, comforting him after they put in the IV. Singing softly in his ear, stroking the side of his face. He's practically asleep at this point, a combination of the late hour, exhaustion, and shock. Then, they push the ketamine. His eyes open wide with this vacant stare and he lets out the most ungodly scream. A sound unlike anything I've ever heard him make before, and I've heard him make a lot of sounds. This is apparently completely expected, because the doctor and nurse don't bat an eye and start stitching him up. I then watch my baby make a series of the most disturbing expressions and cries, all with the vacant eyes. This is the point where I almost panic. This close. The cut, the blood, the crying - all of that I can deal with. But, this. This is wrong, on a deep, primal level. I don't know what monsters were released in his head, but it's wrong, and scared the bejeezes out of me.

It was horrifyingly reminiscent of my experience with versed - The Ketamine For Adults! The complete story is for another post, but the short version goes like this: I was told by the doctor that I would remain awake during the procedure I was undergoing, but I wouldn't feel any pain and I wouldn't remember anything about it. Liar! Sure, the exact timeline's a little fuzzy, but I remember every painful part of what happened to me. I was, in fact, traumatized by the experience.

I don't want anything like that happening to my sweetpea. It's the next day, and Linus seems fine. No emotional scars, except on me, that is. He's going to have an awesome scar on his forehead, though!

Look, I know that we got off easy. Stitches are pretty minor when you considering the possibilities. Still, I don't want to go through anything like that again. I say use all the analgesic, pain killers, locals, and spinal blocks you want, but keep the stuff that messes with your brain away from me and mine!

Except caffeine. And alcohol. 'Cause, you know.