to answer the OP's question, I have been on both sides of the situation, as an operating room surgical technician as well as a patient. I can tell you it is much better to be the former than the latter. last surgery I had was when a deer decided to knock me off my bike as I was riding in the hills near my home. landed in a heap, in a pool of my own blood. 2 busted arms and many contusions and bloody gouges. ended up in the ER, operated to surgically reduce a compound fracture of my left elbow, binding of greenstick in the right arm as well. I told the CRNA that I needed to be well-anaesthetized and well-numbed after I landed in the recovery room, and bless his heart he did so. during surgery I had a fever dream where I was in a warm bright place, perhaps an outer neighborhood of heaven, I was flying in the bright clouds without a care in the world, those would return with a vengeance once I was conscious again in a few hours. I have no memories of the time I was wheeled down the hallway to the surgical suite, all the way up to me being back in my room. I was hooked up to a PCA [Patient Controlled Analgesia] pump, every 10 minutes [for the first few hours, then every hour] I could dose myself with the good juice. I used that for all it was worth. also was told to BREATHE! repeatedly those first few hours. I took it upon myself to try to get up and walk every few minutes to get my strength back but I was weak for weeks afterward. my incisions took about 3 weeks to heal, I was both sutured and stapled, with dissolving sutures and the staples had to be removed 3 weeks later, an unpleasant process that left me feeling queasy. the physical therapy afterwards took it out of me pretty good, left me sweaty and exhausted and in pain. but it was essential to regaining function. I never want to go through that again!