I don't know about the process of non-intubation initially - I don't think it's necessary for general anesthesia (I was youngish and otherwise quite healthy and

I don't know about the process of non-intubation initially - I don't think it's necessary for general anesthesia (I was youngish and otherwise quite healthy and fit, with no breathing issues, etc.), and I know there's some risk in the process itself - they decided to do it during the surgery to increase control of the process even more in case I quit breathing as they increased the anesthesia. The paddles were because even though the readings said I was under, I was obviously not, and the anesthesiologist and surgeon had to make a rapid decision about what was greater risk - me awakening even more, which the talking indicated was happening, and complicating the surgery, or cranking up the sauce. They went for the latter, and my heart started skipping beats - a few at a time or so, but kept coming back steady. They put the paddles on me three times I was told later, but I was obviously messing with them, as my pulse kept coming back before they'd fire 'em. I suspect there was actually some amount of time between the phrases I heard above due to a lack of temporal awareness and that I was being stubborn about actually going back under. Anesthesia has never had much effect on me - dental procedures are uncomfortable, but bearable enough, for me as I'm quite aware of what's going on with locals, and having had something more serious for an impacted wisdom tooth removal once, I now prefer the unpleasantness of a little pain rather than the aftereffects of the more serious stuff, and I dislike "being under". After talking about it with the docs afterwards, I believe I simply have a serious fear of dying, and my brain intensely dislikes not knowing what's going on, and fights it. A matter of trust I suppose.