Hospital patient hypnotised during surgery (From The Argus)

Hospital patient hypnotised during surgery

3:27pm Saturday 19th April 2008 in News By Siobhan Ryan

Hospital patient Alex Lenkei decided against having an anaesthetic for an operation - opting to be HYPNOTISED instead.

The 61-year-old stayed fully conscious throughout 80 minutes of hand surgery, using only hypnosis to keep the pain away.

He could feel medics pulling, pushing and prodding as they used a scalpel, saw and a chisel during the operation, but experienced no pain throughout.

Surgeons at Worthing Hospital were working to remove some bone in the base of Mr Lenkei's thumb and fuse some of his joints to help with his arthritis.

Mr Lenkei took just 30 seconds to get himself into a hypnotic state and then the operation began.

He said: "I had my eyes closed but I was fully relaxed and in no pain at all. I was very aware of everything that was being done.

"I could feel some pressure and manipulation and tugging and occasionally something that felt like an electrical tingle which they told me afterwards was being used to seal up blood vessels.

"The only thing that was disconcerting was that towards the end I really wanted to move my shoulder because I had been lying in a certain position for so long and it was tired.

"Apart from that it was no problem at all."

Mr Lenkei was hooked up to machines and drips and closely monitored by the surgical team throughout the operation so that if he did suddenly feel pain, they could anaesthetise him within seconds.

This is the second time Mr Lenkei, who also lectures in engineering and plumbing at the Central Sussex College in Crawley, has had surgery under hypnosis.

In 1996 he had a 30 minute hernia operation carried out at the Kingston Hospital in south west London.

Mr Lenkei, of Strathmore Close, Worthing, is married to Maria, 51, and has a son Alex and stepdaughter Nicky.

He first started trying hypnosis when he was 16 and has been practising hypnotherapy for 20 years.

He said: "I am not opposed to anaesthetics but I know doing it under hypnosis means I will recover more quickly.

"Pain can be controlled. Many people are just too squeamish to even consider doing this but if you look at things logically, stay completely relaxed and in the right frame of mind then you can do it.

"There is a moment when you hurt yourself that you experience an element of shock or numbness before the pain kicks in.

"What I am doing is stopping that pain from kicking in.

"I am not saying that everyone should go ahead and try this. You have to be extremely experienced and know exactly what you are doing but it does show what can be done.

"It is something that I would definitely do again."

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon David Llewellyn-Clark agreed to allow Mr Lenkei to use self hypnosis so long as there was an anaesthetic immediately to hand.

He said: "Some people are very anxious about being given an anaesthetic so I am always looking to find alternatives.

"I was confident that Mr Lenkei is a skilled hypnotist and I am delighted all went well."

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