How often have doctors performed surgery on a person they thought was sedated but in fact was fully conscious but unable to communicate?

Yes I read a frightening article about it in a health magazine a while back. A woman was having ovarian sergury, and was totally unable to move or speak. She looked unconcious, but was totally concious in her mind, just paralized. She could hear everything the doctors were saying, and could feel every incision. She was in so much pain and she couldn't even scream! Wouldn't that just be HELL? So scary. *shudders*

It happened to my sixty-three year-old neighbor.

That's one of us who has heard of it happen.

Happened to me. I was having an emergency caesarean and they put me out. But they warned me beforehand that they could not use the full anesthesia because it could pass to the baby, so there was a small chance I could hear something.
Well, I did. I could hear the surgeon speaking to the assistants. I heard him say, "There's the baby now. Put her fully under." But I hate masks, so I shook my head violently. The doctor was alarmed and called out to the anesthesiologist "For God's sake, get her under!" Then I don't remember anything. I have been terrified of anesthesia ever since.

People have died because of the pain!! And never mind dying, people who have experienced the so-called 'accident' never quite recover from the shock and suffer trauma for many years after, from nightmares to full-blown flash backs... I can't imagine what someone cutting into you and removing an appendix would feel like without my pain receptors being drugged!

Good q, by the way +++

If they were fully conscious, why wouldn't they say something? Like "OW"!