Playing With / Skip the Anesthetic

Basic Trope: A character doesn't want to be given anesthetic for a medical procedure.

• Straight: Hiro is injured in a fight with Emperor Evulz, and goes to the hospital. He has to get stitches for the injury, but doesn't want any anesthetic.
• Exaggerated: Hiro is getting a major surgery such as open heart surgery, but still doesn't want any painkiller whatsoever - not even biting on a stick.
• Downplayed: Hiro simply opts for a less strong anesthetic than what is normal for his procedure.
• Justified:
  • Hiro Feels No Pain.
  • The medical procedure can be done without anesthetic, and minimal pain.
  • No anesthetic was available.
  • Self-Surgery is happening, which can only be done with local anesthetic at best.
  • For some reason, Hiro was interested in watching the procedure.
  • Hiro doesn't trust the surgeons at the hospital, and is worried about what they may try to do with him when he's under.
  • Hiro’s Healing Factor means anesthesia won’t work on him anyway.
  • Hiro's body is allergic/intolerant to the anesthetic(s) available.
• Inverted:
  • Dr. Pain straps Hiro to an operating table and isn't planning on using any anesthetic.
    • Dr. Pain straps Hiro to an operating table to pump him up full of anesthetics.
  • Hiro wants to be given general anesthesia for any procedure, no matter how simple.
• Subverted: Hiro initially doesn't want to be given any anesthetic, but he realizes how badly it hurts and is given some.
• Double Subverted: It's still not enough, though.
• Parodied: ???
• Zig-Zagged: ???
• Averted:
  • Surgery is given with anesthesia, as normal.
  • No surgery happens.
• Enforced: "We need to show just how tough Hiro is. Let's have him go through a surgery with no painkillers!"
• Lampshaded: “You didn’t even let them put you under? Are you nuts?!”
• Invoked: Dr. Pain lied to Hiro, telling him the surgery would be minor enough to do awake, just to see him suffer.
• Exploited: Emperor Evulz knew Hiro would refuse anesthesia later, and made sure to go for wounds that would be as painful as possible to patch up.
• Defied: The surgeons decide to give him anesthetic regardless.
• Discussed: "Are you sure you don't want anesthetic?"
• Conversed: "Doesn't that character realize how badly surgery would hurt?"
• Deconstructed:
  • Hiro asks the surgeons to not give him anesthetic, and they don't. Of course, he quickly learns that anesthesia is given in many medical procedures for good reason, and is in extreme pain with no way to tell the surgeons.
  • It isn't a matter of being badass enough to take the pain - physiological reactions like the increased heart rate and blood pressure make the surgery far more lethal than if it was done properly.

---

Back to Skip the Anesthetic

---