Briton hypnotizes himself for surgery

A hypnotist from West Sussex has undergone surgery on his right hand without a general anaesthetic.
Alex Lenkei, 61, from Worthing, chose to sedate himself by hypnosis before undergoing the 83-minute operation.
He said he was fully aware of everything going on around him during the procedure but was free from pain.

The operation at Worthing Hospital involved removing some bone in the base of the thumb and fusing some joints in an attempt to improve his arthritis. Lenkei, who could hear the cracking of bones as the surgeon sawed at his hand but felt nothing, is thought to be the first person in the world to perform the feat.

Lenkei, told The Telegraph of how he felt "wonderful" as he showed off his bandaged and swollen hand, fresh from the 83-minute surgery he underwent on Wednesday.

A father-of-one from Worthing, Lenkei told the newspaper of how he could hear his surgeon talking as he slit a four-inch cut in his right wrist to chisel out a walnut-sized chunk of bone and move a tendon. He said: "It took me about 30 seconds to put myself under and I wasn't aware of any part of my body apart from my arm. I could feel the surgeon pulling and manipulating me—then I heard the cracking of bones. He used a hammer and chisel at one stage and I could hear him hammering away at the bone. Throughout the operation, an anaesthetist was on standby to administer an anaesthetic if necessary.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon David Llewellyn-Clark said he was happy in agreeing to the unusual sedation on Lenkei, a registered hypnotist who has been practising since the age of 16.