Informed Consent - My Experience

INFORMED CONSENT: A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I signed the consent form. But I didn’t fully understand what was about to happen.

About eight years ago, I was terribly ill with a spinal infection. My doctors needed an urgent MRI of my entire spine—roughly two and a half hours of lying still. Because I couldn’t tolerate that, the plan included IV sedation.

I had a brief conversation with the anesthesiologist and signed the paperwork. Immediately before the MRI, I was told I would be put to sleep.

My next memory is waking to people working over me and shocks to my chest. A nurse told me I had experienced anaphylactic shock. I was later told ketamine caused the reaction. I spent three days in the hospital.

The reaction could not have been predicted. I hold no ill feelings toward the care team.

But the fear stayed with me.

Over the following four years, I underwent approximately 47 MRIs under sedation. Each time, I checked that my ketamine allergy was documented and made sure the team knew about it.

That experience shaped how I think about informed consent.

When you’re sick, frightened, or in pain, you can hear an explanation, sign a form, and still struggle to understand what is happening.

What I needed was a conversation I could absorb, an opportunity to ask questions, and someone checking that I understood.

Today, as an independent patient advocate, I help patients prepare questions, communicate concerns, and ask for clarification from their healthcare team.

An advocate cannot eliminate every risk or prevent every unexpected reaction. We can help patients feel heard and supported during difficult decisions.

A signature matters. So does the understanding behind it.

John Bishop
Founder, DJB Advocacy LLC
DJBAdvocacy.com