A Baildon man has spoken of the terrifying moment he woke up on the operating table during a routine operation.

Fenn Settle, 25, of Cliffe Lane West, regained consciousness during surgery to treat a ruptured appendix after the general anaesthetic wore off.

He remembers a sharp stabbing pain in his abdomen and feeling like he was "choking to death on a bottle cap" which turned out to be a tube inserted down his throat.

Despite being awake, Fenn says he felt paralysed and unable to communicate so operating staff had no idea that he could feel what was happening to him.

He tried blinking, wiggling his fingers and toes and, in a last-ditch attempt to get the attention of medics, he made a "conscious decision" to urinate on the operating table before he was then put back under.

Fenn says he felt "locked in his own body" and described the experience at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as his "worst nightmare" come true.

The account manager said he next woke up in post-op following the laparascopic appendectomy and, despite his memory of the procedure, was told it was "all a dream".

In letters sent to Fenn, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust says his surgery was not started until the level of anesthetic gas was high enough to ensure he was asleep.

However, Fenn is convinced he woke up during surgery because he could feel a sharp stabbing pain in his abdomen.

He said: "I went down for surgery and everything was fine, I was put under but came round and felt like I had a bottle cap in my throat.

"I tried to spit it out but couldn't and felt like I was choking to death. Everything goes through your mind like, 'are you going to see your family again'?

"I thought I was going to die and tried to hold my breath so I would pass out quicker.

"I then realised I could hear voices, the beep of the machines and a stabbing pressure on my abdomen. I was able to figure out what was going on and that I was still in the operation.

"I couldn't move, I was paralysed. I tried to open my eyes, scream, wiggle my fingers and toes."

Fenn told how the only way he could get staff's attention was to force himself to urinate, at which point he was given more anaesthetic and finally lost consciousness.

He added: "In the post-op ward I said to the nurses 'I remembered that' but they said it was just a dream.

"The next morning I was seen by a doctor who said, 'I'm aware you had some awareness of the operation' but said whatever you do don't google it because I would scare myself.

"Obviously, I immediately looked up what anaesthesia awareness was and found it may be down to medical negligence."

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust has since apologised and given Fenn thousands of pounds in compensation in an out of court settlement.

In a statement, chief nurse Brendan Brown said: "We are genuinely sorry that Mr Settle's experience was not to the standard which we would wish to deliver to our patients.

"Whilst Mr Settle was fully anaesthetised during his procedure, we have completed a full investigation into the circumstances around his sedation and anaesthetic prior to his surgery starting, and shared findings and learning with our teams.

"With the settlement now agreed I would again take the opportunity to again apologise to Mr Settle."

Fenn, who at the time of the operation in 2016 was living with his grandfather in Odsal Top, returned to work a week after the op but has since suffered from post-traumatic stress and flashbacks.

Fenn asked the NHS to investigate what had happened during the op and says it turned out staff had incorrectly inputted his weight as three stone lighter than his actual weight.

"According to the doctor himself, that wouldn't have made a huge difference," he said, "but it would have made some difference. It was enough to wake me up.

"They also said the tube became disconnected so I wasn't getting the anaesthetic. I only ended up with a portion of what I was meant to have."