Hi jcr,
Sorry to hear about your lung emergency. I suspect the reason they put you to sleep with ketamine and not something else is because of ketamine's respiratory stimulation effects. Surgeons often use it as an anesthetic when working on patients with asthma, as there's a smaller chance of their respiratory system malfunctioning during surgery compared to a different anesthetic.
I personally have noticed that ketamine has definite sound distortion effects on me. While entering the K-Hole, and during my stay there, any sounds that come to me are extremely distorted to the point of being completely unrecognizable. That's why I never put music on while using ketamine - it just makes it sound "not right" for some reason.
A friend of mine said DXM has exactly the opposite effects on music for them - it enhances it and makes it sound even better. I'm yet to try DXM though.
I suspect the reason why you found yourself in such a bad headspace while they were performing surgery on you is because you went into the ketamine realm with the knowledge that a part of your organism is heavily damaged and threatening to your life, which darkened the entire experience even more.
One thing I can promise you though - do not turn your back on ketamine. You had a terrible experience now, but you can't really expect more given the conditions under which you were administered with it. When you feel the time is right - give it another chance.
Ketamine's magic is very interesting to me. Takes me places no other substance has taken me. It has saved people's lives too, helping with extreme treatment-resistant depression and the such. Just search "ketamine saved my life" in YouTube and you'll find plenty of reasons why ketamine is a great substance if used properly.
I hope your recovery is speedy and complete, and that health accompanies you on your journey moving forward.
Be well.