Okay, guys, let's put an end to all the sensationalism surrounding this topic. First of all, anesthesia awareness is possible, but extremely rare. There are several high risk situations during which it would be more likely than usual: open heart procedures, emergency c-sections under general anesthesia, and acute trauma during which the patient is hemodynamically unstable. Outside of these cases, the true incidence is about 1 in 40,000 cases of general anesthesia.
A few comments about some posting above:
Ruby, you had a "wake up" test. This was likely a planned situation and you should have been coached about it beforehand. This is not unintentional anesthesia awareness.
Demonio Flatline, you had persistent neuromuscular weakness from a paralytic agent. This is not anesthesia awareness.
Bob, your wife had a regional anesthetic (spinal or epidural). Pressure and pulling is normal and expected.
Everyone, if you have sedation or regional anesthesia, you will be aware. This is normal. If you have had procedural sedation for wisdom teeth extraction or colonscopy, you were not under general anesthesia and awareness is normal.
Ask questions before your procedure and don't believe everything you hear on Dateline.