What to expect with general anaesthetic

[ladygoingGaga]

Might seem like a silly question, but I've never had one. Go in on Friday to have coil changed as they cut my threads during procedure to remove dodgy cervical cells six months ago.

All the literature says not to drive etc, are the effects less if its a quick op?

[Northumberlandlass]

Hey lady,
I had a GA last year when I got sterilised. It's a short op. I'll try & describe how it felt & recovery.

I felt quite sick when i woke up, they gave me some medicine to help, I drifted in & out of sleep for what felt like hours but was only minutes. I went in at 7am, had op just after 10 & was released at 3pm. I could only go with someone to look after me.

I was pretty much out of it for rest of the day & i was sick. I felt quite out of it & my mate who picked me up found it funny as I just high as a kite.

I felt off colour for few days, but it took a good few weeks for my body to return to normal. Had digestive problems & constipation. I didn't drive for about 10 days due to op recovery & feeling a bit spaced.

[specialsubject]

it really does vary person to person. Some feel sick and are in a lot of pain, some just blink, yawn and that's it. Shorter anaesthetics are less disruptive to your system.

don't plan anything for a few days afterwards.

you will NOT be allowed to leave unaccompanied - when himself had day surgery the nurse took him to the door to make sure that I really had a car and was really driving it.

[Mamuss]

It took a while I come round properly. Panicked and burst into tears no idea why! Felt bit confused but fine. I wasn't allowed home due to crazy low blood pressure which they said was fairly common.

[DisappointedHorse]

I've had several for varying degrees of surgery but the effects have been pretty similar each time although more pronounced the longer I've been out.

I've never felt sick but I do feel very tired and spacey and can sleep for Britain for several days. That may have been the morphine that went with it though.

I was ok being alone after but I wouldn't have wanted to try and get myself home.

It's really not that bad though. I have no fear of them.

[2kidsintow]

I don't feel sick and don't feel pain coming out of a GA. But I do wake up as if I've just had a good cry. My breathing is juddery as if I'm really upset.

It also makes me feel REALLY tired afterwards.

[TheFarSide]

I must be weird because I really enjoyed the feeling of drifting off into sleep against my will. Seconds later, or so it felt, they were waking me up. I was also starving and high, and gabbled away to DH until I fell asleep.

When I picked up DH after he had a GA, he was staggering down the hospital corridor. When we got home, he devoured a huge plate of sandwiches, fell asleep for about 4 hours, then woke up and devoured a huge roast dinner, then fell asleep again.

Neither of us had any nausea or sickness.

[Orangeanddemons]

No nausea or sickness. I did find that seeing was a bit weird, took some time to start properly. Also felt very weird and down on the third day.

Nice and sleepy though

[casacastille]

No sickness here either after a short GA, but crashing tiredness for 24 hours afterwards.

I definitely wouldn't assume you'd be safe to drive.

[Cherryhd]

Sick, sick, v sick, did I mention sick? even double dose of the anti sickness drug didn't work, needed a third. That's me, OH, well he woke up feeling great, scoffed massive plate of sarneys and demanded remote control as if he had just had a siesta. Everybody different. Hope you find it easy.

[ladygoingGaga]

Oh blimey, I thought I would be back out running next day, maybe not then

I live alone with DS who is 7, would you stay with a friend overnight?

[CuriosityCola]

I had no sickness and was very happy/high as a kite. Chatted non stop about rubbish to a male nurse and then a worried dh in between drifting back to sleep. Wasn't really with it for a couple of days.

[OneHandFlapping]

I found coming round a microsecond after I'd gone out (or so it felt) most peculiar. There is zero sense of time passing, completely unlike being asleep.

I still feel this really disturbing sense of "well where was I then?" when I think about it.

[Meglet]

You won't be running the next day. It takes a while to get out of your system. I'm with thefarside on this one. A nice woozy sensation when it goes in (it makes my arm cold), a lovely deep sleep, then resting and dozing for a couple of days. Plan no more than the sofa and magazines for a couple of days.

GA's are the only time I relax . It's funny because I'm crap with most medication, but my body suits GA's .

[FunnyRunner]

I get very sick after GA. The 'tiredness' can stay with you for up to a week IME - but maybe they just really don't agree with me. Don't be tempted to eat too soon - I'm always starving but find I can't even keep water down initially. I would definitely have someone on standby to help out tbh but you may well be fine.

[fisharefriendsnotfoood]

i felt mega pissed - the actual going under and waking up was great. just a bit spacey, like i had drunk a lot.

the thing that surprised me was that i was a bit emotional for about a week after - way out of character for me. i couldn't really think straight and it worried me. basically i tried to go back to work after 2 days - when they say 2 weeks, listen and be nice to yourself.

next time i have an op, i will be lazy for the whole sick note period and enjoy the drunkness of it all

[ladygoingGaga]

I just figured as I was only getting whiff of it that it would be fine!

Friend is now booked to come pick me up, I read the leaflets they gave me, but find most advice on these things are over cautious, obviously not!

Glad I asked

[Topseyt]

I have had several. I don't get any sickness, and am largely OK afterwards, just tired and with a tendency to drift off to sleep in a nanosecond.

With a short general anaesthetic I can be bright and breezy again very quickly, but with a longer one I can have a "hangover" type feeling for maybe 24 hours.

Definitely be cautious, and do NOT drive on the same day, even if you think you feel fine. It just isn't worth the risk. Those are very powerful drugs.

[TheFuzz]

Didn't have any issues, but, like others have said, it can vary between individuals, and of course between different procedures.

Wheeled into theatre, canula in (not as bad as I thought). Sedative given - makes you feel like you've had a glass or three of wine, then immediately in goes the anaesthetic. Felt a cold sting surge into my arm. Bam out like a light ! Remember being woke up a couple of hours later haveing felt like I'd had a nice sleep - couldn't appreciate the time difference.

Bit woosy when wheeled back to ward, but came round fast. Drank a load of water and ate tea within an hour of coming round. Then was rather bored until they let me escape. Operation to getting out was 7 hours.

No after effects, no woosyness and I even couldn't sleep that night after the op.

Due in again shortly, but not so worried about the operation - it's the damage after.

[onedoughnutleft]

TheFuzz
What are you having done that you are worried about the damage after? Really hope your op goes well. Good luck.

[willyhaschips]

I didn't suffer any ill effects from the anaesthetic but oh boy did I have a sore throat from the breathing tube (both times)...totally unexpected.