What's a wake-up like?

Question

Howdy yall. I'm a writer working on a novel, and I have a question for anyone who had a surgery under general anesthesia:
What was it like for you to wake up after the surgery? What exactly were you feeling like?
Thanks.

I'm actually writing a modern story, so anytime within the last couple of years is what I'm looking for.

Answer 1

I didn't know I'd had surgery until afterwards (I was unconscious when I got to the hospital) and the doctors kept me out for a few days to let my body recover.

I can remember a lot of bits of things but not really a whole story. The first thing that sticks in my mind was how bright the room looked when I woke up (I think I'd had my eyes closed for a little under a week so that might explain it) and that my throat hurt a lot as I'd had a tube down there.

The doctor said something to me but I'm still not really sure what. I knew he was speaking but the words didn't make any sense. In any case, I was so exhausted I just really wanted to get more comfortable and go back to sleep... But, there were two things that stopped me... First, it hurt more than you could ever possibly imagine to move. Second, my body felt strange and weak as though my muscles had disappeared (a week of laying without moving does that to you).

I vaguely remember the doctor telling me to keep still because of the tubes and such and I just lay there completely terrified of even wiggling my fingers until I fell back asleep.

Things went pretty much the same way when I woke up a few hours later!

Answer 2

Well, you get a lot of different sensations at the same time. After I've woken up, I've been warm & cold at the same time; somewhat jittery and shaky (and I don't think it has to do completely with the warm blankets.) You have no real strong feeling in your body, with the exception of the place they operated, which always seems to hurt (at least for me.) Your are aware of what's happening, yet you aren't able to process it all, especially what's going on beyond your bed.

One thing I've always noticed is that I'm tired. I've woken up & fallen back to sleep 4 or so times after a surgery I had. In fact, it's almost impossible to stay awake. You're up just long enough for the nurse to bring you some pain pills and water, before you fall back into what just may be the most comforting sleep in your life. Waking up, especially after the 3rd or 4th time, sucks.

I'm willing to bet the experiences are different with each person, but this is what I feel.

Answer 3

Hello, I've had quite a few surgeries in my day. The first thing I noticed when i woke up was that I was warm. They put warming blankets on you during surgery and in the recovery room. Operating rooms are kept cold. This is because of several reasons: 1. The bright lights used for the surgery create a lot of heat. 2. The surgeon has a lot of people around him working too. That many people in close contact makes it warm. 3. The cold temperature helps keep the patient more stabilized. As for waking up from general anethesia, it all depends on the person. I always woke up very groggy. It was like coming out a very deep sleep. You know when you sleep very heavily at night? You wake up a little groggy at home. Some people have high fevers after surgery, especially if it was a brain surgery. Some people have a reaction to the anesthesia and start vomiting. I also woke up hungry. Before any operation, you are not allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before. This makes you very hungry and thirsty. In the recovery room you will only get ice chips to melt on your tongue. The initial wakening will only last for a few seconds, thirty at most. Then you are out again. It takes about an hour and a half to two hours to fully waken from anesthesia. You usually do not have much pain in the recovery room as the anesthesia is still in your body. About an hour after you are in the recovery room, they will ask you if you are having any pain. If you are they will give you an injection in the i.v. line for pain. I was always dreaming when i was under anesthesia. Very weird dreams at that. A couple of times I have felt like I was falling when I came out of anesthesia. This was from a dream I'd had. It really depends on the person as to what they feel like as they wake up. Anesthesia makes your mouth very dry. That is the first thing i noticed when i came out of anesthesia, that my mouth was dry. My body didn't feel like it belonged to me. Kind of like I was floating. Of course when you have the amount of anesthesia they use for surgery you are actually on cloud 9. It is a high is what it is. That is my experience with anesthesia. Debbie

Answer 4

What time period are you writing about? There was a big change in anesthesia methods a few years back and that makes a big difference! I watched my best friend have the same surgery before and after this time and she was totally different both times! Her first surgery was about 18 years ago and the second was 13 years ago.....

Answer 5

I've had both good and bad experiences.

Good: Woke up...fine.

Bad: Woke up really sluggish...worse than waking up with a hang over because the anesthetic was not out of my system. Couldn't walk, had to be carried to the car where my parents took me home. (That was when I had all four wisdom teeth pulled at age 18)

Hope this helps

Answer 6

groggy and good generally. There is usually pain medication involved.

Some people get a little sick because of the anaesthetic try to make it's way out of the system.

I have had an out of body type experience before as well. NOt awake but awake but unaware but aware...

Answer 7

I was very tired, out of it, groggy, & shaking from the anesthesia which i was told is normal but it's somewhat scary to be shaking and you can't control it. Then for the rest of the day you are out of it and just need to get plenty of rest.