In physiological/neurological terms, is it anything like 'real' sleep? IE is the body/brain rested afterwards?

Just pondering on it as I'm feeling a bit tired and going in for a minor op tomorrow.

no

Not IME I'm afraid.

try BOOZE instead!!!! HTH OMG!!!WTF111

Succinct.

NOt allowed anything to eat or drink from now-ish except water, so the booooooze is out.

So one's brain is effectively still awake (brain wave wise), but not conscious of what's going on?

brevity my dear is often best

Good luck. Hope you is well soon.

Ta, TJ, wasn't intended as a Memememe post.
Was genuinely wondering about it just now.

Booze is a bad idea, you'll bleed like a stuck pig.

Hope everything goes ok.

Ask for morphine; whether or not you need it or it is even remotely justified – just ask for morphine!

Where's Drac when you need him? Isn't he an anaesthetist?

I suppose I could JFGI…

You'll awake feeling like the living dead for several hours. Last time I awoke I swore at a nurse. Fell asleep for three hours, woke up took my gown off and put a T-shirt on and started hobbling around the ward on my crutches naked from the waist down. At this point I came around… Not a good look.

Where's Drac when you need him? Isn't he an anaesthetist?

Nope. There is a one who posts on here though.

No nothing like sleep your heavily sedated and they breath for you.

I have had a general before for my appendix, and similar to tommid, threw back my bedcovers, flashed a nurse with my growler whilst demanding to know "what have they done to me!!?" Cos they'd trimmed the top of my pubes and stuck a ruddy great see through plaster on my abdomen so it looked like I'd been melted.

Now, who's going to tell me about the science bit?

Edit: Cheers Drac!

Watch out for waking up thinking you were rude to the staff by nodding off and then attempting to get up.

Your legs WILL NOT work and then they make you bump your way to the loo to make sure you can still pee unaided etc.

Then await a massive truckload of pain as it wears off.

Then… have the unmitigated joy of finding out the morphine they are giving you doesn't work (i am one of the un responsive to morphine types) and accepting that a large man will be putting a small white bullet up your hoop.

Have fun!
(Der Lass n me both wish you luck!)

No, it's nothing like sleep from a physiological point of view. People have mixed reactions to it… I quite enjoyed the experience of "falling asleep" and coming around again during an op a few years ago, but others are sick and confused when they awaken.

Apparently I made a very strange phone call, though it sounded completely normal to me at the time…

It's the best sleep I've had in years.
I felt great afterwards after a minor 30 minute knock out

Thanks TBC. 🙂

Hope I feel like Monster2 after.

Felt fine after coming round following my hip op about 5 weeks ago.

Woke up and felt fine

when i broke my arm a month ago i was put unger GA twice, the first time was in A&E my pearents arrived as i was under and all i remember is talking to my mum and telling her to take my wallet and jumper because its warm! Aparently i asked dad about 5 times in 10 minutes wether he had seen the photo of my arm i sent him, i remember none of this, the next thing i remember is waking up in a strange room on some ward, i needed another operation to sort out my arm properly so was knocked out again, i went under at about 9:45 and woke up in the ward again at about 11:30, i was a little drousy for half hour or so and the came round quite quickly and was alowed to leave once i had eaten, drank and walked to the toilet and gone.

its not a horrible experience just a little bit sereal coming round in a room with people looking and touching you to do tests, the people doing the procedures are proffesions that do it all day everyday, dont worry about anything

I went under general for a pretty horrific dislocated thumb injury which wouldn't "pop" back in. Woke up asking the nurses for cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Passed back out and woke up a good 3 hours later throwing my guts up because the good stuff had wore off and the pain had set in. Needless to say I didn't actually want the cheese sandwiches or the soup when they brought them.

get a premed before op. 😉

what out they may give a placebo tho..

I woke from mine with a hard-on and immediately tried to chat the poor nurse up. So I must have slept 'properly' as this is my normal routine…

flashed a nurse with my growler whilst demanding to know "what have they done to me!!?" Cos they'd trimmed the top of my pubes and stuck a ruddy great see through plaster on my abdomen so it looked like I'd been melted.

Nice. I feel my life is just that little bit more complete now…

Coming round from GA is horrible. I remember demanding Morphine then crying, proper sobbing, when they wouldn't give me any more. Felt sick, nauseous, disoriented and generally really groggy. Even after a local for some stitches in my hand I felt similar, although only a mild version.

After my op with a GA, I had a prawn curry as soon as I could eat anything (you might feel ravenous, but then the thought of eating makes you feel sick, it's just f-ed up). Sorted me right out. So I heartily recommend a prawn curry. Medically proven.

I've had a GA for five different ops and the experience has been slightly different each time but always ok. You don't wake up feeling rested as such but you will probably doze on and off for hours after you wake and catch up on sleep then. If you have a lot of morphine, you might suddenly get very nauseated when you withdraw . A nurse can give you a shot of something which will deal with this.

I know of 3 people who have had a general. 2 of them were really worried about feeling ill/sick after. Tell your doctor if you are prone to feeling sick after a general as there are things they can do to help stop that if you are prone to it. None of the above ended up feeling sick or having other significant problems when they came around.

The most recent event (2 weeks ago) said he really enjoyed the coming around as it was relaxing and dream like and he would be happy to experience it again. Op at 2.00pm and back home just after 9.000pm walking to the car in a perfectly normal way from the ward.

Don't know what yr procedure is, but I couldn't get a GA for the op on 3 severed tendons in my wrist. They did a nerve block instead which numbed my whole arm. It was quite funny chatting with the surgeons and anaesthetist about bikes and lights (they were mountain bikers). It was quite reassuring watching too.

I was told not to eat or drink anything for 8 hours before…arrived starving at the hospital at 9am, they then told me I was going to be at the bottom of the list (ended up not being done until half 4!), they told me to drink squash up until 12 to make sure I wasn't dehydrated, and apparently I would be less likely to be sick.

I woke up, fell straight back to sleep again for an hour. Was tired for a few days afterwards, and a bit sore. But all in all not a bad experience.

If it's a day case procedure you won't be able to sleep long they'll get you up and out ASAP to save some cash

Sad but true!!

Had my appendix out in the 1970's – possibly the worst experience of my life, I think they must have anaesthetised me with cyanide or something. Then I had another general a few years back for an operation on my hand, felt great afterwards, no problems. Felt very rested.

It is possible that drugs have changed / improved a bit in the 35 years in between, I suppose!

I had an op on my back about 7 years ago and apparently whilst coming round I was insisting that someone got me a guiness in a coconut shell and actually got quite upset when they wouldn't.

I actually felt great in the first 24 hours after the initial grogginess, then just absolutely exhausted the following day.

I was disappointed I didn't get to count backwards from 10 like you see on the TV. Confused when a man wheeled into recovery after me was awake and talking when I was merely aware of my surroundings but couldn't interact. And annoyed that they took my first answer when they asked me if I wanted more pain relief, I said no! Although I have no recollection of this.

MrsI is an anaethetist but currently at work so I'll ask for the answer when she gets in.

When i was in 'recovery', i woke up screaming from mine, and then either passed out or went back to sleep. I don't remember being groggy when i woke up, but wasn't in the best shape either, and the following 10 days were pretty grim, but I'd lost a lot of blood so that won't have helped.

Hope it goes well.x

It's interesting because with 'normal sleep' you still have an awareness of time passing (i.e you wake up 'knowing' it's later than when you went to sleep), but with a GA you have no perception of time passing, hence why people will often ask 'has it happened yet' (as I have any times!) because you feel like you've just blinked……

Will ask the Wife for the science bit as she's a 'gas lady'….

DrP

I don't recognise any of these strange reactions. For me it was just like sleeping and waking up.

Has JojoA1 had her op? Has she come round yet? Have the staff trimmed her pubes this time, and put a sticker on her?

I think we need to be told…

Aww get well soon jo
*hugs* *kisses*

Hello folks. They must have refined the procedures in the last 20 years. I felt fine. Very mildly woozy and ravenously hungry. 🙂 Oh, and I couldn't stop shivvering and had to have a hot air blanket for a bit cos my core temp had dropped too much.

Didn't get a chance to ask the anaesthetist about brainwaves, he was too busy asking about mountainbiking!

Edit: no stickers, just ornery dressings and no pube trimmage, just a second belly button created! 😯