Recovery from general anaesthetic.........

[betty swollocks]

Posters' experiences please.
After being head butted by a local ne'er-do-well I have to be admitted to hospital in a few hours to get my fractured zygomatic arch fixed

I asked the maxillo-facial surgeon if it can be done under local: the man say no!
I have never had a general anaesthetic before, so I would be glad and interested to read of others' experiences, especially with regard to the recovery period.
I want to be back on my bike asap
Thank you.

 

[classic33]

Can't be given a local, severe adverse reaction. Stops the heart, causing further problems.

Either one used in the past has seen me back on the bike within 2 weeks.

 

[ScotiaLass]

Recovery from a GA is generally quite quick.
You may feel sick when you wake up, but it's less common these days as they give you drugs while you are still 'under' to combat that.
It also depends on how long your operation takes. You may feel sleepy for a few hours afterwards.
As for getting back on the bike, it depends not so much on the anaesthetic, but on how well you heal afterwards and your surgeons recommendation.
He may recommend you rest up for a week or two. Check with him before you leave hospital

 

[vickster]

A week at least before feeling half normal after GA, but depends on length of op, what sort of pain pills taken, how you feel etc afterwards too. You will be advised not to drive for at least 24 hours. Talk to the surgeon or anaesthetist. My recent ops have all been orthopaedic so the afflicted joint has also had to recover from the surgery

 

[vernon]

Posters' experiences please.
After being head butted by a local ne'er-do-well I have to be admitted to hospital in a few hours to get my fractured zygomatic arch fixed View attachment 86197
I asked the maxillo-facial surgeon if it can be done under local: the man say no!
I have never had a general anaesthetic before, so I would be glad and interested to read of others' experiences, especially with the regard to the recovery period.
I want to be back on my bike asap
Thank you.

Posters' experiences and your surgeon's advice are two different things.

I'd listen to the surgeon.

 

[TVC]

I've only had a general once, but because I had been kept off fluids for 18 hours before hand I woke up with a stonking hangover. Once I'd been given something for the nausia and taken a couple of full drip bags I was fine.
Recovery wise you should be fine by the following day, I suspect though that the swelling from the op could affect your ear and your balance might be off for a bit. Good luck.

 

[welsh dragon]

Recovery from the GA itself was probably around 24 hours. However, recovery from the Injury that necessitated the GA in the first place will be a different matter. As vernon said, go with your surgeons advise.

 

[BrynCP]

I recovered within 24 hours when I had it a couple of years ago. It was only a very short procedure though.

I struggled with oxygen levels for the first hour of recovery and had to wear an oxygen mask which was uncomfortable. However, as this was before my cycling I was unfit and the anaesthetist made comments about the size of my neck before hand.

 

[User269]

I like GA, it's no problem at all. It's whatever they gave it to you for that can be a problem afterwards.

 

[JtB]

I can remember being brought round from a 4 hour operation, and it was very weird indeed. Started off floating in black space with no sentation of a body. First thing I could remember were my thoughts being boomed back at me a split second after I thought them. I then became aware of a small bright light towards which I started drifting. As I started getting closer I realised it was shimering with sound, feeling and vision as if all my senses were jumbled up inside the light. The light then started to envelop me and I tried to pull back into the peaceful darkness, but it was too late and suddenly all my senses clicked into focus. I then remembered that I was about to undergo an operation, but immediately heard a voice telling me it was finished. At the time it wasn't a particularly frightening experience, but for years later it was a bit disconcerting thinking back about it.

 

[betty swollocks]

Thanks all for your input.
My lift is to the hospital is arriving at any moment,
See you all on the other side..........

 

[vickster]

Good luck if you have pain after, tell them, don't play the martyr!

And stop picking fights with your mother in law

 

[JtB]

Good luck. Hallucinations like mine are not common, I believe most people just wake feeling a bit hung over.

 

[Katherine]

You should be concentrating on how to recover from the injury. Follow all the instructions to avoid further problems.
Good luck.

 

[Mrs M]

Best of luck.
Don't worry too much about the GA.
Just focus on recovery. May be slower than you'd like but best heal right first time than try to do too much too soon.