Feeling so embarrassed after anaesthesia. Please tell me this has happened to others?

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A week ago, I had a surgery. I was extremely nervous before being put to sleep.

When I came round, I was in a lot of pain but my throat was so dry I couldn’t say “hey, I’m in pain” , so I just started whining “ouch “ “ouch “.

Then I kept taking off the oxygen mask because it was annoying me. I also asked multiple times where my car was and had to be reminded I was in hospital at least twice. I also kept waving to thin air. The nurse was nice enough but I could tell I wasn’t her favourite patient 😳.

Now I remember it, I’m so embarrassed and feel like I was probably a real pain in the arse. Coincidentally, I had to be kept in post op because I was groggier and woozier than expected.

Reassure me please!

When I was a student nurse I spent a bit of time in recovery and had call sorts said to me! One lady kept telling me how much she loved me 😆

They are used to far far worse. My 6 year old experienced huge issues (severe emergence delirium) that resulted in 5 people restraining him and a nurse getting a black eye. It’s normal.

Oh poor you , you have my sympathies, it's so embarrassing for us but the medical staff have seen it all .
I broke a nurses nail fighting off Micky mouse when I had dental surgery and I've also bitten the dentist's finger when he told me to bite down lol .
Don't give it another thought they'll have forgotten about it by now .

Last month I told the poor recovery nurse, in great detail, how fentanyl killed Prince.

I feel so much better after reading these! It appears I was a dream patient after all 😇

Yep it happens. I repeatedly slapped the surgeons bum until someone removed my hand during my emergency c section. My dh came in and rubbed my arm and i thought it was the anaesthetists so I continued to glare at him whilst vomiting into the wee hat. I remember feeling really vulnerable and thinking he was out of order and I wanted to give it to him but was so out of it I couldn’t speak (maybe a blessing!). After I was wheeled out carrying my baby whilst proclaiming loudly i’m soooooo drunk. Over and over and over again. My dh was mortified 🤣 I’ve never had a good experience and every time speak some amount of rubbish that I feel embarrassed by. I wish there was a way to forget afterwards! They’ve seen it all i’m sure!

I am a vomited and they give me something to control it

I tried to get off the trolly in the corridor back from theatre, shouting I was going home and waving my bare arse at everyone!

I used to work in Recovery and had one guy squeeze my bum and was all "oh sorry, I don't know what I'm doing" 🙄 Anything is an improvement on that!

I've also seen a guy being wheeled out of theatre reach up to the anaesthetist pushing the trolley and squeeze his cheeks together with his hands while saying "I really love you I do". That was absolutely hilarious to be fair 😂

I recall one time being really, really angry when people kept giving me the wrong answer to my question. The question being 'What is this apple made from??'

Usually, though, I sing and curse. I sing incredibly badly and curse like a trooper which, like others have noted, belies my usual demeanour.

I like to think I'm at the milder end of post-op behaviour!

If it makes you feel any better I named my child something random after an unexpected GA to have her.
Luckily we like it now and DH has forgiven me!

When my DH came to pick me up after having all of wisdom teeth out, I told him a I was Victorian from the Victorian Times.

After I gave birth to my son I thought he looked alot like bjork and the first thing I did when they handed him to me was started to sing, "it's oh so quiet".

He categorically did not resemble bjork, I was just off my tits.

Youre good x

It's very common to be confused and disoriented. I have a relative who has had multiple ops and they are always very sick. I sat bolt upright trying to get out of bed and ripping my canula out, was totally confused and felt like my alarm had gone off and I needed to go to work. My ds sobbed for 30 mins after his. As you can see a whole range of reactions. Sorry the nurse wasn't very sympathetic.

After my operation a couple years ago I was in Recovery and thought I was outside at an Italian cafe [no idea why, never been there] . I was unbearably thirsty and there was a man there drinking a beer . I asked him if I could have some and he said NO . I burst into tears !

I punched a nurse coming out of anaesthesia so I think you’re fine 😂

I had surgery a couple of months ago and came unexpectedly on my period during the op. Was half conscious listening to them panicking about why there was blood everywhere (op was on my lung so nowhere near that end!). Embarrassing to say the least.

Howling at some of these!!! Some of my surgeries - came round yelling in pain & shouting to nurses that I needed drugs, not crappy hospital drugs, REAL drugs from dodgy people! (I don't take drugs!!)
Another time told the drs my doctor cousin was a serial killer like Harald shipman 😩 in fairness, she works in palliative care....
Told every single nurse that my consultant & anaesthetist were secret lesbians & getting married but only me & them knew. My anaesthetist was male 😕
I could literally turn myself inside out with Shane every time I think of any of it!

I vaguely remember shouting where am I and anyone who came in I was asking who are you. I had to tell DH I didn't want to know anymore of what I said

Hahah, I had a tonsillectomy in my early 20’s, when I came round I tried to pull off my oxygen mask and promptly fell asleep again leaving me with a red oxygen mask sized mark on my face for a day or two where it had pinged back!

More recently, I came round and thought I was in pain, it probably wasn’t that bad but they offered me Fentanyl. I apparently went on a rant about not wanting to end up homeless on the streets of San Francisco as a fentanyl addict! WTF! The nurse was lovely, when I came round properly, we had a good old chat 😁the fentanyl wasn’t too bad 😁

I’ve been under general anaesthetic a few times in the last few years. I cry every time I come round and I’ve been known to lie in bed and sing loudly.

When I was in they gave me the relaxant thing before starting the GA. They were talking over me about golf and asked me if I liked it. I said it was ‘a game played by twats in awful clothes’. I don’t like golf but clearly the relaxant thing had the desired affect

I've had several GAs and they basically turn me into a terrible drunk - a combination of 'aaaah, you're me best mate, you are' and trying to punch HCPs.

Don't worry: they will have seen it aaaaaall before (and more).

Ahhh I wouldn’t be too worried!

I used to be a medical secretary and once upon a time had to have a camera up my rear end by the very doctor I used to type for. Cringe doesn’t even come close!

Queue me getting a spinal injury a few weeks before surgery and being warned anaesthetic might cause leg paralysis - I signed the waiver anyway

Then upon waking he asked me if I could feel my hands/feet - and at that very moment I waved my hands above my head and exclaimed “OH MY GOD I HAVE HANDS!!!!”

Honestly considered changing my name and just leaving the country!

And in fairness, you weren't wrong.

(I mean, some nice people play golf, obviously, but there is a preponderance of wankers in dreadful outfits.)