Feeling very weird after general anaesthetic

[scaredofhospital]

I've had a laparoscopy this morning under a general. I've been feeling very drowsy and also dizzy on standing, feel like I will faint when I stand and try to walk. I've had cup of tea and biscuits but just feel so strange and unsteady when I walked to the toilet. Is this normal? I've been hours but still not right to be able to walk out of the hospital. I just want to go
Home. They've advised me to lie back down and more fluids and rest etc.

It feels like a sensation of falling, a bit like I'm drunk, when I tried to walk slowly to the toilet. I
The lady in the bed opposite me had her op after me and has already gone home, she walked out fine and seemed really steady on her feet. What's wrong with me?

Nurses are so kind, telling me to take my time and just rest, no rush etc, but I had my op at 9am, surely I should be able to get out of here by now? It's only meant to be a day case procedure, I feel bad I'm taking up a bed.

Why can't I just walk out of here? Is this normal? I feel so pathetic. 😔

I've woken still a little dizzy and unsteady on my feet when I stand (ok when lying), tried to go to the toilet but cannot wee, nothing is coming out and it just burns. I get the sensation that I need to but nothing. I've had very little fluids over the past 24 hrs so I'm assuming it's normal?? How long before I need to worry and get some medical advice?

I was in awful pain through the night so I've hardly slept, kept on top of my morphine but it's making me feel sickly, so I've called GP for an antisickness med to help me tolerate it or a different pain relief. So fed up 😟

If it's burning down below , it's probably because they inserted a catheter during your surgery. Did you wee before you left the hospital? Are you drinking plenty of fluids?

sorry you are still feeling rubbish.

I'd suggest calling GP for a phone appointment today.

When I was very unwell, (in and out of hospital regularly for a good couple of months) I was always seen by a GP, when I called them for advice. I said "ive just been discharged from hospital yesturday / 2 day ago / etc etc "and they literally always saw me, very quickly (and quite often sent me back via A&E to get re-admitted).

Definitely call GP, tell receptionist you were discharged last night and need to at least speak to a dr today, and I would expect that to be enough for a dr consultation, even if only to reassure you.

I did a very small trickle before I left hospital and I did tell the nurse it was very small, she said that's fine. I did similar last night at home, I think around 6-7pm. Nothing since. Very low fluids because I feel so sick with the morphine

@onetwothreeee
I've called my GP surgery and explained all that, they are getting a doctor to call back asap this morning,

You're stoned love, that's what morphine does! 😂

Keep up the fluids, you won't wee otherwise.

I've spoken to the GP, she was lovely and very helpful. She's prescribed antisickness meds to take with the morphine and said it's not unusual to struggle to wee after surgery in the pelvic region. If I haven't weed by lunch time she said to call the ward who discharged me and go back via a&e as I might need a catheter to drain my bladder. I'm really hoping I don't so I'm just having as much fluid as I can tolerate now

Hope you start to feel better soon OP.

It does seem mad that they kick you out of hospital quickly after surgery and then you have to clog up A and E to access continued care.

I had something similar recently, was home after surgery far too quickly,initially I was told if stay in 3-5 days, got a wound infection immediately on returning home, then needed 2x GP appts, urgent care appt plus a call to 111. Had I been kept in an extra few hours the infection would've been noted and I'd have probably been given IV antibiotics instead of weeks of tablets and my recovery would've been much quicker.

Take it very easy OP and don't underestimate how tired you might feel over the next week or so.

Thank you this has definitely helped me feel better, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has this strange reaction to a general anaesthetic!

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor
Thank you.
Yes the GP said to call the ward directly first who discharged me if I haven't passed urine by lunch time and see if I can go back there and bypass a&e. But GP wasn't sure if they'd allow that and might send me via a&e first, which I agree is craziness given I was admitted and having surgery only 24 hours ago.

OOH GP told me that too but they wouldn't allow it. It seems once you're off the ward that's it.

If you do need to go back in, and the ward won't read it you, ask the ward if it's quicker via the gp into a surgical assessment unit or a and e. If you're referred here, it's much quicker via the SSU route

If you’ve still not passed urine since the surgery they really shouldn’t have let you go home. Make sure you follow the GPs advice and phone the ward and then go into hospital.

I'm always properly crying when I wake up and feel really weird for a couple of days - I just don't react very well to it I think!

I'm old enough to remember you not being discharged until after you'd peed AND pooed.

Indeed. I've had general anaesthetic only twice, buth times for minor gynaecological procedures. The first time - great recovery.

The second - I reacted quite badly afterwards, my blood pressure hit the floor (projectile vomiting followed by collapse) and staff came running. I was kept in overnight and put on a drip! By the morning I was fine and shovelling breakfast down like nobody's business.

Bodies metabolise drugs differently and at different rates. Especially opiates .. worth checking if you can switch to paracetamol/ ibuprofen combination- doesn’t mess with your head !

Ive never had a GA, but I had an epidural earlier this year and let me tell you... it was awful!
My blood pressure tanked straight away, and stayed low for over an hour, with me feeling like I was going to faint. They had to give me A LOT of medication to get it to go up, and afterwards it stayed high, tot he point where I had to take meds to get it back down.

I also could not pee! They took my cathether at around midnight, and I was only able to pee at 5pm the next day. They had to put in another cathether to empty my bladder, as I was in soooooo much pain and my bladder was totally full!

I've had 2 GAs and I've been told by recovery staff that I took longer than usual to come round from both but still totally normal. Felt really woozy for a few days after too.
I'm surprised they discharged you just because you told them you passed urine. I had to pee into those cardboard disposable bedpans and have it measured and recorded before they discharged me.
I hope you feel better soon. I did have to go back in after my op too and I called the ward direct and went back. I was a private patient though so maybe that's different although shouldn't make a difference with aftercare.

Hope you’re feeling a bit better OP x

Whaat?! It took me a week to poo after my gynae surgery 😨😁

Me too! But not eating didn't help 😒

Have a sandwich or small bowl of soup and a cup of tea and a good nap you need to sleep it off