Can sedation have long term side effects?

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I was due to have surgery under GA in December but due to a lingering chest infection the decision was made to use nerve block + sedation instead.

I've previously had very light sedation (ie for a colonoscopy) where I've been very awake and aware and could remember what has happened afterwards and have recovered quickly.

For this orthopaedic surgery, I was under the impression that I would be awake but sedated they gave me headphones with music so that I wouldn't hear my bones being worked on. However all I was aware of was arriving in theatre, having a quick chat with my surgeon and then next thing I knew I was awake and a bandage was being put on my arm but I felt extremely tired so went back to sleep and woke up properly in the recovery bay some time later.

I've felt mildly sedated ever since. Physically tired, I've upped my sleep overnight by two hours and still feel tired most of the time and it's ten weeks since surgery.

Has anyone got any experience of this. Is it possible to overdose on sedation I wonder.

Other factors might be at play like dark winter days but I'm getting up at the right time every day, getting plenty of exercise, eating a good diet etc.

It’s just your body working hard to heal after surgery. Please don’t worry, just rest

Sedation knocks me right out every time.

Maybe the tiredness is just your body's way of letting you know you need to take it easy.

You should ask for a blood test. Perhaps you're low in iron.

My husband broke some bones in his wrist and had to have screws and pins to fix, but he was really tired for weeks afterwards. He was told that this is common with bone injuries as it take a lot of energy to fix them. DS also broke his wrist falling up some stairs at school and he was also very tired whislt it was healing.

Sounds as if you have much more in terms of surgery than my DH did, so likely that it could be down to your body needing time to heal.

I've also had sedation a few times (all of them I cannot remember a thing that was being done to me) and, apart from feeling strange the next day, it has never made me feel tired for a significant time after wards. May be as PP suggests, get your iron levels checked, but I'd be listening to your body as it will need rest and recuperation to heal well. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for replying.

I feel a mixture of relief and frustration that maybe this tiredness is normal after surgery. I hope it buggers off soon as it’s affecting my ability to work.

I’ve recovered from the surgery really well in every other way so I’d like to just get on with things now!

The sedation drugs have a very short half life (they are eliminated quickly) so there is mechanism by which they could cause ongoing tiredness . The surgery however is a trauma to the body and it makes sense that your usual energy is being diverted to healing processes.