If your child has been under general anaesthetic…

[Nighttimenope]

How did they cope when they came around?
DD just had a short and straightforward operation, and after she was absolutely distressed for ages. Screaming, crying, not making eye contact or hearing me properly. She’s fine now, and we’ve talked about it, but I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience…?
It shocked me seeing her so upset that I nearly fainted after trying to console her for about ten mins. I’m sure the anaesthetist said he had never seen this before, but actually he had an accent and it was very loud in there so perhaps he said he’d seen this before, and I can’t go back and ask him! Also I guess it doesn’t matter too much. I’m just curious.

My DC2 had major surgery. It was taking an age from when we had been told by the surgeons it had gone well to when we could go to recovery to meet them. Apparently coming round they got so distressed they had to be sedated again. Was absolutely awful even second time of waking them up. Nine years later they cannot remember, I will never forget.

I wake up totally hysterical from GA - pretty much exactly as you describe - and I'm a fully grown adult. I'm absolutely sure it's normal, if not the common response.

I have also been very traumatised whilst witnessing my daughter's medical procedure. EMDR helped. If you can, when the memory comes back to you, fold your arms across your front and alternate patting your hands on the opposite arm. Allow the memory to wash through you whilst you pat. It may be that you need to process this memory yourself.

Also, my memory of that experience was that it lasted somewhere around half an hour/45mins. A LONG time. It actually lasted just less than 10. I know that for a fact, but my brain still remembers it as a very very long time. Traumatic events do strange things to our logic x

DD had one last year and was fine and chatty when she woke up (couldn’t shut her up by all accounts!) but she was 14 so quite a bit older. I think the ‘normal’ waking response has quite a wide range.

When kids do this, they just need to go back to sleep and wake up on their own. They are different children when they do. Don't try and keep
Them away or talk to them
It get them to watch TV. Get them back to sleep!

Ds had a GA at about 4yo. He was incredibly distressed when he came round, it lasted for about an hour. Screaming, lashing, pulling tubes out. It was absolutely awful to watch.

Mine just gets a bit grumpy but I was told that distress is quite common (and the first time I had a GA I woke up so distressed they had to give me a sedative so I went back to sleep again and I was an adult and knew what was happening, so makes sense its even more likely to be very distressing for a child that doesn't fully understand why they are feeling so weird when they wake up)

It really isn't unusual. It's really really common!

It's quite common especially in younger children. It sounds very much like emergence delirium.

Yes. One of my children was exactly like this. I don't think it was pain, just a reaction to the anaesthetic. Screamed for hours and was thrashing around like he was possessed. He'd had his tonsils out and it was a short operation. My other child was sleepy for ages but absolutely fine when she woke up and just asked for some toast.

Thank you everyone. The post re emergence delirium was really interesting to look up- my daughter is quite an anxious character and that was mentioned as perhaps predisposing them to struggle more when coming around. I think I must have misheard the doctor and he must have said he'd seen it before- I was just hearing what I probably feared rather than what was really said. So many brave little people - and big people!- dealing with such difficult experiences post surgery. Really helps to hear of others experiences.
Thank you too to the poster who suggested a therapy option when reflecting on it. It helps to know looking back that she was 'ok' and she can express what was going on for her, I guess at the time you're just desperate for word that all went well, I wasn't expecting to keep my game face on for so long after! Thanks folks.