Some important things about when you wake up:
1) When you wake up from surgery, it is highly recommended that a parent or loved one be there with you. I know that, whenever I woke up, I always havemy mom or dad standing right there. My dad would usually try to wake me up by hitting me with a pillow or with Spot when I was little.
2) It is okay and normal to feel sleepy and sometimes even confused from the medicine. It will wear off soon and you will feel good as new.
3) Sometimes you may feel nauseous after surgery. That's okay -- it happens to some people, like me. After my first surgery, I let the nurses know and they gave me something for the nausea. Make sure you tell them if it is or isn't working, so they know if they need to give you something else or let you rest. Every time now that I have a procedure, I make sure to tell the anesthesiologist and the nurse that I would like a little something for the nausea, because I get sick sometimes.
4) If you are in pain, make sure you let the nurse know. They are there to help and to make sure that you are comfortable. Don't be afraid to ask. I know when I was little I was always afraid to tell the nurse when I was in pain. So, I would just tell my parents and they would tell the nurse. Then, the nurse would come talk to me and figure out what I needed.
Where you might wake up:
When you first wake up, depending on your age, what hospital you are in, and what kind of surgery you have, you will wake up in different parts of the hospital. If you just came in for a minor surgery, then you might wake up in the room you started in. But, if you came for a major surgery, you will wake up in either a recovery room or an intensive care unit, depending on how serious your operation was. For most of my surgeries, I would wake up in the recovery room and, when I was fully awake, I would be wheeled over to my room. For my minor, out-patient procedures, I typically wake up in the same room I left from before my procedure. But no matter what, there will be doctors and nurses with you and they will take care of you.
What will happen when you wake up:
The first thing the nurses will do is wake you up. You will be tired but they will try to get you to stay awake, which is really hard. The nurses will ask you simple questions like: what day is it, where you are and other questions like that. Try to answer them so the nurses know you are okay and can be moved back to your room. My dad (being the control freak he is) would always wake me up by either hitting me with a pillow or grabbing one of my toes (my feet would always stick off the bed since I am so tall).
If you are in pain, make sure you let the doctors or nurses know so they can help you. But, in addition of helping with pain, you can ask for pretty much anything and the nurses and doctors will do what they can for you.
When you are ready, they will either move you to your room, start the discharge process if you are allowed to go right home, or continue to monitor you in your current area. Again, this all depends on the hospital, your procedure, and how you are doing.
Ride to your room (if you are staying in the hospital)
The ride to your room from surgery is very easy. All you have to do is sit back and be comfy. You will be on a cart and there will be a very qualified person pushing it. Don't worry, they won't crash. When I was little, I always loved these rides and got to have conversations with the driver and make jokes about crashing. If anything is wrong, just let someone know and they will help you. Just lay back, relax and enjoy your ride.
When you get to your room:
First, don't worry about having to get into bed, because they carefully move you to your bed. I have done it countless times and it does not hurt and is easy. No matter how long you are under anesthesia, you should still expect to feel a little out of it after surgery, That's fine. It is just you and your body waking up. It might take some time for you to be able to go to the bathroom again normally and that is fine too. Your body has been asleep and just needs time to recover. Also, expect to have a really bad taste in your mouth and probably a dry throat and chapped lips. Another thing to be aware of is that some people, after they wake up from surgery, feel nauseous and that is ok. Just let your nurse or doctor know and they will do anything they can to make you feel better and more comfortable.
If you are not staying in the hospital after your surgery:
With some surgeries or procedures, you are able to leave on the same day. Usually, once you are awake and the nurses think you are back to normal, you can get dressed again and leave with a family member or a friend. The nurses will often make you leave in a wheelchair-- enjoy the ride as you leave the hospital!
1) When you wake up from surgery, it is highly recommended that a parent or loved one be there with you. I know that, whenever I woke up, I always havemy mom or dad standing right there. My dad would usually try to wake me up by hitting me with a pillow or with Spot when I was little.
2) It is okay and normal to feel sleepy and sometimes even confused from the medicine. It will wear off soon and you will feel good as new.
3) Sometimes you may feel nauseous after surgery. That's okay -- it happens to some people, like me. After my first surgery, I let the nurses know and they gave me something for the nausea. Make sure you tell them if it is or isn't working, so they know if they need to give you something else or let you rest. Every time now that I have a procedure, I make sure to tell the anesthesiologist and the nurse that I would like a little something for the nausea, because I get sick sometimes.
4) If you are in pain, make sure you let the nurse know. They are there to help and to make sure that you are comfortable. Don't be afraid to ask. I know when I was little I was always afraid to tell the nurse when I was in pain. So, I would just tell my parents and they would tell the nurse. Then, the nurse would come talk to me and figure out what I needed.
Where you might wake up:
When you first wake up, depending on your age, what hospital you are in, and what kind of surgery you have, you will wake up in different parts of the hospital. If you just came in for a minor surgery, then you might wake up in the room you started in. But, if you came for a major surgery, you will wake up in either a recovery room or an intensive care unit, depending on how serious your operation was. For most of my surgeries, I would wake up in the recovery room and, when I was fully awake, I would be wheeled over to my room. For my minor, out-patient procedures, I typically wake up in the same room I left from before my procedure. But no matter what, there will be doctors and nurses with you and they will take care of you.
What will happen when you wake up:
The first thing the nurses will do is wake you up. You will be tired but they will try to get you to stay awake, which is really hard. The nurses will ask you simple questions like: what day is it, where you are and other questions like that. Try to answer them so the nurses know you are okay and can be moved back to your room. My dad (being the control freak he is) would always wake me up by either hitting me with a pillow or grabbing one of my toes (my feet would always stick off the bed since I am so tall).
If you are in pain, make sure you let the doctors or nurses know so they can help you. But, in addition of helping with pain, you can ask for pretty much anything and the nurses and doctors will do what they can for you.
When you are ready, they will either move you to your room, start the discharge process if you are allowed to go right home, or continue to monitor you in your current area. Again, this all depends on the hospital, your procedure, and how you are doing.
Ride to your room (if you are staying in the hospital)
The ride to your room from surgery is very easy. All you have to do is sit back and be comfy. You will be on a cart and there will be a very qualified person pushing it. Don't worry, they won't crash. When I was little, I always loved these rides and got to have conversations with the driver and make jokes about crashing. If anything is wrong, just let someone know and they will help you. Just lay back, relax and enjoy your ride.
When you get to your room:
First, don't worry about having to get into bed, because they carefully move you to your bed. I have done it countless times and it does not hurt and is easy. No matter how long you are under anesthesia, you should still expect to feel a little out of it after surgery, That's fine. It is just you and your body waking up. It might take some time for you to be able to go to the bathroom again normally and that is fine too. Your body has been asleep and just needs time to recover. Also, expect to have a really bad taste in your mouth and probably a dry throat and chapped lips. Another thing to be aware of is that some people, after they wake up from surgery, feel nauseous and that is ok. Just let your nurse or doctor know and they will do anything they can to make you feel better and more comfortable.
If you are not staying in the hospital after your surgery:
With some surgeries or procedures, you are able to leave on the same day. Usually, once you are awake and the nurses think you are back to normal, you can get dressed again and leave with a family member or a friend. The nurses will often make you leave in a wheelchair-- enjoy the ride as you leave the hospital!