Waking up from mastectomy anesthesia concerns

I had a lumpectomy but had general anesthesia for it. I don't remember waking up from the anesthesia to be that big of a deal. I remember I was trying to pull the oxygen nasal cannula off my nose and the nurse putting my arms back down and telling me to leave it alone, then then next thing I remember they were giving me pain pills and trying to get me to eat a cracker. Then I was back in the regular room with my husband there.

The thing is, if you say crazy things as you're coming out of it, you'll probably never know. The nurses won't tell you, they're probably used to seeing all kinds of things. Plus it's not like anyone is going to video you and put it on youtube, and if they do, you have awesome grounds for a lawsuit... :-) Think of anesthesia as a way to have a nice long sleepy nap.

When I woke up, my gurney was moving lol . I had been in recovery for an hour or so but was unaware. I just remember the bed turning and feeling fairly nauseated ( which always happens to me when I'm put under general). I remember when I got to my room they asked if I could move to the other bed myself which I groggily said "no way" lol I then dry heaved and they asked if I wanted a patch behind my ear and gave me one. Then I think they did something with my bandages. I kinda wished I was gonna be that hilarious person coming out of anesthesia, but I ended up being groggy, mumbly, and heaving lol

When I had my cancer surgery (mastectomy + axillary node dissection) the surgery started at 7am and it was supposed to last around 4h, so I knew I should be out around 11am. Woke up in the operating room, some nurses where cleaning up, and I asked where I was and what time it was. They told me I was in the operating room and it was 11 something, and from there I was awake, they told me they would move me to recovery etc. Once I wake up from anesthesia I am awake.

It's not like they had a hard time waking me, it's just anesthesia makes me really groggy and I felt like sleeping lol. They just let me sleep in the recovery area. There was really no reason to fully wake me up per se. They did wake me as they were about to move me, but I kept my eyes closed . I knew I was being moved somewhere.

When I was awake and aware , it was just the nurses there moving me to my room and doing the stuff I mentioned above. But it wasn't long before my husband came up. The dr had personally went to see him in the waiting room and let him know how things went. Once they moved me to my room he was allowed up. I suppose it's different everywhere, but they don't let family back in recovery where I am from.

I started waking up while they were still rolling me to the recovery room. I told them I was hot and they turned the blower thingy down to cool me off. I was groggy at the beginning but came to pretty quick. I asked if I had a catheter, which I was not happy about but I guess it's part of the process. I also remember my lips being numb and asking why (I guess they put lidocaine on the breathing tube they shoved down my windpipe, the breathing tube was out already). After a few minutes I asked the nurse to take out the catheter and I think she did and then told me I had to go pee before they could let me go home. So I got up and went to the bathroom to pee and after that they brought my husband in. I was definitely groggy but I wouldn't say I was ever not in control of the words coming out of my mouth. I think I was pretty with it, especially considering the long list of hard drugs they apparently had me on during surgery. I think I hung out for about two hours before I was able to get dressed and go home.

I had really crazy reactions to the versed they give preop. I declined it for the latter surgeries. I wake up in better shape without it. Trust me, no one pays attention to anything you say before or after surgery. I was totally lucid pre surgery and was talking but I could tell the docs thought I was out of it. My first surgery ever was a breast biopsy. I've had quite a few since. I always tell myself I am in great hands, all the medical personnel are singly focused on me having a good outcome. I tell myself surgery is one of the safest places I can be.

I've had several surgeries over the years at different hospitals. It's always the same, I wake up in recovery and get a chance to get somewhat alert, then I get wheeled back to my room, where I'm usually pleasantly sleepy. If it's a lighter surgery like the lumpectomy, I wake up faster and become alert pretty quickly. Big surgeries like a hip replacement or nephrectomy leave me fuzzier longer, for which I'm grateful.

Since I had a lumpectomy I was not "under" near as long as the mastectomy folks, but I was still just as terrified of the anesthesia. I remember being in the middle of a sentence in my room and then the next thing I knew I woke up in the same room and the surgery was over. I wasn't groggy at all. Got dressed and went home. I was under about 2 hours. Oh, and they put that thing behind my ear before surgery to prevent nausea.