When you have a procedure, sometimes the procedure isn’t painful, and you don’t need any kind of sedative, but if something is going to cause you too much pain, a lot of the time it is done under anesthesia. I lost count of how many surgeries I have had throughout my life and have been under anesthesia multiple times. When I was a child, I had a great anesthesiologist who understood my disability, and I never had any issues with it, but now, since I don’t have that anymore, I almost always have issues with it. I have more issues with longer surgeries than shorter ones, but it doesn’t matter whether I am under five minutes or five hours, I always get a little bit nauseous and experience some kind of side effect. Recently, I went under anesthesia for a short, minor procedure, and it was not one of my best experiences. I struggled with it a little more than I have in the past because sometimes you get someone who is good, and sometimes you don’t. I expect to have some issues with anesthesia, but sometimes I do have more issues than others, especially when I have a longer surgery, which I didn’t this time. How do you recover from anesthesia? In this post, I am sharing how I recover after I have been under anesthesia.
Eat small meals- When I go under anesthesia, I am given anti-nausea medicine because I have a history of nauseous but often the medicine does not completely take away or prevent nausea entirely. On the day of surgery, you will be instructed to fast because eating a meal increases risks, but after you have had the surgery, in most cases, you are allowed to eat. After I have had surgery, I am always incredibly nauseous and won’t usually have much of an appetite. for a few days. I do try to eat something because fasting for a long period of time sometimes can cause me to get constipated, and the last thing I need is to have more bowel. I don’t try to eat the quantities I did before I went under anesthesia, and take things slow because some people can’t handle food for twenty-four hours, and you want to make sure that you can keep it down. I stick to small meals for the first one or two days and eat things that I would have if I had the stomach bug. As the anesthesia starts to wear off, and I start to feel better, I will slowly start to get back to my pre-surgery diet. If you are nauseous after surgery, stick to small meals and eat food as tolerated because you never want to force yourself to eat and risk not being able to keep it down.
Rest as much as you can- After you have gone under anesthesia, you will be very tired for about a day or two, maybe even longer, depending on how major your surgery was. One of the best things to recover from anesthesia is to not try to fight the fatigue and prioritize rest because you don’t want to try to do too much too soon. It is frustrating to have to slow down after surgery, but it is so important that you take it easy and give yourself time to recover because the more you rest, the faster you will get better.
Drink a lot of water- When you go under anesthesia, it is not uncommon to get a migraine or headache because anesthesia can trigger a headache, and it can be even worse if you are given any kind of pain medication. After my most recent procedure, I got the worst migraine of my life, and the only way I was able to get rid of it was by using my headache hat and drinking lots of fluids. I try not to take any medication for my headache because they give you a lot of medication to help you fall asleep and pain killers on top of the anesthesia, and sometimes taking more meds makes it worse. Drink a lot of fluids if you are recovering from anesthesia because fluids can help with nausea and prevent horrible headaches. It takes time to recover from anesthesia, and hydration is so important because anesthesia slows everything down, and drinking lots of fluids can help it out of your system faster.
Make sure someone is around to help– After my most recent procedure, I was very dizzy for about a day and nauseous for two days, and needed a little more help than I normally would because that first day I could barely stand and keep my eyes open. You may need more help after you have been under anesthesia because you might not be entirely, and it is always a good idea to have someone with you to help with tasks until the anesthesia wears off and you can do things safely yourself. It can be dangerous to be home alone after you have gone under anesthesia because it is not uncommon to fall, and sometimes you will randomly fall asleep, and it’s always a good idea to have someone with you to make sure you stay safe. I need a little more help after surgery than someone without my disability would, but everyone should have a friend to look after them because even non-disabled people can hurt themselves after surgery.
When you are disabled, sometimes it takes a little bit longer for anesthesia to wear off than it would for someone without your disability. Anesthesia can be hard on anyone’s body, and it is so important that you prioritize rest and drink lots of water for a faster recovery. Take it easy because the worst thing you can do for yourself is trying to do too much too soon. I never force myself to work on my blog when I have surgery, even if it’s minor, because it’s so important that you focus on your recovery. Your blog will still be there even if you have to take a few days or even a few weeks off. Self-care is so important for recovering from any type of surgery because if you cause yourself a lot of stress, it often will take longer to recover. Fuel your body properly and get enough rest because, as frustrating as it is to slow down when you have a lot of stuff to do, your health is always more important than your work. How do you recover from anesthesia? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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