
You can go home as soon as you feel well enough. You will be awake and alert and won’t need time to recover from the anesthesia. If your surgery requires only local anesthetic, you will be given an injection of a medication that numbs the small area where your procedure is being performed. People recovering from this type of anesthesia sometimes experience headaches as they recover.

This is the type of pain control often used by women in labor and delivery. As with general anesthesia, you won’t be able to drive and should probably have someone stay with you for at least the first several hours after you return home.Īnother type of anesthesia is called regional anesthesia, which numbs a large part of the body such as from the waist down. The recovery from sedation is similar to that of general anesthesia, but patients usually wake up quicker and their recovery time is shorter. The effects of sedation, also called twilight sedation and monitored anesthesia care, can include being sleepy but awake and able to talk, or being asleep and unaware of your surroundings. Your surgery might not require general anesthesia, but you might need sedation to be comfortable during the procedure. If you are taking opioids for pain, you won’t be able to drive until you stop taking them. You may continue to be sleepy, and your judgment and reflexes may take time to return to normal. It’s best to have someone with you for at least the first 24 hours after general anesthesia. If you don’t stay overnight, you will need someone to take you home because you won’t be able to drive or take public transportation by yourself. Your anesthesiologist will monitor your recovery and your need for pain medication. If you had a major surgery, your pain may get worse as the general anesthesia wears off. Wherever you continue your recovery, your anesthesiologist will monitor your recovery and your need for pain medication. If you experience any of these side effects, the anesthesiologist will provide medications to make you feel better.ĭepending on the type of surgery you had, you will likely either be able to go home or to a regular hospital room within a few hours.

Your throat may be sore from a tube that helped you breathe during surgery. Some people feel sleepy but otherwise fine as the anesthesia wears off others have side effects such as nausea or chills, and sometimes vomiting. You will probably be moved to a recovery room where your anesthesiologist will continue to monitor your breathing and heart function. After the surgery is complete, he or she will reverse the medication so that you regain consciousness - but you won’t be wide awake right away. If you’re having general anesthesia, an anesthesiologist will give you medications that make you lose consciousness. What should you expect if you have general anesthesia? Depending on the type of anesthesia you have - local anesthetic, general anesthesia, or anything in between - you may need to factor in some anesthesia recovery time. If you’re having surgery, you probably know that you’ll receive some type of anesthesia to keep you from feeling pain during the procedure.
