Anesthesia is used around 40 million times each year for various surgical procedures. While it makes surgery a far more comfortable experience, the first moments after you wake up can feel like rising through a fog, unsure of where you are or how much time has passed. Those who have never had anesthesia before usually have a lot of questions, including: how long anesthesia grogginess lasts, whether they will remember the surgery, and how soon they will feel normal again.
Read on to get answers to these questions and learn how the best anesthesiologists in San Jose use the ERAS protocol to support a safer, faster, and smoother recovery after general anesthesia.
What is General Anesthesia?
General anesthesia is a term used to describe a combination of medications, including sedatives and paralytics, that put your body into a deep sleep during surgery. This precise combination of medications ensures that you don’t feel anything, hear anything, or remember the procedure. It works by slowing your brain activity, relaxing your muscles, and keeping you unaware of what’s happening, while a breathing tube and monitors help support your body. During the procedure, an anesthesiologist stays with you the entire time to adjust the medications and watch your vital signs, making sure you stay safe and comfortable from start to finish.
Waking up From Anesthesia: Common Sensations and Side Effects
The first moments after waking up from anesthesia will feel hazy, as if you’re trying to focus through a thick fog while voices drift in and out around you. Many people describe feeling very sleepy or unsure of where they are. That disorientation is a normal part of the drugs wearing off.
Other common side effects after anesthesia you may experience include:
- A dry mouth or a scratchy feeling in your throat from the breathing tube
- Waves of nausea or shivering
- Blurry vision or sensitivity to lights and sounds
- Heavy limbs
- Confusion can linger for a short time, especially for older adults
After Anesthesia: What to Expect in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
The PACU, or recovery room, is the place you go right after surgery. It usually has low lights, monitors, and nurses who specialize in post-anesthesia care. While you’re here, your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature are checked regularly as the medications wear off. Many patients remember a nurse leaning in to ask simple questions or offering medication for pain or nausea.
Before you can leave the recovery area, the team uses the Aldrete’s scoring system to assess your vital signs, ability to move, and level of alertness. This helps them decide when you’re steady enough to either be discharged home or discharged to the general recovery floor of the hospital.
How Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocol Helps You Recover Faster and Easier
The ERAS protocol helps you recover faster by using evidence-based steps that reduce pain, shorten hospital stays, and support your body as it heals. This program includes careful pre-surgical preparation, personalized anesthesia planning, and non-opioid pain management such as nerve blocks and multimodal medications. Studies show ERAS can cut recovery time by more than 30% and lower complications by nearly half.
What to Expect in the Days and Weeks After Anesthesia
Once you’re fully awake and ready to leave the recovery room, you may still have a lingering haze for around 24 hours. Because of this, you shouldn’t drive, handle machinery, or make important choices for the rest of the day. This is why having someone by your side is essential to help get you home and stay with you for the first day or two. Once you’re alert, it’s important to follow your post-anesthesia care instructions, which may include:
- Staying hydrated
- Eating as tolerated
- Take your usual medications, as well as any new medications that your surgeon prescribed to you
- Resting
- Moving around as instructed by your surgeon
Before you leave the hospital or surgery center, you’ll usually receive a list of symptoms to watch for, including trouble breathing, signs of a blood clot, intense pain, or bleeding at the incision site.
Finding the Best Anesthesiologists in San Jose, Serving all of the Bay Area and Northern California
As the largest private anesthesia practice in the Bay Area, we’re honored to provide the best anesthesia care to those across Northern California and the Central Coast. Our anesthesiologists are board-certified physicians who train at top programs and work closely with surgical teams across Silicon Valley to choose the safest and most effective plan for each patient.
Our mission is to bring evidence-based ERAS protocols, including multimodal pain control and precision fluid management. By combining constant vigilance with ERAS-driven care, we aim to give patients the strongest possible foundation for a smoother, safer surgical experience.
Ready to find the best anesthesiologists in San Jose for your surgical procedure?
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