After Anesthesia (IV / Conscious Sedation and General Anesthesia)
It is required, that a responsible adult accompany you to the appointment and escort you home following your surgery. You might be drowsy from the anesthesia and your reactions may be slow which will not make you a safe pedestrian.
It will take time to recover from the medications after anesthesia. Patients who received IV sedation or general anesthesia should return home from the office immediately upon discharge and lie down with the head elevated until all the effects of the anesthetic agents have disappeared. Anesthetic effects vary by individual; you may feel drowsy for a short period of time or for several hours. Arrange to have the entire day off work, and limit your activity for the rest of the day. Do not drive a motor vehicle, operate any machinery (such as kitchen appliances, lawn mower, power tools, etc.), or drink alcoholic beverages for 24 hours after anesthesia. Do not make important decisions or sign legal documents.
You should be careful going from the lying down position to standing. If you were sedated, you were not able to eat or drink prior to surgery. After surgery, it was also difficult to take fluids. Taking pain medications can make you dizzy. You could get light headed when you stand up suddenly. Before standing up, you should sit for one minute, then get up.
In the event of nausea or vomiting following surgery do not take anything by mouth for at least one hour, including the prescribed medication. You should then sip on tea or gingerale (no straw), slowly over a 15 minutes period. When the nausea subsides, you can begin taking liquids and the prescribed medication.
You may develop constipation from the narcotic pain medication and may need an over the counter laxative, if necessary. You may also develop nausea or vomiting from narcotic pain medications. If you are only having minimal discomfort, you may switch to over the counter pain relievers (Tylenol, Advil).
Occasionally, after IV sedation, the arm or hand near the site where the needle was placed to administer IV drugs may remain tender or may become inflamed. Application of heat to the area usually will correct these symptoms.
If numbness of the lip, chin, or tongue occurs there is no cause for alarm. As stated before surgery, this is usually temporary in nature. You should be aware that if your lip, cheek or tongue is numb, you could bite them without feeling it. So be careful when chewing.
Slight elevation of temperature immediately following surgery is not uncommon. If the temperature persists, notify the office. Tylenol or ibuprofen should be taken to reduce the fever.