Massive euphoria for days after general anesthesia

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On Wednesday morning, I (male) underwent a minor surgery that required general anesthesia. I reported to the hospital as ordered by my doctor, checked in, was escorted to the operating room, changed into my gown, and laid down in the bed. My primary doctor was already in the room, and said hello to me. The nurses handed me my hospital gown, and told me to put it on without leaving the room. Funny how I felt absolutely no embarrassment standing in my boxers in front of female nurses, as I got out of my street clothes and into my gown. Probably because I knew I was getting surgery, and simply lost my ability to care. My anesthesiologist came up to me as I laid in the bed, introduced himself, and listed the chemicals in my anesthesia. They were propofol and fentanyl.

As I laid in the bed, I took out the notebook and pen I brought with me, and wrote down his name and what he said; he laughed a little bit, probably due to the look I had on my face as I wrote. That, and the time I was admitted, who I talked to, floor, room number, etc. (Why? It gave me a sense of control over my treatment.) Then he put an IV in me, and connected medication bags to it. Minutes later, I started rambling: making medical jokes, naming the dog breeds I like, and I clearly remember saying the word "conservative". Then everything faded to black.

I woke up hard and fast. I felt myself smiling a mile wide, with absolutely no pain in my body. My primary doctor stood next to my bed, and congratulated me on making it, only I was too groggy to respond. She let me nap for 20 minutes or so. Then I was moved to the recovery room, where a nurse brought me a croissant, butter, and pineapple juice, and left me alone to eat and relax. I scribbled more notes in my notebook, like the name I read off her badge. After an unknown passage of time, I changed back into my street clothes, and was wheelchaired over to a transport van to take me home. The whole post-surgery time in the hospital felt more like virtual reality than real life, but was still very pleasant. Even so, EVERYONE caring for me that day were super-nice, and had great bedside manners.

The transport workers got me to my apartment door, I stumbled to my bed, undressed, and napped for the next few hours. When I woke up from the nap, I felt MASSIVE euphoria! Last time I felt like that, it was when I lost my virginity in 2005 or when I got on my first cruise in 2012. Every time I think back to my general anesthesia, I break into the world's biggest smile! It's been two days, and I still can't come down from the high! I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling it tomorrow, and maybe Sunday too. The general anesthesia was so good! It was like the world's best drug trip, with none of the bad side effects.

That is true even now, when I'm having some surgery aftermath, but it's more like a nuisance than a legitimate pain. It's like the surgery was a dopamine machine implant in my brain, rather than what it actually was.

Honestly, I'm FLOORED! Last time I had general anesthesia surgery at age 10, it was HORRIBLE. The anesthesia drugs they gave me were basically glorified Benadryl and Tylenol; I woke up with pain in my whole body, and cried inconsolably for half hour. The nurses tried to comfort me, without success; my parents just stood back and watched. But today, it was a totally opposite experience, due to the strong chemicals I was given. Wow! Just wow!

It's really unfortunate how adults get amazing chemicals in their anesthesia, while kids get glorified Benadryl and Tylenol in theirs, therefore feeling 100 times more surgery pain adults feel, despite having much more sensitive bodies. To add insult to the injury, adults have access to alcohol, tobacco, and benzodiazepines during aftercare and recovery, while kids do not.

Thoughts? Is it the kid/adult difference or the 1993/2022 difference? Honestly, I want to know!! !

Recently WP posters started a thread saying that opiates cause a reduction in symptoms, it could be that?

Glad you're feeling good, hopefully there isnt a crash

oh, i just noticed you said propofol and fentanyl, fentanyl is that drug that people on the streets of san francisco are taking, they sleep on the street in tents and devote their entire life to that drug! So, it might just be a once in a lifetime xperience if you are lucky

I listed them: the main ones were propofol to put me under, and fentanyl to numb my pain. There were "helper" chemicals too, like antiemetics to stop my nausea upon waking up. My anesthesiologist didn't mention them verbatim, but they were listed in my discharge statement.

As my anesthesia set in, I joked with him that fentanyl was a street drug. He reluctantly admitted it, then said I'm getting it legally for a legitimate reason. (My medical chart has an anxiety flag from my past prescriptions, which is probably why they gave me fentanyl, rather than something "weaker".)

One other possible reason I felt so good was a total lack of need to mask (the autism kind, not the Biden kind, which the hospital did require). I was in a hospital, getting surgery! Any idiotic actions on my part---which I'm sure I engaged in---were attributed to anesthesia chemicals, rather than me personally. So when I scribbled vigorously in my notebook, smiled like an idiot, rambled about border collies, took selfies in my hospital bed, made semi-inappropriate drug jokes, or couldn't put a sentence together while talking after waking up, nobody thought low of me.

I'm curious what the doctors gave me in 1993. Whatever it was, it was garbage, given the pain I was in when I woke up.

I remember when I had surgery as a kid and woke up speaking Spanish.

I'm glad you're doing so well.

May I ask about the transport van? My mother has rather frequent medical stuff and the doctors always insist that a friend or relative has to drive her home, which always falls on my husband's shoulders as I do not drive and no one else likes my mom. How'd you get them to let you take the van home?

I used a medical van service the hospital works closely with. They charge a flat transport fee plus mileage.

It was expensive, but the service was top-notch. The driver and his assistant did a superb job driving me, checking up on me during the ride, and wheelchair'ing me to my door. I handed them my keys, and they opened the building's and my apartment's doors. Then I stumbled to my bed on my own.

Just don't try to replicate this "high" through taking fentanyl illegally.....

I had surgery last year, using the same medicines you received. I felt okay after the surgery---not really "euphoric." It's more like I felt sort of woozy at the start of my consciousness.

My wife had to drive me home.

I don't plan to.

But man oh man, my post-anesthesia euphoria was through the roof! Like, when that nurse brought me my snack and juice after the surgery, I thanked her like she gave me a gold bullion! (Come to think of it, I don't think I was fully coherent when I did that.) She was a good sport, and acted like it's a normal thing. And I smiled ear-to-ear while watching "Looney Tunes" on my phone as I relaxed after eating. During the van ride home, I kept noticing the operators watching me through the rearview mirror; probably because they rarely see a patient who's so happy while also half-asleep.

I became fully coherent when I woke up at home after my nap, which was when I started to fully feel my euphoria.

I'd like to take time in this thread to extend my thank-you's to hospital nurses. My over-the-top gratitude and silly rambling was probably a funny bright spot in their day during my stay. Many other patients engage in overtly abusive behavior, coherently or otherwise, and the nurses have no choice but to be good sports about it, all while putting their mental and physical safety at risk.

I wish I’d get massive euphoria from anesthesia. I get really nauseous. It’s not at all pleasant for me.

Sorry to hear that. Well, my doctors put antiemetics into my IV. Perhaps that played a role in why I felt so good.

I got good at self-advocating in the last several years, and I did just that during this hospital stay. I talked about my anxiety (explicitly mentioned in my chart) and fear of post-surgery pain (not mentioned); I'm sure I did that assertively indeed, because I felt neither of those things after waking up. Perhaps you can do the same, only ask for antiemetics or whatever else you need.

Yeah I noticed certain TV shows are better with drugs. 60's trek goes well with weed.

I've never taken those drugs you're talking about so can't really comment. Has the euphoria worn off yet?

I advocate for myself, too. Even with anti-nausea drugs, I still get really nauseous.

Only slightly. I still can't stop smiling as I think back to that day, from me reporting to the hospital for surgery, to me waking up at home afterwards. Everyone was so nice! And everything was just... wow! I mean, I felt no embarrassment undressing to my boxers in front of strange women, I rambled about dog breeds and made drug jokes with professional doctors, and a mundane croissant with butter made me feel like I was given gold! That kind of experiences will probably take me weeks to integrate.

I do not know about kids but propofol("milk of amnesia") with fentanyl is standard anesthesia drugs. I have had that done to me a number of times, the last time a few weeks ago. I have been under from anywhere from 15 minutes or so to 14 hours.

I never felt euphoria I just went away and came back. For the long ones, all I was left with was horrible constipation plus the after-effects of the major operations.

Lol , well you seem to be having a good time

According to my discharge statement, I was under for 2 hours. (It may include the time I was awake but totally incoherent.) No digestive problems. I didn't even fart upon waking up, which I read is fairly common.

I doubt kids get anything good for anesthesia, because I was in HUGE pain when I woke up after my own surgery at age 10, and felt like crap for days. I think that's why adults have trouble understanding kids' post-surgery pain. US adults get drugs street gangs kill each other over, while US kids get glorified Tylenol that isn't even Tylenol-3. Plus, adults in general feel pain less acutely than children do. So when a child experiences post-surgery pain, adults literally can't relate to it. Nurses comfort him/her because that's their job, but parents just can't relate.

Heck, my nurses during this hospital stay didn't have to comfort me at all; I was happy as a clam right when I woke up. Listening to my over-the-top thank-you's was the most one nurse had to do. That, and my doctor gave me a brief congratulatory pat on the shoulder when I woke up.

This may be why I'm still coming down from the euphoria: it was my first time having general anesthesia surgery as an adult, at age 39. Even in 2014, age 31, when I went to the ER (A&E in the UK) to get an abscess lanced, all I got was conscious sedation, which made me loopy and blissfully relaxed, but no euphoria. Perhaps this was the first time I had propofol and fentanyl put in me, so I experienced them for the first time ever, like losing my virginity in 2005. (In 2014, I got Valium/diazepam.)

I had my wisdom teeth taken out when I was 18, back in 1993. I had euphoria for days until I was out of painkillers and I had to go back to school.