Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 11/24/2007

Question
On 11/29/07 after removal of Gall bladder was informed by my  wife that Doctor had informed her that I had been fighting in the recovery room? and that it required 4 men to hold me down before they could sedate me. I could not remember any of this and feel fine.I do not smoke do not take drugs or alcohol.I have had previous general and local anaesthetic without any affects. I am trying to find out what happened in case I need to have an other general anaesthetic again.

Answer
It is nothing to worry about. It is normal for some people to wake up that way. No one knows why and it doesn't mean it will happen next time or ever again. It might be that you had some residual anesthetic on board and that you went back to sleep and woke up again. When you wake from anesthesia you go through stages. One of these stages is called Stage 2 during which time you go through an excitement phase. In general, you go through this stage in the OR but sometimes it happens in the RR. In either case, you rarely remember it and it is nothing to worry about.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston