I had a discectomy and lumbar fusion in late 2010. Before that surgery, I was hobbling with the aid of a cane, addicted to the narcotic painkillers, unable to hold down a job or drive a car (couldn't sit for more than 10 minutes at a stretch) - and I'd been like that for six years. Within a fortnight of the op, I was running again - and have not taken anything stronger than ibuprofen since. I had a good surgeon, he gave me my life back. A little arthritis, I can stand that.
The nightmares are very real. I'm on medication to treat my nightmares, something I have suffered my whole life. Then when I needed pain meds right after my surgery, the nightmares came right back, even on my anti nightmare med. The nightmares also could have been having several hours of general anesthesia too. The chemistry in the brain can be thrown off by all sorts of factors.
Needless to say, switching over to Tylenol as soon as I could was a good choice for me. I haven't had any more nightmares either.
So I have been reading. Sometimes the effects don't show until 3 or 4 weeks later.
I aced the surgery. I was shocked how quickly I was up and about and feeling pretty good. But just in the last week or so, I have had these horrible, "wanting to cry" jags. Today, I just gave in and cried for about 4 hours straight. Yeh...a lot is going on in my life, but these extreme emotions are not my norm.
Doctors and surgeons sure don't warn you about it. I had to look it up.
I am a big WHY person. I want to know everything I can about any challenge I am facing. I was actually shocked to learn the MEDICAL community knows about this anesthetic induced depression and it can hit anyone. Hearing that it often strikes week 3 or 4 after surgery was an eye opener for me. I already have the tendency for depression, so there you have it. I am hoping this will pass. In the meantime, I continue to take my supplements and do all I can to take care of myself.
Thank-you M2C. Physically? I have a new lease on life. No kidding. I had extensive sinus surgery that gave me the ability to breathe perfectly through my nose, smell everything around me, and taste even the most subtle things.
I can only assume the depression lately is what I have been reading about anesthesia and the somewhat latent side effect.