My Spine - Cervical
How will I feel afterwards?
Most people feel fine, but occasionally you may find yourself shaking as
though you are very cold. This is quite common and soon stops. Some
patients may have a painful throat and dry lips, possibly because of the pres-
ence of the breathing tube during anaesthesia. This usually clears up after a
day or two. Rarely you may experience some muscle aches. These are most
common across the shoulders and neck and may last for a few days. Ways of
treating pain is discussed elsewhere in this chapter.
You may feel nauseous or vomit after operations although this is less likely
with modern anaesthetics. Please inform the anaesthetist if this has been a
problem for you before so that steps can be taken to reduce the chances of it
happening, or treat it if it occurs.
Some people experience tiredness after an anaesthetic that may last several
days. Your anaesthetist will try to relieve any discomfort you may have. You
might be repositioned before the onset of surgery. We take great care with
positioning, and use padding for all pressure points. However, on occasion
patients have body aches from being in the same position for a long time.
After the operation
After the operation you will be moved to a recovery room where your condi-
tion will be monitored. The drip is not usually needed for any longer than
about 24 hours after the operation. Your operation site may be quite painful
at first and initially you may be given injections to ease the pain (or a PCA -
see the section in this chapter); when the pain has lessened, tablets can be
given. Your surgery may be discussed with you in the ward by the surgical
team.
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