having surgery Thursday---only abs and hip roll. Having general anesthesia. My son is going to be with me post surgery--daugter will be coming over a few times during the day and driving me home. Concerned with fainting after surgery and scaring my kids. How many of you fainted and how do you avoid it.

I fainted once a few hours after the surgery. Luckily, the nurse and my husband caught me!

me me me! Well, almost. As soon as I feel it coming on, I sit down and raise my feet. Even happened the next day after a minor skin revision. Weird, I know.
Just tell them to watch you for that. If you feel like you're getting light headed, or start seeing everything get dark, sit down and raise your feet!
Janetta

Yep I'm a fainter -- cardiovascular syncope, have had since early teens diagnosed with it after tilt table test in my 30's, now finally under control for the most part with meds...

I know when I'm going out for the most part and can get to floor or bed/sofa etc..., till it passes -- then good...

Go very slow at it when first sitting up, sit there, make sure you are not lightheaded, then stand up -- stand there make sure all is well before leaving place to sit or lay if you become light headed...

Please, first time you shower and remove your garment make sure you have someone there with you just in case -- I have passed out many times in bathroom ( not from sx, part of the cardiovascular syncope ) to have to be rescued -- however after sx, my DH stays with me in the bathroom and helps with my first few showers and when I remove garment first time or two my DH helps and we do it in stages and at bed or on bed...

Take good care of yourself and best to you,
Lisa

Fainting after lipo does sometimes occur. Many possible causes such as:

dehydration- when you have lipo your body tends to push fluid into the area in an attempt to assist with healing. Add to that the fact that the tumescent solution also "attracts" fluid shifts to the area. Best way to avoid is to be well hydrated before surgery and drink plenty of electrolyte rich fluid like propel after surgery.

Medications: Excessive use of pain meds are a frequent cause of fainting or syncope.

Vasovagal: This occurs when your blood pressure drops rapidly. Why? Well after surgery the medications combined with dehydration can make you more susceptible to fainting when you go rapidly from sitting to standing and your heart doesn't have the time to respond fast enough by increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. Key here is to go from sit to stand slowly. Also this can easily occur when you remove your garment after surgery. The tight garment actual increases your blood pressure and when you remove it your blood pressure can drop very rapidly. I advise my patients to remove their garments slowly and stay seated fro a 15-30 seconds after removing the garment to allow their heart to compensate.

Below is information I have posted many times about fainting post lipo and why and how avoidable it is in 99% of all cases post lipo.


Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 2:38 pm Post subject: Taking your garment off the first time WARNING


One should never take a garment off while alone the first couple of times. Most Dr's recommend it coming off around day 4-5:


Please don't take the garment off without having read the info below and having someone with you until the garment is back on.

The standard protocol below will help to prevent you from passing out (quite common if the garment is taken off too fast and is why many here are not allowed to take off their garments until day 4-5 when we are in the Dr's office.)

The garment must be GRADUALLY loosened. First unzipping partially 1 part of the garment and waiting a minute or 2..then the other side...then go back to the first side and lower the zipper a bit more...SLOWLY...never do it alone the first couple of times. Stay sitting down.

The reason many pass out or get dizzy and nauseated is because all the areas were tightly compressed and the blood flow was not full to those areas where the garment was. (This helps the swelling and bruising in the first few days) So..when the garment is undone too fast all the blood rushes into the formerly compressed areas and causes a dramatic drop in your blood pressure..one feels dizzy, breaks out in a sweat, nauseated and likely to feel they have to move their bowels..a common sign of impending passing out. This reaction is called a vasovagal response. One needs to immediately put their head between their legs and have a cool cloth to the back of the neck..slow breathing..should pass in a couple of minutes.

Vasovagal responses such as these can cause one to pass out cold but can be avoided with SLOW removal of your garment and with someone with you. to help
This is easily avoided by slowly allowing the garment removal at a slow pace so that the blood flow returns to those areas in a way the body can best handle and not have such a rapid drop in blood pressure.

Zippers undone..slowly..partially on 1 side..then partial on the other side...going SLOWLY.