Yes, that can be normal while you are waking up from anesthesia. After a general anesthetic, some people feel confused, sleepy, shivery, or have memory gaps for the first few minutes or hours. People may also be emotional, and delirium can cause tearfulness, anxiety, anger, shouting, or saying things that do not make sense. These effects usually get better as the anesthesia wears off.

It is also normal not to remember the first few minutes in the recovery room, or to feel a bit out of it right after surgery. If you are worried about what happened, tell your recovery nurse or anesthesiologist, because they can help explain what was going on.

If the strange behavior is severe, lasts longer, or you are hard to wake, your hospital team will check for causes and treat them. Verify the exact plan with your surgical or anesthesia team in case they want something different for you.