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treehugger1
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« on: July 24, 2008, 02:43:07 PM » |
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I have elective (but highly recommended) major surgery scheduled a month or so from now.
I was mostly concerned with the possibility of complications and infection, until a friend brought up something that really pushed my worry-generator into overdrive. She said she suffered from cognitive problems for two years after her back surgery. I just did a little on-line research and found out that, according to one study, 30%-40% of patients between the ages of 18 and 59 had measurable cognitive decline upon leaving the hospital. Worse yet, three months later, 6% still had measurable cognitive problems. Whooaaa!!
I'm curious. Have any of you experienced post-surgical cognitive problems? If so, what kind of issues did you have? Were they bad enough to get in the way of your work? How long did it take you to recover?
Or, have you gone through surgery without experiencing any kind of memory loss, mental fog, etc.?
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« Last Edit: July 24, 2008, 02:43:25 PM by treehugger1 »
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Not a member of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement. May we live long and not die out.
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grasshopper
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« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2008, 03:02:57 PM » |
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Two surgeries and no problems. I must be part of the 96% who don't get long-term cognitive problems.
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dept_geek
SPAF by decree, documentor of local meetups, and
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through a glass darkly....
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« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2008, 03:09:35 PM » |
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4 surgeries. No issues. 3 of them were not elective.
Concentrate on the 94%, TH. You have enough to worry about without being concerned about one study. (And did you look at the population they studied? Was it otherwise normally healthy adults who were having elective surgery? Or was it a sicker population where the surgery was no longer elective? Makes a huge difference.)
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I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code. When in doubt, add chocolate.
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zarathustra
Because the Chron says I'm a
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Procrastifabulous by nature.
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« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2008, 03:10:41 PM » |
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The congnitive problems are supposed to come from the anesthesia (based on your thread title) or some other factor in the surgery?
I had emergency surgery about 2 years ago, and the worst part was getting sick immediately coming out of anesthesia. Then I slept really hard for about 16 hours, which seemed to surprise the nurses.
And for about 2 months after that I had a sort of blissed out feeling, which might have the pain killers or not, though the pills I have left over from my recovery don't seem to have that effect.
Ugh, why would your friend tell you about that when there's nothing you can do about it?
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"...undigested hummus trading real estate for this fire dance.." ~C.S.
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grasshopper
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« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2008, 03:18:33 PM » |
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And for about 2 months after that I had a sort of blissed out feeling, which might have the pain killers or not, though the pills I have left over from my recovery don't seem to have that effect.
Heh. The blissed out feeling fades as you get used to the pills - or it does with codeine, anyway. That could have been it. |
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magistra
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« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2008, 03:38:10 PM » |
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It is the anesthesia. This happened to my grandmother; her memory and comprehension declined quite a bit after the surgery. But she was over 90 and already having serious mental lapses -- very very different from your case.
I wouldn't worry. There are always risks involved in surgery, but there are risks in driving to work or taking a shower. As my grandmother herself would say, nothing will kill you faster than living.
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zarathustra
Because the Chron says I'm a
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Procrastifabulous by nature.
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« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2008, 03:48:27 PM » |
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And for about 2 months after that I had a sort of blissed out feeling, which might have the pain killers or not, though the pills I have left over from my recovery don't seem to have that effect.
Heh. The blissed out feeling fades as you get used to the pills - or it does with codeine, anyway. That could have been it. Yeah, probably! It was nice while it lasted. ;) |
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"...undigested hummus trading real estate for this fire dance.." ~C.S.
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spork
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« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2008, 04:14:07 PM » |
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Three surgeries, no cognitive loss. I have problems dressing myself, but that existed before surgery. If I remember correctly.
Anyway, something that doesn't get emphasized enough by health care workers: major surgery is majorly traumatic. Healing consumes a lot of physical and mental resources. Depending on the surgery and your condition going into it, regaining your pre-surgical energy level can take anywhere from 3 to 12 months. Initially you will probably find it difficult to muster the energy to concentrate on complex mental tasks.
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"Please do not force people who are exhausted to take medication for hallucinations." -- Memo from the Chair, Department of White Privilege Studies, Fiork University
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zoelouise
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« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2008, 04:18:44 PM » |
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Spork makes a good point- healing takes energy. Add dope and you're even dopier, but that's the body taking care of itself.
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bibliothecula
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like Bunnicula, only with books
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« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2008, 04:19:32 PM » |
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I've had surgery; no memory problems. Now the Lyme disease, on the other hand....
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sikora
Looking for something, but forgot what it was.
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Arrggh! WTF??
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« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2008, 05:15:17 PM » |
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I had surgery in 2005, and the only problem I had with anesthesia was urinary retention. Not fun, but "this two will pass," and I was okay by the 24 hour mark. That was the only problem
Now (shameful and shameless self-disclosure) I've been under general anesthesia 8 other times, for ECT. I had very few negative cognitive effects from that, even. I remember going under, getting up and getting dressed, being pissed because I couldn't drive for 24 hours. No confusion, just a bad headache. Two Tylenol, and all better. I did forget somethings, like an argument between my mother and my 65 year old stepbrother. My mother swears I was there, but I don't remember it. I also don't remember a harrowing experience coming through customs while returning from Europe.
Maybe there's some way to chose what we are going to forget, if we have to forget something.
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anthroid
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« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2008, 05:45:53 PM » |
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My brother had a HUGE brain tumor removed in the spring (it took two surgeries; it was benign) and had absolutely no memory loss following the surgery. Someone is doing some fear-mongering, TreeHugger1. Relax. Talk with your doc and nurses and PAs. Your friend appears to be an anomaly. I think you'll be fine given the odds. And good luck!
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punchnpie
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« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2008, 07:49:14 PM » |
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From what I've read, the cognitive loss follows heart surgery in which the heart-lung machine is used.
I've had 2 surgeries for which I've been knocked out (and a few where they just give you a pain killer and a sedative) and only my son says my brain isn't functioning.
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mignon
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« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2008, 07:53:12 PM » |
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I had elective surgery (not even highly recommended) w/anesthesia. No memory loss, no cognitive decline. Most people do go under the knife at some point in their lives and we're still running a more-or-less functional world.
Wait, scratch what I said about functional world. But don't worry about the anesthesia.
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tee_bee
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« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2008, 08:51:02 PM » |
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From what I've read, the cognitive loss follows heart surgery in which the heart-lung machine is used.
I've had 2 surgeries for which I've been knocked out (and a few where they just give you a pain killer and a sedative) and only my son says my brain isn't functioning.
Exactly. Cardiologists and anesthesiologits call it "pump head," the cognitive and affective effects of being on a heart-lung machine. Some theories about blood clotting, oxygenation, and all that. Still, most people have positive outcomes (like not dying, and not having major post-op cognitive problems) so given the N of people who have had surgeries and who seem to function fine thereafter, I'd not give it more thought. Infections, sure, but at least some hospitals are getting better at this. |
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