Questions posted in the Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Question Title: Anesthesia Reaction

Forum: Neurology Forum
Topic: Traumatic Brain Injury


After general anesthesia for D&C, tubal ligation, I was very dizzy on return from the hospital as if the anesthesia would not wear off. The next day and for 3 years since I have experienced dizzy spells (sometimes with vertigo), problems with memory, speech, handwriting, pressure headaches, small dark spots in vision, sporadic blurred vision, "unreality" feelings (change in mental state--has not been like prior to surgery since). I've had head CAT scan, MRI, PET but all were negative except the EEG and 2nd EEG. There were sharp beta waves on the left temporal lobe in both tests.

I have been to 2 major university hospitals and both neurologists say it was a brain injury but I did not suffer any severe head pain after surgery. I was given Isoflurane instead of Desflurane like previous surgeries and I personally think this was the problem. Immediately when they injected it, my heart started thumping in my head like crazy but I could not speak or move. I thought I was having a heart attack.

What is your opinion?

Dear Sue:

It is most unlikely that you multiple neurological symptoms are related to the surgery you had, or anesthesia you were given 3 years ago.

Without a chance to review your EEGs, I can not comment on the significance of the findings you describe. It is possible that they represent a normal or benign variant. Contrarily, they could represent an tendency to have seizures.

Your symptoms appear very non-specific to me and likely do not represent seizures. An underlying anxiety disorder is often a cause of such symptoms.

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