CTS surgery plus a cognative question

Hi all. had my first CTS yesterday.  Things did not go as planned anesthesia wise. The doc had told me that I would get a pre-op med to make me drowesy then once in the OR I would get another med to put me asleep for ten minutes, then I woud wake up as the surgery was ending, feel a tugging at my wrist but no pain.  He also said that they inject enough lidocaine into me wrist and hand that I should have no pain for six to eight hours after the surgery.  Well, i din't get drowsey from the first med but the second did put me to sleep.  I woke up when they said but told them that my hand hurt like hell. They put me back to sleep and I woke up in post-op with my hand throbbing.  Of couse this meant pain medication which meant neausea.
They called this morning to see how I was and said the surgeon was the one who injects the lidocaine.  I'll have a chance before he does my left wrist to tell him to use a lot more of it.
Now to my question.  I have really been screwing things up lately..capped by my getting the date of my brother-in-laws birthday party wrong and having my family show up on the wrong day.
I'm worried that it is "brain" related between the lesions I have and a stong family history of alzheimers.  My husband is insisting that it is the pain meds.  Am i being overly concerned or is he in denial?
moeck

[Quixotic1]

Hi, sorry to take so long to get to you.  Trauma on the forums.  Sorry they let you suffer so much during the CTS surgery.  When you say you've been screwing up lately, you mean since the surgery?  If so, anesthesia leaves the body slowly and can cause a days or two's worth of cognitive stupidity.  And the yes the pain meds can make you temporarily stupid, too.  If you were already slipping down the evolutionary brain scale before the surgery (with the lesions), this will certainly amplify it - temporarily.

Are you aware of the research looking at the possible preventative potential of increased folic acid (1200mcgs per day) in lowering the risk of Alzheimer's?  I take it.  And it probably helps lower homocysteine, too (cardiac risk factor)  FYI.

Quix

[moeck]

I was on the slippery slope prior to the surgery.  I have begun to lose words, I know exactly what I mean to say but cannot remember the exact word I was about to say.  Sometimes with a moments thought it comes back to me, other times I have to say something else.  The person I'm speaking to may not even realize that I was having a problem.  My husband, daughter and close friend know that I have changed in my mental acuity while speaking.  
I have also been having more and more blurred vision.   I had read that lyrica can cause this as a side effect so I have been decreasing it (slowly). My appt at JHHS is in two more weeks, hopefully I will get more answers then.  I will ask about the folic acid.  If they say it can't hurt, then I'll give it a try.   Thanks
moeck