Posted by Larry Hoover on September 26, 2008, at 22:59:06
In reply to side effects - anesthetic?can u answer this drBob?, posted by calamityjane on September 26, 2008, at 15:17:40
I am so very sorry for your loss, and moreover, your continued emotional discomfort from it. I don't know that anyone can answer with any certainty, but I hope you'll give me a chance to try.
Dr. Bof cannot answer medical questions here. There are legal reasons why not, and ethical reasons why not. I hope you can accept that you won't get a medical professional's response over the internet.
First, rather than electrosurfical, I suggest electrosurgical. Also known as cautery. Burning to caurterize, using electrical heat generated through resistance. Destroys tissue, and reduce bleeding to a minimum.
The temperature spike, confirmed by diagnosis of abscess, suggest serious infection. By the time it was identified, sepsis (systemic blood infection) may well have become established. If sepsis arises from abscess, the abscess must be excised, but also IV antibiotics are required.
Toxins are frequently released from systemic bacterial infections that can influence cognition and behaviour. He may have been septic before the second surgery, rather than being altered due to post-anaesthetic reactions. From your account, systemic infection may not have been addressed at any point in time, leaving him vulnerable to the bacterial toxins over an extended period.
Under the mistaken assumption that a localized abscess had been taken care of, the idea of systmeic infection may have been overlooked, leaving him vulnerable to increasing cognitive distortion, and other adverse effects.....culminating if the seeking of permanent relief from his distress.
Again, I must emphasize I am sorry for your loss, and how it has been on your mind for so long. I have speculated a possible scenario, which has no evidence in fact. It is merely consistent with the history you describe.
In summary, unrecognized systemic infection, or indiagnosed cancer (a variety are consistent with the symptoms, glandular and bowel forms) might better explain the series of his experiences. Given that this happened 24 years ago, medical standards of that era might have allowed these oversights, without any direct evidence of malpractise. Though that is also a possibility....abdominal pain has other causes than haemmorhoids, so their discovery should not have limited further inquiries. People with haemmorhoids can have cancer, after all.
Once again, I am sorry for your loss. I hope it helps to have some possible alternate explanations.....I don't think anaesthesia is to blame. Sometimes, things just don't go so well, despite statistics saying that they ought to.
{{{{{{calamityjane}}}}}}
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:854226
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080926/msgs/854307.html