My mother on Thursday became very sick to her stomach and long story short turns out she has a bleeding ulcer. I found that out because they put a scope down her stomach. Now they gave her anesthesia and she has taken a turn for the worse as far as her cognitive functions. She was doing so well, yea she has vascular dementia, but she was doing great and was able to take care of herself. Now she has massive memory issues and after reading online about when people with dementia get anesthetized I'm afraid this may have pushed her to the point of no return. I pick her up tomorrow from the hospital and I'm hoping and praying once she is in familiar territory her brain will kick in. Anybody else have experience with this?Thanks for any input
As far as being scoped again if she is not having symptoms or bleeding it really is up to you. GI specialist do like to stick their instruments in our orifaces. It is again usually done with sedation rather than anesthetic. What you have seen is very common amongst the elderly and my husband suffered severe weakness after his recent surgery. Your Mom seems to be well on the way to getting back to her normal self
Most cataract surgery is done using a topical anesthetic (eyedrops) or a local anesthetic. Local anesthetic may involve a sedative for relaxation followed by an injection beside, under, or inside the eye to deaden nerves and prevent blinking or eye movement during surgery.
General anesthetic may be needed for:
People with extreme anxiety that cannot be controlled with simple sedation or counseling.
People who are unable to follow instructions during surgery.
People who are allergic to certain local anesthetics.
People with other medical conditions that require the use of a general anesthetic.
As for cataracts being removed, I wouldn't hesitate if all her doctors give the go ahead.... don't forget, her eyes are her life line to the world. I have read on these forums where it had done wonders for their elderly parents. Research it out. But if your Mom isn't a good candidate, then I wouldn't have it done.