Re: long term psychic effect of a general anaesthesia

From: Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS (bornfeldmung_at_dentaltwins.com)
Date: 11/13/04 

Date: Sat, 13 Nov 2004 10:27:24 -0500

Jean-Marc Lienher wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Sorry, I speak french, but on fr.sci.psychologie there is only
> some mad guys like "I'm a Elvis. I'm the King"...
>
> So I try to ask a hard to explain (even in french) question in english.
>
> Around twenty years back, I has a general anaesthesia due to
> a broken arm. That was a strange experience because I didn't felt
> anything. I just remind that I was talking to somebody, and then
> "black screen". Nothing. I've switched off.
> There is no similarity with a "sleeping pill". When you
> use a "sleeping pill", you can feel when you will start to sleep.
>
> But the problem is that during around 9-10 years after, my mind was
> "outside" my body when I was not talking to somebody else
> or not "interacting" with sombody else.
> Actually this problem is gone, everything is fine again.
>
> But I met an old friend who had 2 general anaesthesia in 2 days.
> That was ten years ago. And now he told me that he is
> feeling strange.
>
> So my question is where can I find some "simple" (like the
> "for the dummies" in the computer science) documentation
> about the long term effects of a general anaesthesia, on the
> web ?
> (Google is fine for "Linux", but for "anaesthesia" it's not very good ;-)
>
> Or does anybody had similar experience ?
>
> Thank you in advance.
> Jean-Marc
>
>

        What reason would someone have to suppose 10 years later that it was
the anesthesia that was responsible?
        I have heard speculation that patients in general anesthesia actually
feel surgical pain on some level, but I'm not aware of the basis for
this speculation.
        Of course, if the general anesthesia was connected to some major,
life-transforming surgery or illness, it would be tough I think to
distinguish any psychic changes due to anesthesia, surgery, change in
lifestyle, etc.

Steve 

-- 
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001