Anesthesia related cognitive decline, specifically dysnomia

Posted by pb50 @pb50, Jan 5, 2024

I am a 73yo woman who retired 18 mos ago.
Almost exactly a year later, a pulmonary nodule we had been following in annual lung screening CTs as it slowly increased from 6mm to 14mm over 4 years, and at that last size the pulmonologist and cardiothoracic surgeon determined it was time to remove it in a wedge resection if it proved benign, followed by lobectomy if malignant. While that determination was made I remained under anesthesia. So in my case, it was quite a while.

Since the surgery i have slowly become
Aware that I have a material decline in specific brain function. It’s not as if I have a global cognitive decline. I don’t seem to have decline in executive function for instance.
But I have significant dysnomia. Not just names of people - rather names of “things” - but it’s easier to describe as a word to reference anything that functions as a label or reference term. Like names of diseases or an object. Virtually anything.

I had meetings over last couple of days with a hand surgeon to discuss surgery for duypuytren contracture (I have RA) and I inquired whether it could be done under a local nerve block and we got into a discussion about anesthesia related cognitive issues. He said that it sometimes takes more than a year for “brain fog” to clear. I guess fog is a good term, for I have become relatively sedentary and withdrawn since the surgery.

Concurrently I find that as a 73 yo patient, I am discounted and some docs - not all thank goodness - show little effort to even appear engaged. I have found a couple of Docs
- the hand surgeon and a new oncologist - who will discuss it.
So in that context I’d like to ask if any of you are experiencing cognitive or personality issues following general anesthesia? Am I a population of One, or a member of a much larger population?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Brain & Nervous System Support Group.

pb50 | @pb50 | May 7 7:12pm

In reply to @merrychristmas "@pb50 you beg differ on what?" + (show)

@merrychristmas the statement that a doc said data does not support the assertion that anesthesia has negative impact on cognition.

pb50 | @pb50 | May 7 7:37pm

In reply to @dlydailyhope "@pb50, thank you for thinking of me. I am hanging in as best I can as..." + (show)

@dlydailyhope

@pb50, thank you for thinking of me. I am hanging in as best I can as everything seems to be slowing down for me in functioning in life (like my batteries are draining and nothing is being recharged).
I love that you still have a sense of humor despite your many health challenges. You made me laugh this morning so thank you! 😃 Your dream made me think of my own experience with many doctors on a “lazy Susan” or a game of chance or blindfolded game of darts. We are spun around in our healthcare system and there is a lot of busyness but not a lot of improved health outcomes or quality of life for patients. Everyone wants to give you antidepressants and more medication as a bandaid to send you away without solving anything. We get so many tests but I question why when many doctors ignore abnormal results. I looked back at some of my 7 years of medical notes and records and see things now that should have been taken more seriously or looked at more closely. For example, I found multiple EKGs that show “infarct, old” and left ventricle hypertrophy. I also looked at rheumatologist bloodwork from 2017 and 2019 which showed autoantibodies for Lupus, Thyroid and Antiphospholipid syndrome and the doctor said nothing about this to me. He said I didn’t have RA/Lupus and sent me away with no referrals or follow up recommendations. I have lost time to address the autoimmune attack in my body and my health is significantly declining. I went to my new neurologist a couple days ago and they are doing a brain MRI to rule out MS and other changes that may be behind cognitive/vision/hearing changes. The neurologist also wants me to go to a rheumatologist to dig deeper into the anti phospholipid and lupus autoantibodies. I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism after having lobectomy due to suspicious nodule. It takes way too long to get diagnosed with autoimmune diseases while your body and quality of life deteriorates. I will continue to try to find things to laugh about since humor makes life more fun! 🙂

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@dlydailyhope - gracious time flies. How are you doing? I hope you added a rheumatologist to your complement of health partners. And if you are not being respected or getting what you need from a doc, walk away and get another one It is not unlike dating - all obvious attributes that should work sometimes just don’t. In the past 18 mos, I have abandoned a pulmonologist, a gynecologist, and will Soon walk out on my current neurologist. I am fortunate to live in a rich area of the country as it relates to docs since i am near Duke and Univ of NC and other clusters. So if i feel
Patronized - a too frequent issue since I am an old lady and that somehow empowers them to give me nicknames such as “miss Pam” and all but pat my head - i just find another doc.

Hope to hear you are improving!!