Anaesthesia Q

[R.Little]

Hi! I have pretty severe ME (95% bedbound). Got it in 2013 gradually, abruptly became severe in Dec of 2018, only had mild improvements since then.

I currently have a painful prolapsed internal hemorrhoid, and I'm scheduled to get it examined and possibly banded on Monday morning.

Occasionally, this requires general anesthesia, but most likely, local anaesthesia will suffice.

I've read about other folks on PR having issues with both local and general anaesthesia. Are there any ways to mitigate the potential negative effects of anaesthesia on ME?

 

[Sushi]

I've read about other folks on PR having issues with both local and general anaesthesia. Are there any ways to mitigate the potential negative effects of anaesthesia on ME?

If you have a local anesthetic consider asking them not to use anything with epinephrine as most of us are sensitive to it. I had a deep surgical procedure where they used lidocaine without epinephrine and it was fine. I have also had full anesthesia several times and though it is much harder to get over, I didn’t have any lasting side-effects.

 

[R.Little]

If you have a local anesthetic consider asking them not to use anything with epinephrine as most of us are sensitive to it. I had a deep surgical procedure where they used lidocaine without epinephrine and it was fine. I have also had full anesthesia several times and though it is much harder to get over, I didn’t have any lasting side-effects.

Thanks! I use lidocaine ointment frequently, and it's certainly not an issue for me, so that's a good idea.

I wonder if sensitivity to epinephrine is an MCAS thing? I've been tested twice for MCAS and came up negative both times.

 

[Sushi]

I wonder if sensitivity to epinephrine is an MCAS thing? I've been tested twice for MCAS and came up negative both times.

Most of those of us react to it get an unpleasant overstimulation of the autonomic nervous system—dental injections used to make me quite sick until I figured out that it was the epinephrine that bothered me. Now anytime I need a lidocaine injection I ask for one without epinephrine. The only downside is that without epinephrine the injection doesn’t last as long so they sometimes have to give a second injection. Also, epinephrine helps prevent bruising—but a bit of bruising is nothing compared to a bad reaction.

 

[Booble]

Maybe let the anesthesiologist know? My experience is similar to Sushi's in that it took longer to "come out" of it with general anesthesia but there was no lasting problem.

Good luck with the procedure!

 

[R.Little]

Ended up not needing a procedure after all! But I did add "Sensitive to Epinephrine" to my charts, just in case.
Thanks!