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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Cause For Seizures 4 Days After A Surgery?

My 49 year old mother was admitted to the hospital today. Five days ago, she had a minor surgery and was released on the same day. She has two drains on her abdomen, and has been in a lot of pain. So far she hasn't been able to have a BM. But other than these things, she seemed like she was getting better a little every day. She's been using my grandmother's extra walker to walk around the house (hunched over cause she can't stand up straight). This morning, everything took a bad turn. She said that suddenly she felt her lips and nose go ice cold (my Dad saw her go white as a ghost) and she fell back against him and started having a seizure (which she says she doesn't remember). He called 911 and when the paramedics got there, her body temp was around 93.5. And her BP was very low as well. On the ride to the hospital, her vitals did start coming back up on their own. She's been in the ER all day and the doctor has been running tests but hasn't been able to isolate the problem yet. Now, I have heard of and even experienced myself a sudden drop in body temperature after surgery, but it was RIGHT after surgery. My Mom had this surgery on Monday, and now all of a sudden, four days later, she's having seizures? Is this a delayed reaction from the trauma on her body and/or anesthesia? Because they put her completely under for the operation.
Tue, 28 Jan 2014
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Addiction Medicine Specialist 's  Response
Hi,

You are right in saying that what happened was quite unusual and I am sure her doctors will be doing their best to find out what went wrong. One possibility is that she may have been advised opioid pain-killers after the surgery, which can cause seizures in susceptible people. The anaesthetic drugs may have contributed by lowering the seizure threshold. People who take alcohol regularly and in fairly high amounts also are likely to have seizures in post-operative phase but this seems unlikely in your mother's case, as you would have known and also, the seizure would have occurred on the first or second day itself. A brain imaging study, either by CT scan or MRI should also be done to rule out any brain pathology.

Hope she gets well soon.
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What Is The Cause For Seizures 4 Days After A Surgery?

Hi, You are right in saying that what happened was quite unusual and I am sure her doctors will be doing their best to find out what went wrong. One possibility is that she may have been advised opioid pain-killers after the surgery, which can cause seizures in susceptible people. The anaesthetic drugs may have contributed by lowering the seizure threshold. People who take alcohol regularly and in fairly high amounts also are likely to have seizures in post-operative phase but this seems unlikely in your mother s case, as you would have known and also, the seizure would have occurred on the first or second day itself. A brain imaging study, either by CT scan or MRI should also be done to rule out any brain pathology. Hope she gets well soon.