Suddenly can't move legs

[Whitfloor]

My friend had a general anaesthetic two days ago (her first) to correct a minor problem. She seemed fine. She's in her late thirties.

Two hours ago she felt very sick and became unable to stand. She became unresponsive. No raised temperature. An ambulance was called.

Waiting on a CT scan. She can't move her legs.

She was frightened about the possibility of having a reaction to the anaesthetic. Could this be a delayed reaction?

Reduced sensation in all four limbs. SATS fine throughout. Now perfectly clear mentally but passed out for a while in the ambulance.

What could be happening?

Nobody knows who the op is so unlikely to know the identity of friend.

a friend of mine has transverse myelitis which started in a similar way.

You know we cannot diagnose on here, op, and because a relative of yours had an autimmune issue with similar symptoms does not mean your friend has the same. Many disorders cause the same symptoms.

However it is a fact that people can have a reaction to some types of anaesthesia in the form of jerking, paraesthesia and neuropathic pain. Let's hope it is that and it will pass soon.

Do keep us up to date with your friend's progress and please try not to worry, she is in the right place.

Gulliane Barre?

My relative passed away from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Even at the best hospital in the UK, it didn't occur to them to give steroids until she was deep into it. On day one of being ill, she wasn't nearly as badly affected.

I don't know where we go from here. They're keeping her in and she can wiggle her toes and fingers slightly. She looks more like herself and much less sleepy.

I can only hope she continues to improve. Perhaps we will never know what it is.

It’s anxiety. An extreme anxiety attack

I don't think anxiety causes loss of movement in the legs

Completely anonymously 😂

I know someone who had a spinal stroke, which is a rare condition, she also was suddenly paralysed in her arms and legs.

This is not psychological. This is what medics say when they don't know what it is and haven't consulted the relevant specialist. She has neurological symptoms, she needs a neurologist. People are far too trusting that doctors a) know enough and b) know when they don't know enough.

Quadriparesis/quadriparalysis, syncope and sleep myoclonus is not going to be a manifestation of a psychological disorder. It's a central nervous system issue.

It could be many things, they need to test her reflexes and muscle tone and do an ECG. Wait for the blood tests to come back and if it's not an electrolyte imbalance do nerve conduction studies or EMG, lumbar puncture, a spinal MRI not CT.

It could be post surgical hypokalemia (low potassium). Hypokalemia is common in anyone after surgery. Her potassium would have to be VERY low to cause symptoms this severe, but it fits everything. Nausea, syncope, quadriparalysis, parasthesia, myoclonus. If they did an electrolyte panel, which they should have done, this should be obvious. And simple to treat.

Another strong maybe is transverse myelitis. Would expect some bladder and bowel involvement, though. If the electrolytes come back normal then starting precautionary steroids while waiting for diagnosis would be a reasonable decision.

It could be rapid onset GBS. In which case, they should also check her thyroid function because this can be a trigger alongside coinciding factors. In fact, her presentation is quite text book for this with nausea and syncope and quadriparesis/paralysis upon rousing. Not so much the myoclonus though.

Could even be radiculitis/CNS infection if there was infection in the ear and it reached the CNS due to surgical disruption. Especially if her surgery was for chronic otitis media or involved the mastoid bone.

Whatever it is, it is not psychological. Hope she gets an answer soon.

Your friend is in the best place to discover what is causing her symptoms. I don’t think summoning the MN’s Dr Google experts is very helpful.
It could be lots of things. Let’s hope it’s very temporary and that she makes a full recovery.

Don't you think you might have had better answers in the health forum?

No. That's nitrous oxide and only occurs with many many many many hours of constant use, not normal anaesthetic gases. We use it once in a blue moon (often children) and its banned in ear surgery

I can't think of anything anaesthetic related that would cause those symptoms it sounds like a total coincidence that needs further investigating.

Hope she's better soon

I'm worried it's an autoimmune reaction that will cause her brain to swell and they're not going to be on it in time to give her steroids. Just because I have lost a family member that way, not for any more rational reason

Okay, and what are you hoping for here? No one here can give you medical advice. The patient is in hospital. If you are so worried and believe they are missing things or can do the job better than her treating team, then tell your friend of your theories so they can discuss it with their treating team who will then say why they are/are not factoring that in. Coming on here is beyond useless.

I understand the NHS is in such a state that MN has become House MD recently

Yes it does

Conversion disorder can cause paralysis, it’s triggered by a stressful event.

The event in this scenario will have been going for surgery, which is very stressful for people.

This is completely unhelpful

The OP has stated that she has been tested and everything has come back clear

I know your friend is worried and I know you are, too.
I’m not a doctor. I’ve never even played one on tc. I haven’t a clue what could be causing your friend’s paralysis, but I’m hoping the doctors will come to a conclusion sooner rather than later.

I had spinal surgery years ago and the first thing they did when I woke up was test my reflexes and whether I could bend my legs. I’d been on my back in that hospital bed for 30 days, but I think it was two or three days after my surgery that I was up and walking.

I wish that sort of recovery for your friend, @Whitfloor— sending love.

I love you. This is a proper answer.

My friend was told she had GB for a year. They were wrong she had MND. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but maybe a possibility?

It might be psychological. Of course everything else has to be considered and it could be any number of things but YOU have no idea if it is or not unless you are her treating team

As someone that works in medicine these kinds of threads are terrifying to read with the amount of misinformation and terror stirring.

It’s so clear that most commenters that spew their medical thoughts know little about what they are talking about but post as if they are an expert.

It sounds very much like the doctors are taking her seriously by the tests OP has mentioned and the fact they are keeping her in overnight.

I think people forget that in the vast vast majority of cases healthcare workers try their best. When they are faced with symptoms that don’t fit a certain clinical picture they do further tests and get other specialist opinions.

Of course diagnoses will be missed at times because medicine is hard and everyone presents differently, but I promise you that no doctor wants to miss a diagnosis.

The sentiments we see on this thread are exactly why UK medicine has become so defensive. Defensive medicine is one of the major reasons that the NHS is so unsustainable as doctors order expensive tests after expensive test instead of practicing evidence based medicine.

When the doctor starts to say "we don't know what it is. It is in your head" to symptoms like that, I'd be off to get help from wherever else too.
The doctors are always righters will tell you to go away and trust your doctor. Saying that to someone who has witnessed what happens when the doctor get it wrong isn't reassuring.
OP's friend doesn't seem to be antidoctor or antimedicine. When something is not adding up a healthy scepticism can save someone life. If what you find matches what the doctors are saying, great. If not, I would be thinking what if the doctor is wrong.

To be fair to the HCPs involved though it sounds like they haven’t said they think it’s a psychological problem - in the OPs words ‘They haven't come out and said it. They've just implied that there are a limited number of things it could be as if it's not any of those, well...’. Without being able to see the exact pattern of neurology no one on here is in a position to comment on what could be causing it - no one on here can even can even say if this looks like a central or peripheral nervous system problem so can’t even begin to narrow the differential and some of the suggestions upstream are frankly absurd. It does sound like the HCPs are starting with sensible investigations and taking it seriously, but sometimes time and observation are also really important in helping to narrow things down and chose the next steps.

Doesn't sound like any GA reaction I've heard of in 10y as an anaesthetist. The drugs will be long gone at 48h

Totally agree. Any doctor leaping to the psychological conclusion at this stage is a lazy/dangerous doctor. Just because they aren't sure what the cause is, it doesn't mean there isn't one

(My advice as someone who was told my symptoms were stress etc for 20 years before being diagnosed with Myasthenia (which can cause bad anaesthetic reactions but I don't think they would present like op's friend's one)

I hope she gets answers soon