Expert: Dr Ian Jackson - please note UK based - 1/26/2009

Question
I recently Had a c-section were I stayed awake with a epidural.  When they inserted the first needle to freeze me I wasn't feeling right.  The next thing I remember was that I was in a faint stage, I knew I was in the hospital but I thought that I had been in a car accident.  Once I started to think of were my toddler daughter had been I then realized I was having A baby. The nurses talked me out of it and I shook so bad then I started to vomit them my sweating began.  Nine months later I went to the dentist to have a cap done.  My regular Dentist started the freezing and all was good until he finish pulling the needle from my mouth I began to shake, I went numb to my toes, my heart felt like it was hitting my chest bone, I thought I would die!  Not to mention my lip only went a little numb but not enough to proceed. My question is do you think I am allergic to something and is it safe to have more surgery performed?

Answer
Hi there
What you describe with your c-section could be explained in two ways. Firstly it sounds like you received some of your dose of the local anaesthetic direct into your blood stream (which can and does happen even when everything has been done correctly). The side effects of this are temporary and directly related to the dose but can present as you describe.
The other possibility is that your blood pressure dropped and this caused the problem.
Again the dentist episode could be the result of an intravenous dose of the drug or be due to your blood pressure dropping - a faint due to strees/worry about the procedure.
I can't say which is the issue but it is extremely unlikely that you are allergic to the local anaesthetic. For me the most likley thing is that some of the drug each time went intravenously.
Having said all the above if you need dentistry or surgery under local anaesthesia again it is important to tell the person involved about your experience.
Hope this helps a bit.
Kind regards
Dr Ian Jackson