Expert: JM Starkman, MD - 6/11/2009

Question
Hello, I'm 30yr Female I had knee surgery(Torn cartilage and meniscus) June 3 with great success, I might add but, the problem was coming out of anesthesia was different. (History: I have had 4 past surgeries were I was under General anesthesia, The only problem I ever had was nausea and having a hard time coming to/staying awake.) Now this procedure was a quick 20 mins. but after coming out of it I was still on the surgical table, also felt the anesthesiologist pull out the Laryngeal mask airway. When I went into recovery I was very antsy but also very tired. Came home and couldn't sleep but, was very tired.
Next day I felt wired, heart beating, legs wouldn't stop moving, and breathing felt strange like I had to gasp /Sigh allot. I called the anesthesiologist and reassured me this was normal response and that it could last 48 hrs so I waited. third day I'm feeling fine but breathing felt the same. but it's only in my throat. So I call my General practitioner and she tells me it's anxiety and gives me xanax.
So I see the orthopedic 5 days post-op and I tell him my concerns and he just brushes them off his shoulder so I went to the surgical center to get all the Medicene they had given me.
To no avail nothing...I went to my internist thinking theirs a problem either mentally or physically. To make it short I was fine. The thing I'm looking into is this laryngeal mask airway. Because the feeling I have is like I'm walking into a steam room and it only feels this way in my throat. No one advised me about a sore throat but, could this be a severe sore throat? Because I remember trying to eat the first night after surgery and it felt strange in my throat the same with drinking. It is 8 days post-op and I'm looking for answers. Thank you for your time and response.

Answer
Yes, an LMA can cause a bad sore throat, though the cases that have been formally reported of which I'm familiar are ones where the surgeries were much longer than yours (2-3 hours +/-).
 If you have a sore throat only you will or will not know if it is "severe".