Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 7/30/2009

Question
Dear Dr.

I have a very sensitive nervous system. I had day stay sinus surgery yesterday that went very well. However I'm still shaky with some palpitations and unable to calm my nervous enough to sleep. The same thing happened last time I had some surgery. Is this a after effect of the general anesthesia?

Answer
Unlikely. It sounds more like your underlying nervous system problem. Perhaps you have anxiety, etc and now that the surgery is over, the stress from that anxiety is wearing off. It's hard to say, but it is not the anesthesia (which would tend to have the opposite effect).

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston