Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 6/3/2007

Question
My 13 yrs old daughter underwent jaw surgery last Wednesday.  They jaw looks fine and she is already eating baby food.  She is very healthy and practices dance 2 to 3 hrs every night (ballerina).  Since the surgery she hasn't been able to stand up on her own.  She is not dizzy and has feelings in her legs but she can't seem to control them.  As soon as she stands up she says they feel like jello and she feels like there are worms crawling inside.  Honestly she looks like the scarecrow on Wizard of Oz.  I am very concern, they will not release her from the hospital until she can walk, but they are not testing her for anything.  She is only taking tylenol for pain, and she has had tylenol before so I know it is not a side effect from it.  They tell me that she in unselfconciously keeping herself from walking because she doesn't want to walk as she might have school problems (A student) or something else, she has been begging me to take her home and they won't let her go but don't know what she has and are not getting her to see anyone else at the hospital.  I have been sleeping ther with her everynight and I know they are know doing anything else, could it be the anestesia, help me

Answer
Highly unlikely due to anesthesia this far out. My suggestion would be to consult a neurologist to have her examined. It is unlikely coincidental with a true neurologic disorder but it should certainly be ruled out first.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston