Anyone else bipolar with negative reactions to anesthesia as a result?

I have bipolar and have literally run out of medication options. This became a massive issue a year ago after I had a polyp removed/D&C/hysteroscopy/Mirena placed/exploratory laparoscopy to rule out ovarian cycts and endo, and remove one ovary if a problem could be found which wasn't. I did have fallopian cysts removed but the Mirena worked reasonably well for me.

However....after surgery my bipolar was out of control within a week after 2 years of good control. I was in and out of the psych unit for months. I am on disability permanently now and have significant memory issues along with everything else. I am terrified of what will happen. There discussion about seeing if a vaginal is possible (I've not had a baby) with a spinal but I'm on an MAOI that I will stay on through surgery with a special protocol and I think I can't have a spinal with it because I can't have meds to raise my blood pressure.

I don't think it will take 6 months to show this is going to be a problem, and if the pain increases as it did before 6 months is too long. My gyn. and psychiatrist work together really well and I'm hoping that when I see the psychiatrist in a week that she will let the gyn. know we're back to the starting point and that my anxiety for valid reasons may be a reason to get this over with, or at least get the planing on how to not kill more brain cells can start.

I guess what I want to ask is if you are still ok? I know poeple with bipolar have surgery often and are fine. But I wasn't and even though I'm keeping my ovaries it sounds like there are hormonal reactions anyway sometimes which will make it even more complex since my body hates hormones (yet nobody wants to plunk me into full menopause that I can't take HRT for to prevent that reaction). Did you have trouble with hormones afterwards, especially if you had problems before (no birth control use because it affected you, more bipolar with PMS, etc.)?

If you're on an MAOI even better, but there aren't many of us in that group.

Thank you.

Hello fellow bipolar bear! I completely understand your fear. So many questions...I will try to answer them the best I can. If you had a bad reaction to your last general anasthia speak to an anastesiologist (yes I know I cant spell it!) it couldve been something that that used that they can change. There are a whole pile of meds that I cant use because I dont react well to them. I cant take any hormones and was also worried about that. I kept my ovaries and only occassionally feel pms but no worse than before my operation. I felt very tired and a bit depressed afterward but that was all really. After 9 months of heavy bleeding I didnt have the energy to do anything else!!! Discuss with your psychiatrist the possibility of pre emptively treating the symptoms that you had last time in hope of not getting them again?

Post if you have anymore questions and let me know how you go

Fairyjane xx

Thanks FairyJane. One of the scariest parts of this is that I saw really 2 anesthesiologists pre-op, and because I was on a special protocol to allow me to stay on my MAOI (usually you have to be off for a few weeks; this protocol lets people who would be suicidal skip that and they use only specific drugs with only specific people allowed to administer them). To be on that protocol meant 5 anesthesiologists (and I have to spell it 5 times and I am a healthcare professional who saw that word daily on reports for 11 years) approved me and worked with my psychiatrist and gyn. on this. Then my gyn. requested the anesthesiologist she was most comfortable with. Everyone knew I have a history of bad reactions. I think what really happened was that for some reason they had in the system that I was allergic to the anti-nausea medication that I am not allergic to so I was given one that can have psych effects. But there's no way to be sure. The anesthesia drugs used are the ones considered most safe since I was in that protocol.

I think that this time I am going to try to be allowed to speak to my actual anesthesiologist rather than the resident and his attending in the pre-op clinic. That is standard where I go and would have been fine if the attending hadn't clearly been opposed to the protocol. It made the resident confused and I'm not sure everything I told them hit the charts. However I also know it's pretty hard to see the actual anesthesiologist but if we know who it is in advance my psychiatrist can be in touch with her/him.


I'm glad I'm not the only one with the hormone issues. I knew I was pretty sensitive to them but when the mirena came out and things improved I found out how much so. It's hard for people to understand that I am not doing this because I'm being whiny but because I can't take birth control, can't use the Mirena, can't use anything but tylenol for the pain which si pretty severe, etc. But many drs. haven't wanted to believe me about this and really pestered for me to be on birth control because I'm on lithium. I tried it; it was not good.

Thanks again