Dear Peter,
I went through hernia repair last December & it was no fun for me. I had
it done under general anesthhetic which I thought [erroneously] wouuld be
better than local / spinal tap etc. I also took Eldepryl up to an hour before
surgery.
Operation was done as outpatient surgery. I was slow to come out of
anesthesia. I came out very "off." as respects PD. Whole digestive system
shut down and would not respond to various laxatives. Magnesium Citrate i.e.,
dynamite of sorts had no effect. Five days at home with lpn nurse very much
needed. Then a fainting spell & woke up on floor. Back to hospital as
inpatient for three days.
ADVICE:
Get together with anesthesiologist and decide upon least likely scenario to
avoid ileus. Do not wait till day before operation! Do it now. If possible
avoid Fentanyl. Definitely avoid meperidine. Go easy on other opiates such as
Oxycodone. We Parkies cannot tolerate dopamine antagonists. Realize that
opiates and dopamine go for about the same set of receptors.
After the operation figure on taking it easy for a while. I was led to
believe that I would be virtually recovered in a few days. Give yourself
time!
Good luck..... I had oral surgery last month & made sure
of anesthetics.... no problems.
Will Johnston in Salisbury, Maryland
