Bladder Issues with Anesthesia
Original Post: Every time I have had general anesthesia, I can't urinate for over a week. I have to come home with a catheter/and bag. The muscle tone takes that long to return. I had told my Anesthesia physician that I had Polio and this problem, but it happened again.
Dr. Bruno’s Response: Post-operative urinary retention is one of the most common side effects of general anesthesia. Up to 70 percent of patients have minor trouble urinating after surgery. 5% experience more significant bladder-retention problems. Having had poliovirus-damage to the bladder nerves would put you in the 5%.
Please go to the Encyclopedia of Polio and PPS and look at the articles in the Index with the topic “Anesthesia”. Often by presenting the easily downloaded, Anesthesia Warning Card to a physician, they are able to “see” things differently when their patient is a polio survivor.