Anesthesia and AD

Learning, learning. I’m in a major learning curve. It’s a curve, I think, because while you are in the middle you can’t see what is coming around the bend. In the last few days I have read serious discussion from firsthand accounts regarding anesthesia, one in particular, Isoflurane, that appears to not only exacerbate but also launch AD. So, I’m thinking back to all the times in the past seven years, in her fight against bladder cancer, that she has been put under. I certainly can see clearly that, as she has declined over the last five years, there is a remarkable correlation between where she was before receiving anesthesia and where she was afterward. While I cannot claim the anesthesia caused her dementia, though she most definitely has had more than her fair share of anesthesia in her long medical history, I can duly note that something did indeed make it worse. If you want to be all fair and scientific one could say there are a number of possibilities, including just the stress of it all on her aging system. But that aside, it makes complete sense that a chemical that directly impacts the brain would be the first suspect for damage done, i.e., increased memory loss, agitation, and confusion. To say Isoflurane actually causes AD is a stretch only because it would be difficult to prove. AD can exist quietly in the brain and undetected for a long time, perhaps years.

I have also read reports claiming that vaccines can damage brain function and increase the likelihood of contracting AD as well. Interesting concept when you think that the increased incidence of Alzheimer’s appears to be in regions of the world that have the most advanced medical systems and abundant access to drugs.

But the cause/causes, while certainly important, are too speculative for my personal situation. I have to make decisions today about how to play the hand I’ve been dealt. For me this means not exposing her to further unnecessary discomfort or probable intensification of her mental decline, so, no more procedures that require anesthesia.

It’s a comfort to know that, as of right now, individuals can still make personal health choices. Soon, that right will be yet another yanked from us and we’ll be at the mercy of decision by a faceless bureaucratic committee.