Plastic Surgery Q&A
Plastic Surgerybefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

823 people and 304 doctors are talking about Plastic Surgery

Get Free Email Updates

Can Post Surgical Stress Cause Anxiety?

asked 2 years ago by archaic2012 in Fresno
Latest answer by Scott E. Kasden, MD
Question viewed 1,024 times
Tags: age 25-34, chest, lower abs, upper abs, male, anxiety, stress

A week and a half ago, i had Power Assisted Liposuction. For the past 5 days, i have experienced panic/anxieity. Is this normal?

I am a 32 year old male. My liposuction was done on upper/lower abs, and my chest area. When I informed by doctor of numbness of lips, rapid heart beat, dellusional thoughts, shortness of breath and feelings as if I was going to faint, and of my visit at the Hospital ER after thinking I was having a heart attack, he asked me to discontinue taking Cipro, Celelbrex and the the Methylprednisolone as he suspected allergic reaction to one of them. I stopped taking that medication 6 days ago.

My own private doctor mentioned that he believed it was post surgical stress since my labs, x-ray to chest and ct scan revealed no problems. I 'd like to hear from the doctors if they have ever encountered this with patients who have undergone lipo and if you have an advice for me. thank you

3 answers to Can Post Surgical Stress Cause Anxiety?

+1

Post-op stress

Surgery is stressful, and that may cause anxiety depending on how you deal with that stress. The steroids have been assoicated with altered sense of well being. I doubt that you had an allergic reaction. You may want to see a psychiatrist to see if you have a serious underlying psychological issue. I would urge you to do this, particularly prior to any future surgery.
Scott E. Kasden, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon
+1

Anxiety after surgery

I would never brush aside symptoms like yours easily. It sounds like you are 12 days after surgery and you have been seen in the ER as well as by your doctor. Those are the right steps. Although your symptoms could just be anxiety related, it is best to make sure you are not having something unusual like fat embolism, or other medical problems related to electrolyte imbalances. Make sure you follow up with both your surgeon and an internal medicine doctor.
Francisco Canales, MD

Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon
+1

Post-surgical anxiety

Plenty of patients experience stress and anxiety during the post-operative period that may be atttributable to a number of causes. For example, it is not uncommon for some patients to become claustrophobic and confined by head dressings following ear or face surgery. Anything dressing around the neck in men commonly elicits feelings of anxiety. Endogenous or exogenous steroids can produce feelings of anxiety not unlike the fight or flight response.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question