Vocal cord paralysis, unable to swallow, fever. Taken tylenol. Elevated proteins. What is the cause for symptoms?
Patient: My cousin developed vocal chord paralysis and is unable to swallow following a procedure to remove dead tissue from his leg (he has diabetes and sores that do not heal easily). He was given general anesthesia for the procedure. They performed a cat scan but did not see signs of a stroke. An MRI was not done because he has a pacemaker. He is now in this state, with a feeding tube , for two weeks. He had a fever of 104 last night and given Tylenol. A spinal tap showed elevated levels of protein. What are possible causes for his symptoms? Doctor: Damage to the vocal cords may have occurred if your cousin had a tube placed in his throat for the general anesthesia. Elevated protein in the spinal fluid indicates inflammation that could be caused by an infection affecting his brain. Diabetes lowers the body's ability to fight infection. The dead tissue most likely resulted from an infection, which could have spread from there into the bloodstream and then into the brain. The fever also suggests some kind of infection. If an infection affected the lower part of his brain, it could damage the nerves that go to his vocal cords and cause that paralysis. Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions I will be happy to help,