PORTLAND – A Newport, Ore. woman who underwent oral surgery a year ago is still living with an unexpected side-effect.
She now has a British accent.
"I sounded like I was from Transylvania," Karen Butler told The Oregonian about her voice right after the surgery.
Even though the pain and swelling subsided in the days following her sugery, her new-found voice did not. The accent has gotten softer, but it's still there.
It's a rare disorder called foreign accent syndrome. Butler's is one of about 60 recorded cases since the early 1900s. It's usually caused by a stroke, although it's also been associated with multiple sclerosis, head injuries and migraines, The Oregonian reports.
There is no indication that Butler has dealt with any of those, and Butler says the drug that was used to sedate her for the surgery has not been linked to strokes, so experts are still puzzled as to what happened.
Butler says there are some people who simply think she's faking it.
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