Hi, I am new to this site and am awaiting my date for total hip replacement of right hip which should be approx early Feb. I have had my pre op assessment and OT assessment and it is dawning on me that this is actually becoming a reality and I feel quite scared. Does anyone have any words of reassurance that may make me feel less apprehensive as the day approaches? Also my consultant said it was my decision whether to have general anaesthetic or spinal block. Unsure which way to go so any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks for any replies.
If you are in a lot of pain now then that goes immediately. There is some post op pain but that incredibly awful pain of bone on bone goes straight away. I would be lying if I said that the operation and aftermath is not difficult but at eight weeks post op I would say it is well worth while and it does get easier as it goes on.
i originally thought I wanted a GA but the anaethetist strongly recommended the spinal and every one I spoke to also recommended the spinal. I took their advice and now would always recommend the spinal. Recovery is so much easier.
Thanks for your prompt reply. Did you feel nothing with the spinal anaesthetic? I have read it is better for recovering quicker but scared I will be hearing all the sounds in the theatre that go with the operation taking place. Perhaps if I have some sedation as well I will not be so aware of it.
Everybody is scared when they have major surgery. The staff at the hospital I attended were wonderful, as I'm sure the are everywhere. They made me feel relaxed and nothing was too much trouble. I was told by the anaesthetist that the spinal block is the norm and it was recommended. However, the decision was mine, I didn't feel pressured. You are offered a sedative with the spinal, if you opt for this, you won't know anything about the operation. There will be someone with you all the time offering reassurance. The cup of tea you get when the op is over is wonderful!
Best wishes for your operation and a speedy recovery.
Hiya, 9 weeks ago i was you, total panic increasing by the day. Honestly after the pain is nothing compared to how it feels now, I explained how scared i was and needle phobia they were brilliant, after reading alot on this wonderful site, I went for the general, i was out so quickly and was ok when I woke up. I had a bit of pre op pain, but you are given pain killers to help. Good luck.
suexx
Hi I must have been the most petrified person ever lol but the lovely hippies on here really reassured me x on the day of the op I went into room of theatre I was literally shaking but staff were all so lovely I had spinal block and sedation x All I remember is them saying to me we are just going to do spinal I felt something cold on my back and the next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery being told it was all done :-) the hard part is the recovery very frustrating at times but always keep your meds regular and you will be fine. Just remember rest rest rest for the first 2 weeks x hope all goes well which I'm sure it will xx
Hi LabLynn
i am in hospital at the moment waiting for my right hip to be done on Tuesday. I have already had my left one done last April. Even though I have already had one done and know what to expect everyone handles this operation differently. I am still very scared you are bound to be too because this is a major op but having said that you will be out of that horrid grinding pain you are in now. I waited too long and in doing so have suffered far longer than I should be. So no matter how you feel please don't put it off you are better just getting on with it and getting it done. Just remember you may see posts on here with folk saying they have done this or that. This is not a race please go at a pace you feel comfortable going at. Also don't do so much you get pain I see so many posts on here saying they have done this done that and then posting that there is some thing wrong. Set yourself goals and stick to them. One step at a time. Keep up with the excersizes given and sleep when you need to don't feel guilty doing anything this op is really going to make you upset at times for no reason. You need to sleep to heal so do so. No driving till you are cleared to do so by your surgeon. No breaking the 90 degree rule. Make sure all furniture is high enough for you to use. Including the loo. I am sure you will be fine load of folk on here have gone through one or two ops and are here to support you. If you feel like a rant ( because you will ) this is the very place to do it and we won't mind because we have all been there 👍
Thanks for your best wishes. Feel more reassured already. Nice to communicate with someone who has been through it. Best wishes Lynn
Thanks to everyone who has replied with advice and support and to Hailea, good luck with your next stage in this process. I have been reading this site for a while but have never posted a discussion myself. I will continue to look forward to a pain free future and keep reading all I can from the experience hippies on this site.
Hi LabLynn
I can only echo what everyone ese has said. I have been on this site for 10 days and have learned a huge aount. My op is this Thursday for a R THR.
I have decided on the general anaesthetic as I do not want the possibility of seeing, hearing or smelling anything. That said, everyone, will tell you with the levels of sedation and anaesthesia, you will be unable to "appeciate" those senses.
The general consensus is that your body does not have to fight the anaesthesia so hard or for so long, if it is local (spinal), thus able to start the repair process quicker.
Michael
Let's get positive and get all the fear out of your head and look forward to your op. First timers such as me and you do fear the unknown and I wish I had known about this site before I had my op because it would have eased my concerns.
No doubt the pain you have now will go with the op although there will be a bit of pain when the anaesthetics wear off but this is controlled by the drugs you are given--- avoid tramadol though.
Make sure you do the exercises, get the aids that you will need and keep to the rules. No doubt you will find out about all these before your op.
I was convinced that I should go down the full ko for my op but was convinced by the ko man that I should have the spinal block and I am glad I did. Rcovery was easy and no side effects to speak of.
Good luck and be positive
Well said Colin
Tramadol? Why so?
Michael
Do what your told.....take the pain medication religiously to stay ahead of the pain because once it breaks through you have to start over again with it. ICE ICE ICE as much as possible for at least a week. You cannot ice too much!
Tramadol can have seriously nasty side effects and is habit forming.
There was a phone on radio 5 with Nicki Campbell regarding this drug and nearly all the people that phoned in were hip oppers who were prescribed it and couldn't come off without terrible withdrawal symptoms.
I was offered it in hospital but refused it and the nurse said more and more patients won't take it.
Good luck Michael with your op on Thursday. Thanks for taking the time out to reply. I have been advised by consultant the spinal route is preferred due to pain relief immediately after the op and they can get you up and about sooner therefore aiding recovery sooner but I am unsure even if I have sedatives how aware I would still be during the op.
That is FASINATING!! Thank you so much
Good advice Colin and you are right I have to be more positive and look ahead to the benefits having this surgery is going to bring rather than concentrating on the actual operation. Thanks for reply.
Hi,
I am having my second THR day on Wednesday, 7 wks after my first. I think it's normal to have mixed feelings as the date approaches and I would never say that there have not been some challenging moments but from the day after my surgery, the operated side felt 100% better than the one still to go. That gave me such hope it has eased the rough spots.
I had a spinal after talking with my brother who is an orthopedic surgeon. He strongly endorsed it. I definitely plan to have it again as long as the anatheisiologist is good with it. i was clear headed and pain free when I awoke from surgery and able to go home the next day. (I also had sedation though as i certainly didn't want to know what was going on! ) Only side effect was that I peed the bed in recovery (and actually once I got to my room too come to think about it) but no one seemed surprised and at that point it wasn't my problem!! Not even mildly embarrassed......
I think fear is natural but this surgery has certainly given me a new perspective on life after such pain for so long. I will hold good thoughts for you. This forum has been so useful for me. ( Everyone else gets sick of hearing about it!!  
That was what worried me. I had sedatives and slept through most of it. I did wake up before they had ended but after any of the gory bits, I think they were just sewing up. I was talking to the anaethetists and theatre assistants. The surgical team doing the stitching appeared to be a long way off and might have been doing things to someone at the other side of the room and not me. Not frightening at all.
I had it so i took the dose and cut them down so yea i took them over a longer period but less every day. I was glad when i finished them, i was also on codine which is also addictive, i was so scared of depending on them i just wanted to get them out of the way.