My left hip replacement was last August and I now have an appointment for April 10 for the right hip to be done. Knowing what to expect is not helping me to feel any better about the upcoming surgery than I did the first time! However, I do know that I need to take some snacks with me as the hospital food is awful. And I have also requested a spinal this time as the general anesthesia caused me to have heart arrhythmia and I also had a very hard time waking up following surgery. With the general, I remember nothing about being wheeled to the operating room. What is it like with a spinal anesthesia? I know I will also receive an IV twilight sleep. When is that administered?
Dear Anne
I sympathize with you because I was in excellent health with no hint of ay heart issues when I had my ankle replacement surgery five years ago but it triggered AF which showed up soon after came around and as a result I'm on blood thinning tablets for the rest of my life. Life can be a bummer at times! I had a general.
Last year I had to have my twenty year old hip revised and because of the expected complexity it was decided to give me a spinal and a general. It was all very easy and I did not remember anything except they had a bit of a fiddle getting the spinal in. Naturally because the previous surgery had triggered AF I was very apprehensive but all went well and I awoke as fresh as a daisy!
I've just returned home having had a replacement of the ankle that set off AF five years ago and because of the anticipated difficulties was given a general. The surgery took six hours but I was fine when I came round and did not suffer any I'll effects but the surgery left my body exhausted but no wonder in the circumstances. I'm a fit 76 yr old BTW.
Hope that may reassure you. Cheers Richard
Hi, I had a spinal, it was all fine. The anaesthetist administered it in a tiny room adjacent to the theatre, and after a while I was wheeled in to theatre and then lifted onto the table. I had a chat with the surgeon and told him that I didn’t want to hear it all, and he laughed and said I don’t blame you! I was given a sedative through a canular, and the next thing I knew was the surgeon telling me that it had all gone well. I was having lunch an hour later. Wishing you all the best, Judith
Hi Anne,
I am 2 weeks post op..I’m 26 & doing so much better than I thought I would be.
I got put to sleep for mine is that what your having 2nd time round? I had the spinal block & then got put to sleep too they give you spinal block regardless so I was told to help with pain when you wake up. I felt quite good coming round afterwards just a bit shaky but that’s normal apparently. Hope everything goes well for you x
I had my second hip done with a final block and 4 hours later I was up going to the bathroom and eating. Out in 2 days. No nausea and no I've morphine. It was great except for the fact that my pelvis had to be fractured to get all the arthritis out so no weight bearing for 6 weeks. It has been 8 months since my last surgery and I am learning how to run. I was never able to run before or cut my toe nails or touch my toes. The best is that I have no pain in my hips.
I had a spinal block last October for a THR and then a second three weeks later for something else at a different hospital. I was taken into the anaesthetic room next to the operating theatre and the spinal was injected into my back. I was then taken into the operating theatre. The anaesthetist offered me sedation which I refused as I wanted to know what was going on. I could have had a mild sedation or one that really knocked me out. As I did not have sedation it did mean that I could talk to everyone else and answer questions.
You mean that you were awake for the THR? That would never work for me! I can't even watch someone in a movie being given a fake injection! Did the spinal injection hurt?
Claudia, I hope that's how it works for me. With the general anesthesia I slept practically the whole day. When the PT tried to get me up for therapy I felt so dizzy that I had to get back in bed.
Yes, Jade, the spinal block plus twilight sleep so that I won't hear or feel a thing! My first surgery was done under general anesthesia and no spinal block. When I could finally wake up after several hours, I was told that the heart doctor had been called in because I had experiences arrhythmia. Several week later, when I saw the heart doctor again, he decided that the heart condition had been caused by the anesthesia. I have not had any problems with my heart since then.
Hi the spinal is ok it put your lower part of extremities to sleep.
You may not feel nausea as opposed to general anesthesia
Hi
I had a left hip replacement 5 years ago with a spinal.
I took my iPhone into theatre and took some diazepam 5mls from the anaesthetist I felt in control.
I had my head phones on so turned up the music as you can hear the drilling and smell the burning.
Don’t be alarmed at that the anaesthetist also spoke to me and the consultant every now and again.
I felt reassured being awake and I recovered well.
I am scheduled for a right hip soon which I will gladly have a spinal again. Good luck
Quite an experience.
Judith, that is what I expected with my first surgery. I was told that I would have a spinal block. When I woke up following surgery I had a very difficult time staying awake. And my throat hurt. It finally dawned on me that I had received a general anesthesia. If the anesthesiologist told me that prior to surgery I have absolutely no recall. I found out later that the surgeon prefers a general anesthesia when he does anterior hip replacements. But he has agreed to a spinal this time so I'm hoping to be much more alert and able to get out of the hospital bed sooner.
Richard, happily I have not experienced any further heart problems and the cardiologist does not need to see me again. I hope that with a spinal block and light anesthesia that I will not experience anything like that again.
That was the original plan, to bring my phone and headphones with me; but Somewhere in the process the Anesthesiologist and Surgeon decided to give me some sleeping med and I slept for 1 hour, I woke up to the conversation of holidays, vacations and everything went great and the sensation of the last staples on my thigh.
Dear Anne
That's excellent news. I have not asked if I need to continue taking the blood thinning tablets but I shall.
Very best wishes. Richard
It was only because I was curious and wanted to know what was happening!! The spinal did not hurt at all, probably less than having a blood test.
That is good because I was very nauseous after the first surgery and I did not feel like eating for quite a while.
I will need more than diazepam! I do not want to hear, see, or smell anything!
I had a bad reaction to spinal in December, getting dry heaves during surgery. Strange