is it best to have a local anesthetic with light sedation for my replacement hip op next week? worried about which choice is best
I had general anesthesia the first time. Horrible! I had a spinal injection with sedation the second time. Much better!
Hi Jennifer, I had spinal and sedation..... fabulous, came round when Surgeon popped round to see me, to say it was all over.!! My friend on the other hand had a general and was really sick for 3 days!
hi thanks , i have put this op off three times as i am so worried about some of the things which can happen with anesthetics. i am 72 now and am in such pain daily i know i need it. my surgeon said the other one is just as bad and needs doing about six months later . i read too much online and frighten myself, but i cannot go on like this .
Hi, definately a spinal block and sedation. wake up with less sickness if any and home quicker. Ive had 3 ops this way now and its much better.
Good luck, you wont look back.
I was your age with my first surgery and I had the second one done eight months later. As you said, you cannot continue with such pain so you need to get this done. The spinal and sedation are nowhere near as risky as the general. You will be up and about in no time, wondering why you were so worried!
hello Helen thankyou for replying. i think i am overworrying about everything but my husband had a bad experience and had a cardiac arrest during an op and the memories have stayed with me. i think the spinal and sedation sounds better for me
Hi Jennifer 6426. I am 73 yrs old and just had total hip revision on June 3. I had general anesthesia for original surgery and spinal with sedation for the revision. I must say I was much more alert after the revision. Like you, I am a scaredy cat, but with the sedation I was not aware of anything until my surgeon told me it was finished. I must say I liked being able to talk to him and not be in lala land. My recovery has gone very well and can now walk without any device. Getting ready to schedule right hip which is the only one causing pain now. Good luck on your surgery.
Hi Denise thankyou for taking the time to reply as my op is next tuesday . cannot back out now . it sounds the spinal injection is the way to go as recovery is quicker .
HI Evelyn yes you are right i overthink everything but from what you say its been a good experience and i think i will feel better if i am not out of it . it must have been comforting to be able to talk to your surgeon . did you take an ipad or anything to occupy you ?. and good luck for when you have your next op on your right hip, and thankyou for replying.
hi Anne yes i think i will look back and wonder why i got myself so worked up . i think reading everything about it sometimes its too much information . i will be fine and i will post on here after tuesday , all being well.
I had a spinal but decided against sedation as I wanted to know what is going on. You can have different levels of sedation, so you could listen to music if you wanted. I had a spinal for another op four weeks later and went home that evening. I had the op at 2pm. I think it is a much better option than general.
hi. I'm 9 weeks post OP and I had a spinal with sedation. I'd asked the anaethetist to give me enough sedation do I had a decent sleep ( lol) and he did that. I remember waking abt 3 x and him asking me if I was ok next thing I was back asleep. had the best sleep I'd had for a long time but was wide awake at the end and able to thank all the theatre staff which was important to me. I can understand your worries because of your husband's previous problem but you'll probably find the anaethetist will be more than happy if you agree to a spinal and sedation. everyone medical much prefers this to a GA as you're able generally to be up and abt much quicker which is better for your recovery. after mine 2 hrs later I was standing up and doing the 4 side steps they have you do. good luck and best wishes you'll find the OP side pain will improve no end. let us know how you get on
hello, I am feeling so much more settled in my mind as the spinal block numbs the area but you can stay awake. I would prefer no sedation as i will know whats going on . as i will feel very anxious perhaps i can just have something to relax me without going to sleep . maybe a small amount of sedation . you have done so well with two ops in a short space of time and going home so quickly. i had also been reading about a local injection in to the hip itself which maybe another option .many thanks for your reply.
hi Julie thankyou and i will post how i get on. i feel more positive about the experience knowing people have gone through this and had different ways of having the sedation or not . what happened to my husband , has had such an effect on me i think the same will happen to me . its silly i know but my husband is anxious now for me. everyone on here has had such positive outcomes i feel better about going in . i will be glad when its over though .
i was terrified before my THR but had so many positive posts from the forum that reassured me. I still had a panic attack immediately before surgery, but was able to go through with it. i had a spinal injection and said I didn't want to see or hear anything during surgery. Clearly they gave me enough sedation to knock me out and when I woke up afterwards in the recovery room I had no recollection at all. I can just remember feeling really cold and they wrapped me in some kind of warming blanket which was lovely. No pain at all and I actually felt a bit silly for making so much fuss. After two years of constant pain, the relief was enormous once I was on the way to recovery. It's now 7 months on and my life has changed beyond recognition. I walk for hours with no difficulty, and at 72, I try to make the most of every day. Hope all goes well.
hi Yvonne i am so glad i found this forum as i only know one person that had a THR and she also had a positive experience. Your experience leading up to it is how i am and after putting it off three times because of feeling frightened i have to go through with it as the pain is constant. we have a dog and i want to keep walking him as my husband has COPD and can only walk short distances . the alternative is becoming so imobile i will not be able to walk. It sounds like it has changed your life and i hope for me its a positive outcome so thankyou for sharing this .
Hi Jennifer,
I put my hip off for about six years as I was terrified of having an op, I knew I did not want a GA as they can cause problems. My sister-in-law developed dementia after breaking her hip and having a GA. I eventually had hip op April 2018. It is lovely being out of pain and walking normally again, I have had no pain since op therefore, no painkillers.
I was dithering until the very last minute. Everyone including my GP said the spinal was safer, but I was really scared that I would be too aware of what was going on, and I am a coward. So I asked for a general. When I spoke to the anaesthetist just before the op he said no problem for him or the surgeon which I chose, but that everyone he'd done a spinal for asked for it again if they came back to have the second hip done. That decided me - right at the last minute. I had the spinal and sedation. It was brilliant - and if I do ever need the other hip doing I will certainly ask for it again. I was very quickly asleep once my legs were numb and knew absolutely nothing at all until I woke up feeling fine with it all done. HTH Joan
Hi Jennifer, I am waiting for my preop and like you really scared as someone I cared about had a bad reaction to GA but I see your husband has Copd, is he or was he a smoker, has he other health issues, all these have to be taken into account and I would suggest you talk to your anesthetist and tell him your fears because they are the most important person in the Or after you. I'm sure that you will choose the best option for you but I have spoken to many theatre staff who all say spinal is much much better, I'm going for it. Another question, was your husband having gallstones/gallbladder op. Hip replacement is one of the safest ops World wide x