THR Approaches input: Direct Anterior vs. Direct Superior with Dual Mobility cup (aka Superpath)

Do you all know if this is an evidence-based recommendation?
Yes it is. General tends to make you feel groggy and it can take quite awhile to come out of it. Many react with vomiting and nausea.

You can have a spinal with sedation. Just ask for this. They will put you into a nice, comfy sleep. And you will wake up alert and ready for a snack as you are wheeled into the recovery room. Your legs and feel will be numb at first. But after a couple of hours the feeling will return. It's actually an added bonus of post op pain relief.
 
@LaKarune i can give you my experience. My first hip replacement, almost nine years ago, was general. I was a touch woozy the first time I stood up but fine after that. My second hip was also general as was my first knee. No wooziness at all, not the least bit groggy. I woke up so hungry! For my second knee, I did spinal, the anesthesiologist kind of insisted and I woke up the same as I did with general #2 & #3.

Marie
 
For both my hips I had spinal with light general anaesthetic, that’s what the surgeon and anaesthetist preferred so I went with that although they said that I could have sedation instead if I really wanted it.

Both times I woke up quickly, no sickness or wooziness.
 
Hi and Happy Sunday to you!
Can I call you Mom?
Cute. Thanks for the chuckle.
Did you have the spinal vs the general, then?
Oddly enough...BOTH Spinal and General. I did not want GA and when I met with the anesthesiologist in pre op she told me the GA would be "light".

Do I do this at night too, or try to sleep as long as possible?
Sleep when you can sleep. Don't set alarms or worry about waking in the night. You'll likely wake for a bathroom break anyway as your body eliminates fluid from surgery. Normally your water intake is greater in early recovery also. You want to stay adequately hydrated.

I am happy to read you didn't postpone and afterward you'll be even more thankful you went ahead with the surgery. It won't be long now until your big day and we'll be your biggest cheerleaders. Thats a promise!
 
Thank you all for your feedback. Wanted to share quickly that I had the opportunity to talk to a retired anesthesiologist today, the father of one of my closest friends, and he was SO helpful. He explained that the General just makes you unconscious, but your body and nervous system are still online and are going through all the nervous system shocks that you'd be experiencing if you were awake. The spinal blocks the nerves, which takes the nervous system offline. If the PA had been able to explain that, it could have saved me a few days of anxiety! So while I'm still squeamish about the spinal, talking to him encouraged me to think about my future anesthesiologist as an advocate for my nervous system as well as for pain management, and I feel a lot more equipped to handle that conversation on Thursday.
 
I like the way he explained this to you. It suddenly all makes sense, yes? I was worried about the spinal, also. But now after having it twice, am a huge fan.
I hope the next several days pass easily.. I found the last few days slipped by quickly.
 
My hip surgery was the first time I had had a spinal. I just took the anesthetist's recommendation since I hadn't had any ortho surgery. What they recommend has a lot to do with what procedure they are doing and how long it takes as I have found out with other surgeries. Any more anesthesiology can try to tailor anesthesia to the patient and their preferences. Gas always made me terribly nauseous so with my last general, it was all IV medication. Having said that, I loved the spinal and it would be the option I would take if I had the choice. I don't remember anything passed being wheeled into the OR until I woke up in the recovery room for the first time being without pain in a very long while.

It's normal to be nervous, anxious, scared or all of the above. You are placing a lot of trust in your medical team, which, let's be honest, you've basically just met! LOL. These are professionals who only want the best for you. Once in pre-op, I think you'll find that they'll start to put you more at ease. If not, let them know and they will find a way to help you to do that. I have every confidence that you will do great and be so glad you kept your surgery date. Best wishes for a smooth surgery and a good start to the healing side of your journey.
 
@LaKarune - anxiety over the surgery is so normal and there are of course plenty of things you can freak out over. It's not a tiny event! That said, having had two replacements and each time with spinal, I can say it was really "no big deal." They typically start giving you a low-level sedation in prep that starts to lower your anxiety already. I had no feeling with the spinal other than a little pressure. Felt like someone just had a finger pressed on my back.

Waking up (coming out of sedation) is always disorienting but not having any pain below your waist is very helpful. The surgical pain creeps up slowly and allows for you to manage with oral or IV pain-killers. It's much less scary and helps you take those first steps with more confidence.
 
@LaKarune For my hip replacement surgery (both at the same time) and each of my shoulder surgeries I had general anesthesia as that was what my surgeons and anesthesiologists recommended. But that was back in the "old days" when it was expected that hip replacement patients (and shoulders too) would stay in hospital for at least a few days. I'd had general for previous surgeries so knew what to expect.... feeling groggy and a bit woozy for a brief while and disoriented until kind nurse put my glasses back on my face. No matter what you end up having ... if you wear glasses or need hearing aids tell the pre op nurse to make sure those go with you! They'll get put into a special carry case and labeled and sent with you through the surgery and into recovery.

I've had spinal with sedation for a different procedure (arthroscopy on Left knee) and that too was good ... except I woke up mid surgery and popped into the conversation the surgeon was having with his assistant ... startled them a bit. Then got a bit more sedation and went back to sleep. Didn't freak me out as I knew where I was and what was going on. But it was definitely a memorable experience.

I'd say go with what is recommended. All the folks involved with your surgery are professionals and have your well being as their primary concern! They do these surgeries every working day and are the experts. Best wishes to you and we will be looking for you on the recovery side soon.
 
One more vote for spinal with sedation. Both my hips done that way (in fact, Anesthesiologist told me insurance was starting to require that first before general unless specific reason). I’ve also had two general times for my shoulders. All times I was completely out with no recollection of/during surgery but the spinal was a quicker recovery. Wishing you some peace as we can all relate to the nervousness leading up to surgery. The folks here can really help with that :)
 
Hi, @LaKarune -

I well remember the anxiety the day before my surgery, so just dropping in to say you will do absolutely fine. Ask the anesthesiologist and care team any questions you need to. Mine was spinal with "light" sedation and I was, of course, completely out and when I woke up, I felt pretty great (not super groggy, not nauseated). They are there to listen to your concerns and questions and reassure you and they will. You've chosen your care team for a reason, so let that trust put your mind at ease.

Oh, and tell your anxiety that no amount of worrying is going to be superior to the skills and experience of your care team. On the VERY off chance of complications - they know how to address them.

Looking forward to seeing you on the flip side!

Take care and deeeeeeeeeeep breaths....we're here for you!
 
Hey all — it’s hip surgery eve for me. I’m so incredibly tired that I’m feeling really ready to “let go and let God” as an old saying goes. Over the last week I’ve become hyper aware of how bad my dysplasia has gotten. My left trochanter is protruding quite noticeably (to me) out to the left of my body, and my knee and ankle are miserable, aching and cracking. Been trying to have gentle conversations with myself about all the parts that will be taken off and put on and how that will create the structural support my whole body is literally aching for. The dysplastic socket is still trying valiantly to self-repair, so hopefully it won’t be too hard for it to get the message to redirect its energy and receive the help it needs when I’m in the OR and finally in recovery. (Yes, I am talking to all my parts like they are children.) I plan to create my recovery thread once I’m awake tomorrow. Thanks for all your support so far. I know I have a fantastic medical team and it’s time to trust them with repairing my body and getting me back to dancing at some point in the not too distant future. Off to take another pre-surgical shower… I’ll make a new thread on the other side tomorrow!
 
Best Wishes for tomorrow!
We will be thinking of you and looking forward to your first post on the flip side.
Hope to hear from you soon. :)
@LaKarune
 
You got this, stay focused and calm. Wishing you peace for the rest of the hours til surgery. See you on the other side :)
 
Hope you are doing well!
Sending lots of good wishes!
 
Just want to drop my recovery thread here — Thread 'LaKarune's Journey Back to the Dance Floor - Recovery Thread' — thanks for all of your help so far, and see you on the recovery side!
Congratulations on the new hip. Celebration time. It’s going to feel awesome to no longer have that bad hip.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • mendogal
    Staff member since November 10, 2023

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,053
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom