Choosing anesthesia type/your experience

[JustaDreamer]

Sometimes I feel like a total dummy on this page, I never asked about anything.
I didn't know what to ask and my doctor intimidated me, so even the questions I had, I forgot when he was around.
Anyway, I was told my hip needed replaced, however I've known this since I was twelve when I damaged it.
I was suppose to "probably need a replacement by age 30" but I lasted till 49.

Here's how my entire experience went. I was told I needed a new hip, he he showed me the hardware
and a fake hip model. That's it. No talk of anesthesiologists or preferred ways of doing it.
I made the appointment for a month later.

I had no pre-tests on anything until the morning of the surgery, still no talk of the anesthesiologists.
I took some breathing treatment cause I am a smoker and they hooked up IV. I was wheeled
to the room before the operating room and asked some general health questions and I met the anesthesiologist that was
assigned to me. He explained some stuff that I don't remember and next thing I knew I was waking up
with my smiling family near.

Part of me likes the fact that I was dumb ... as I dwell on things and having to make this decision would have
drove me nutty. I never even knew I had any kind of choice. I just put my faith in those that knew what
they were doing cause I sure didn't. Surgery went fine, I didn't have a sore throat or nausea or anything after I woke.

I wish I had found this page long before my surgery, instead of just 2 weeks before, as I would have known
more about what to expect AFTER the surgery. I went in blind and came out blind, but my hip feels great
so I guess they knew what they were doing. Probably just the drugs talking,

It's 16 days now and I think I'm doing okay. 2 week follow up tomorrow, so we'll see.

 

[sharonslp]

As long as everything turns out okay in the end, then yes...ignorance can be bliss. I did ask both my surgeon and the anesthesiology team what they preferred. They were all totally non- committal. In the end I opted for what I knew worked well in the past...a general. It's now 22 hours later, and I'm doing well. That's all that matters now.

Sharon

 

[JustaDreamer]

Great News, I am glad you are feeling well. I will be following your recovery. Hope you get some rest in the
hospital. Well on my way out the door for 2 week follow up, chat soon.
Pam

 

[sharonslp]

Rest in the hospital...hah!! Not a chance. I had a roommate this time. Very nice lady with a knee replacement. But between the two of us, we had to pee frequently, around the clock. And checking vitals, and giving meds. I turned out the light and went to official sleep around 10:45 in the evening...unheard of for me!! I was awakened every hours throughout the night. But you know, I didn't really care. The drugs made it easy to fall right back asleep.

Sharon

 

[JustaDreamer]

Yeah the rest in the hospital statement was a wish for you as I got NO rest in the hospital.
It's great you had a good bed neighbor too. I was next to a 93 year old woman who didn't
know who she was or where she was, so she sat near the foot of my bed staring at me most of the time
asking if i was dieing sometimes and asking if i was having a baby other times. lol Bless her heart, but
it really didn't help having an audience while I was in so much pain.
Get better fast

 

[Poppet]

It must have been a little entertaining sometimes, but not all the time... Sad really....

 

[kathyj56]

Before I found BoneSmart I was convinced I would never have a spinal. I hate needles as well!

But after reading here and discussing my fears I had a spinal. So glad I did. A spinal is SO much easier to recover from. No groggy feeling and nausea. You are wide awake and even eating a meal the op day.

If you are worried be sure and ask for sedation and tell staff you do not want to hear or see anything. I made the mistake of not doing this and was awake during the procedure. Mind you I was sedated enough that I was not worried but I would have preferred to be totally out. Most hippies are in a very cozy sleep with their spinal.

 

[bellaroma]

Thanks All, This thread has helped me as I know my Doctor prefers spinal and after reading, so do I. It will feel good not to be nausea after a surgery for once.

 

[GrahamDee]

Having been through THR once recently, I would opt for a General if I had to have another. I was terrified of having a spinal, I didn't want one, I asked not to have one, I had lived in pain for years because of the fear of having one, but when it came to it, I was forced into having it, which left me extremely traumatised and emotionally scarred. I really didn't care about the usual GA side effects, I have had them before and can cope with them. I was told I could have GA, but when it came to it, I was told I was getting a spinal whether I wanted it or not. I get tearful even now thinking about what happened.

 

[bellaroma]

Sorry you had such a hard time GrahamDee.

 

[Josephine]

There's something not quite right about the anaesthetic service in this country. Anaesthetists have too much power to over-ride the patient's wishes even in the face of obvious and intense distress. This should not be.

 

[Jaycey]

So sorry to hear that Graham. I agree with Jo - what happened to your right to choose! I had a spinal but it was my choice and in the end it was a non event. I can't imagine having it forced on me. How horrid! Someone should be fired!

 

[GrahamDee]

There's something not quite right about the anaesthetic service in this country. Anaesthetists have too much power to over-ride the patient's wishes even in the face of obvious and intense distress. This should not be.

My one was particularly sadistic. He knew exactly how I felt, he even read to me my own comments I had in my notes, having both written to the hospital about it and phoned them up expressing how nervous and anxious I was having this done. "This is done with a spinal - that's what you're getting." End of discussion.

The hospital said originally "our Anaesthetists are very accomodating" and "we can give you something to calm you down". What happened was being then told that there was no one that could give me anything on the day becasue I had to be 'aware' to sign the consent form and I was first one in on the op day. What happened when admitted was told to get undressed, sign form and allowed to stew in my own emotional juices for over two hours on my own, with absolutly nothing before I was dragged half-hysterical to the op room, told to lay down and found I couldn't do it, was lifted up and held down by the Anaethetist and two of the op room staff, who then decided I was in such a mess I had to be sedated there and then. I came round four hours later still in tears, sore and petrified followed by deep anger and resentment by the way I was treated. And this was a Private hospital, not NHS.

 

[Jaycey]

OMG - that is horrid! I would file a formal complaint - but then maybe you just want to forget all this and get on with living. So sorry you got some of the worst I am afraid.

 

[Josephine]

Ye gods and little fishes! That's awful. My sister had a somewhat similar experience when she had her hip done despite all my efforts to try make sure she had a general. I won't go into details but the anaesthetist actually smirked while he was telling her she had to have a spinal. I almost drew a swastika on his scrubs sleeve!

Ghastly ending was that she then woke up in pain and with a sore throat. It didn't take me too long to figure out that he had failed with the spinal, knocked her out without saying anything and given her a general anyway. And neither he nor the surgeon had had the bottle to tell her afterwards!

 

[C Mac]

Well, I know I've posted in here before... but I just thought I'd try to add a little something optimistic for the others that may be reading this and have broken in to a cold sweat over the above spinal discussion....

I had a spinal for my THR. Spoke with the anesthesiologist prior to the spinal, expressed my biggest fear which related to awareness during surgery. I was nervous about the spinal -- had 3 kids and never had any type of spinal or other type of anesthetic block. I draped myself over the nurse and they did the chilly wipe of my back and inserted the instrument and that was it. No Pain, no trouble -- and I was out for the surgery, no awareness of anything... The following day the anesthesiologist came to my room to see if I'd been ok during the surgery -- I could have kissed that man and so thoughtful to check on me!!

Normal to be nervous about the anesthesia part of the surgery, but that was the part I felt I had to leave up to the experts -- my OS and the anesthesiologist, they do it every day and have it down to a science.

Hope this helps and I am sorrow about the trauma you experienced Graham
Take care,
Cardie

 

[GrahamDee]

Hope this helps and I am sorrow about the trauma you experienced Graham
Take care,
Cardie

Many thanks for that Cardie. I did not initially want a spinal, the fear of which kept me away from having a THR, but after reading this forum, I had managed to talk myself into having one, under the very strict proviso I wanted it on my terms, which I explained to the Aneathetist at the time - and was then flatly ignored. I have read on here a number of times where people had been admitted, explained their nervousness, given a sedative of sorts and gone into the op room and had the procedure without the nerves and anxiety and come out the other side relaxed with a pleasent experience behind them. Thats what wanted and I explained to the hospital in both writing and on the phone - and thats what they agreed to, as in "We wouldn't want you to be anxious". Then they decided at the last minute not to bother and I had to fend for myself. There was a part of me at the time ready to call a taxi and leave there and then and I'll live with whatever consequences there are afterwards.

It was later and the next following day I had that Aneathetist come round and visit me to see how I was, with a big smiley face and pretending to be my best friend in the world, with is fake concern as to how I was faring. I, on the other hand, was having none of it and refused any conversation beyond anything relevant to my situation.

Sorry for going on about this...but even today, I can't shake what happened to me.

 

[Poppet]

Oh my, Graham, you had a shocking experience.. I am so sorry because I know that it has had lasting effects on you, something like that is going to take a while to forget.. hopefully you can.

Thankfully, for all our new pre op members about to have spinals, they are usually successful.. just make sure you research and discuss options with your OS.