General anaesthetic or needle in the spine???

[Dawnie]

:shk: Has anyone had there op done with an epidural, they want to do my BTKR without a general anaesthetic. Now I know I will not feel anything, that is not the issue, but I do not think I could detach myself from hearing the saw and knowing it was cutting thru my leg bones. I am frightened I freak out at the thought. They say the pain relief is better with an epidural but I think I would rather put up with pain afterwards. I run for the door at the sound of the dentists drill. Has anyone had ther op done with epidural????

 

[Coppernob]

Hi Dawnie. I've now had 5 operations on my knee (it's a long story!) with an epidural and it's been fine each time. I've always asked for sedation as well so even if I've been aware of a bit of banging and sawing I haven't been awake enough for it to bother me. On a couple of occasions I also had headphones on with music playing which blocked out even more. If you explain your concerns to your anaesthetist I sure they will be able to put your mind at rest - you certainly won't be the first person they've come across who's been worried! All the best Linda x

 

[kangaroo]

Hey Dawnie,
I had a spinal for my surgery 3 weeks ago. It was a breeze....they gave me something so that I had an amnesiac effect of the surgery...so i have no memory of it, therefore it was as if I was asleep! Truely it was not an issue in any way!
Rachel

 

[Texas]

I had Gen Anes, I was fine. I had 7 diff surgeries on my knee. I was never offered a spinal, but was given a nerve block in my leg, that numbed my leg for a few days. I didnt feel anything. Hope everything goes well for you ..........Keep us posted.........Kim

 

[Jamie]

Dawnie, no need to fear the epidural. As others have said, discuss your concerns about being completely unaware of everything and drugs will be provided to ensure that you either hear nothing or that you have absolutely no memory of it. In either case, you will not have to endure anything like what you are fearing. Today's drugs are so good....it's the best part of this whole process!! In fact, if you are at all anxious about the epidural, tell them and they can give you a pre-drug to relax you to the point that you are awake and know what's going on before they take you in for surgery, but just don't care or feel any pain. These drugs are fantastic and the skill of the doctors allow them to deal with just about anything.

 

[Josephine]

I had the spinal but was adamant I did not want to see anything inside the operating room itself. The noises wouldn't have bothere me - I spent a lifetime hearing them when I was part of the scrub team - but I didn't want to risk seeing anything I wouldn't have approved of from a professional point of view!

Anyway, my anaesthetist was a brick and made sure that the very second he knew the spinal was working satisfactorily, I was out for the count! And none of this amnesiac sedation rubbish - he knocked me right out! But it was still just sedation so I was in control of my own breathing and cough reflex, just like when sleeping at night. In the end, from the point I felt pins and needles in my feet I knew no more until I woke in recovery and found both him and the surgeon gazing down at me like sentimental uncles!! Aawww - sweeeeet!

So don't worry about being awake. Just make it abosutely plain to the anaesthetist when he comes to see you before the op that you want to be out of it completely. They get such requests every single day and it's no problem to them whatsoever. If he's really on the ball, he'll even ask you which you prefer. Some people, would you believe, actually want to be awake. Can't understand it myself!

 

[stives]

Hi Dawnie

Like Jo, I had a spinal and sedation. Also like Jo, I remember someone asking if I had a tingly feeling in my toes, then the next thing I was in the recovery room. It really is that simple!

Do not worry :cnsl:- these folk know what they're doing, and they do loads of operations all the time.

 

[Gringo]

I am really interested in this. I had the General, and am still recovering from it over three weeks later. I am just now starting to redevelop some of my taste. For a week and a half after I got out of the hospital I could only stomach things like vanilla milkshakes, vanilla yogurt, and sushi. No kidding. The very thought of a cheeseburger, or something like a porkchop or bacon really really affected me badly.

My whole situation was messed up though. I had undergone two GA's in the past, both previous knee work. And each of those times I woke up in the recovery room, dumb, dazed, and pain free. Really loopy, but not bad.

This time, I woke up in recovery feeling like someone had taken a wood chisel to my knee. It re-set my pain threshold. Now when someone asks me about the pain on a scale of 0-10, my "10" has been set in a different ballpark. Past nausea. I passed out repeatedly only to wake up a few moments later to do it again. I remember wondering if I was in the morgue. It was ugly.

I really don't want to do that again.

 

[stives]

Gringo, I remember you telling us earlier about that awful experience. Poor you. With the spinal my leg was completely numb for quite a while after the operation, so of course I felt absolutely no pain. I think the feeling gradually came back over a period of several hours.

I had very little after effects. Just some slight nausea the first evening - the doc came and gave me something into a tube I already had in my hand, and after that I felt really well - good appetite etc.

Maybe you ought to try to get what I had!!! Can't help you with that though - but I'm sure Jo can tell you about the different systems used. I would certainly recommed spinal plus sedation - at least, it definitely worked for me.

 

[Gringo]

Thanks, Val, I will remember that for the next one. I was a mess when I woke up this time, for sure. The experience in the recovery room must have been intense, because I still remember it. It was all pain. As much as I can ever remember in all my 58 years. And I have had some painful injuries over the years. Bullet hole, knife wounds, broken bones....they were nothing compared to this. Actually, I think an AC seperation of the clavicle/shoulder might have been the second most painful experience I can remember. That ties with the original knee injury, when my lower leg was stuck out at a 90 degree angle sideways.

Did they use the foley catheter under this anesthesia method? That was just one of the little things I didn't like about the whole GA experience. Well, it was handy not having to worry about liquid management, but having it pulled out was very unpleasant. Oh, and being unable to talk for half a day because of a sore throat. My voice was totally gone, and I was having a hard time making myself understood. People were questioning me, and I could only rasp back at them. I assume that is from being intubated or whatever they call it. All in all, I would say my GA experience this time around was pretty much totally negative. At least I missed the surgery part.

Its a booger to be trying to explain how much things hurt and only being able to croak.

(no pun intended)

 

[Josephine]

Oh GAs can knock you up for sure! Sore throat, nausea and vomiting, and lots of other similarly unpleasant stuff. Not to mention the lack of pain control afterwards. You said it all, Gringo. Have a spinal. Much better all round, especially with a femoral block!

 

[Surfsister]

I, too, was worried sick about the spinal. I was completely prepared for this surgery until the doctor said something about the spinal (about two weeks before). That sent me into a slight nervous breakdown from which I quickly recovered, deciding the doctors knew what they were doing. I was right. One minute I was in the operating room looking around, the next minute I was going to my hospital room. I remember nothing in between. And I felt pretty good afterwards. The spinal was just fine.

 

[stives]

Without me being aware of it, I had a catheter fitted when I was sedated. I don't know if it was a Foley catheter, but it meant I didn't have to worry about spending a penny - don't know what you call it over there!!! Liquid management, anyway!

Having it removed was not at all painful, but maybe the male anatomy makes it different! :hehe:

You have certainly suffered a lot of nasty painful events in your short life. Bullet hole !! - what were you up to? The pain post-op must have been really bad for the pain to have been the worst ever.

I've had GAs in previous ops and have suffered nasty side effects. With spinal plus sedation.......no bad effects at all!

 

[Jamie]

Gringo, So sorry you had to experience all that bad stuff!!! You're describing some of the typical things experienced after a GA. It does take quite a while for everything to get out of your system and the tube can result in a sore throat for a bit. All of this is why many surgeons opt for the spinals. If I were you, I certainly would ask about it for knee number two.

The good news is that it all DOES get better with time. And the memory - even of the bad pain - should be less with time also.

 

[orion]

I had a spinal sedation for the lst tkr...I remember them asking can I move my legs..duh NO...but that same evening got up to use to bathroom..

2nd tkr and revision...general..woke right up in the recovery room with no problems at all...same with the light general for 2 manipulations...and I wasn't in pain with the last two but the lst with the epidural was awful..

Who knows...but wouldn't like to hear sawing noises...nope

 

[Gringo]

No, I wouldn't want to hear anything that went on, either. And I sure wouldnt want to be aware of all the physical motion when they are jerking the leg bones this way and that, drilling holes, driving pegs, hammering, sawing, sanding, varnishing, running the sewing machine, a stapler...dropping tools, sandwiches...

Nah, my imagination is plenty good enough for all that as it is.

 

[Jayne]

Dawnie, My doctor in 2007 won an award for being the Best surgeon for BLTKR in my state. He does the spinal and injects some kind of pain meds so you don't have pain for 24 hours. Then he puts you to sleep. My surgery is 2 weeks from today. So I guess that sounds good to me.
Jayne

 

[Josephine]

No, I wouldn't want to hear anything that went on, either. And I sure wouldnt want to be aware of all the physical motion when they are jerking the leg bones this way and that, drilling holes, driving pegs, hammering, sawing, sanding, varnishing, running the sewing machine, a stapler...dropping tools, sandwiches...

Nah, my imagination is plenty good enough for all that as it is.

Gringo, you are the tops!!

 

[Gringo]

Glad to be able to bring a smile to you from time to time. My wife says a sense of humor is about the only sense I have.

 

[Texas]

Wow Jayne sounds like you got a winner...........Good job picking a Dr, most important....................Sure you will have great success with your surgery.......GRINGO... you always make people smile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!