Yep - Josephine sure can and will!
elcammeno, it is pretty much standard practice to use a spinal with additonal nerve blocks for TKRs these days. There are significant advantages.
1. you don't need to be so deeply anaesthetised, this always hinders recovery
2. pain control during the op is total - yes, even though one is unconscious during surgery, pain killers are given within the anaesthetic cocktail in order to keep the anaesthetic light which is why you wake up feeling zonked (so to speak!) after a general anaesthetic
3. the stress on heart, lungs, liver and body generally is greatly reduced
4. and finally - the BIG plus for you - when you wake you will be totally pain free and remain so for at least a couple of hours probably more.
Now some patients are okay with being awake during the surgery - they like to be aware and be able to ask questions and know (up to a point) what is going on. That's fine. But the vast majority (and I am one!!) want to know nothing!! This is okay too and as a general rule, the anaesthetist will almost always give a dose of hypnoval or something similar to render the patient asleep but not unconscious, meaning they still have control of their airways and breathing, can still cough and swallow, just as you do when you are asleep at home.
And hypnotics like Hypnoval also have the added advantage of creating a short term memory loss so if you should come out of the sedation a bit, then you won't really be aware of it or remember it afterwards. But be assured, when patient is getting lighter, there are plenty of signs to tell the anaesthetist long before the patient gets anywhere near being aware - things like a little rise in blood pressure, pulse and respiration rate. These will be minimal rises but the anaesthetist is trained to be on the alert for them. He will also know when he gave the drug, how long it lasts for and therefore when it is likely to start wearing off. And he will be in there straight away with more.
If all this doesn't reassure you, and it's quite okay is it doesn't, just make sure you tell the anaesthetist when you see him - or even while he is doing the spinal - that you do want to be knocked out for the duration of the surgery. It's quite simple for him and will not be an inconvenience to add in to his routine.
Hope this helps and if there is anything else I can help with, please feel free to come back and ask.