Mid seventies and worried about general anaesthetic

[Jaycey]

So glad you joined us beaglador! As Jo says, this can be decided literally minutes before they begin. At my pre-op I was told I could only have GA. I was devastated as I had a bad time recovering from it after my spinal surgery. But on the day I spoke to the anaesthetist and he said no problem. We went with the spinal. You will meet with the anaesthetist on the day - just ensure they address your concerns and stay firm about what you want.

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

Tibs do hope you are feeling better...gosh that sounds like that was a horrible few days...best wishes Chrissie xx


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[beaglador]

@FraidyCat Hi, I'm still trying to decide whether to stay with my OS and have my LTHR next month. I can't get to my surgeon or his anaesthetist as a NHS patient here in the Uk and the OS's secretary has told me he only uses GAs and if I want a spinal I'll have to go back to my GP and start again. I was wondering if you got back to the anaesthesia dept. at the Boston hospital and learned anything helpful. Will you be having your surgery there? I should have looked at your thread before writing this. Cant remember when you get your new hip.

 

[Butterfly]

@beaglador Being on this side of the pond, I don't understand your health care system, but I think it is awful you'd have to completely start over in order to get the kind of anesthesia you prefer. I really didn't have much choice in the matter, either, because my surgeon is pretty locked in to the idea of the spinal.

I imagine you'll be fine with the GA, if that is what they insist on -- as Josephine always says, this is their day job and you have to trust they know what they are doing. My anesthesiologist did tell me that they have a lot of new drugs in their arsenal to combat the after effects of either kind of anesthesia. My only experience with GA was some 60 years ago with my tonsils. Yikes -- can it really have been that long?!

I hope you get the answers you need.

Peace and love to you.

 

[beaglador]

@Butterfly Thanks for your response to my dilema. I've been following your journey for several months and have sympathised with your pain and struggles along the way. However the most impressive thing about your journey is the way that in spite of your difficulties and pain you have always been there for everyone else.
It seems we all have things we obsess about. I wish I could be more like my sister who is so laid back she's had both hips replaced and isn't even sure what anaesthetic she had.
I remember you posting some time ago about your painful hands. Is it arthritis or carpal tunnelsyndrom? How are you doing now re hips and hands? Are you still using a crutch? I think I'll also have hand pain with the crutches as I have C T syndrome in my left hand. Wish I'd had the op now.

 

[Butterfly]

@beaglador Thank you for your kind words! It was, indeed quite a struggle for me. This forum has been a real Godsend to me.

My hands and wrists are a combination of arthritis and carpal tunnel. The CT is what gives me the most trouble, I think. It has flared up several times in my life, particularly when I was still working (my work was almost exclusively on the computer). Mine is worse in my right hand/wrist. I have a lot of numbness in my thumb and first two fingers. It drives me nuts, though it appears to be getting a little better now that I am mostly using just a cane in my left hand (my right side was the last one done). I considered the op several years ago, but when I talked to people who had had it done, some were pleased, some not, and it seemed about evenly divided. I decided not to have it done. I got a huge amount of relief from acupuncture. I'll probably try that again if it doesn't get better by itself.

I love the puppy in your picture, and I surmise from you avatar that it's probably a little beagle? I'm a labrador retriever nut myself and don't know what I'd do without my two (except when they get in the trash). I've had labs for years and years.

Peace and love to you.

 

[beaglador]

@Butterfly I had the CT op on my right hand 2 years ago and it worked very well. Accupuncture didn't do much for me. Just shows how different we all are.
My avatar probably isn't a beagle, but looks a lot like the one we had years ago. Actually she was a beagle lab cross - hence my forum name. I also "adore" beagles.We called her Mitzi. She was a stubborn cowardly so and so but she knew how to wrap us around her paw, and we loved her, of course. Haven't had another dog since as we have spent so much time travelling between the UK and US, where I have relatives, and back and forth to Norway where my husband has family. My daughter still has beagles tho. No animals at all for the mo for same reason. Hope your recovery progresses a little more quickly soon and you're able to get rid of that cane. Happy healing!

 

[new knee in June]

Hello,
I don't know how it is in U.K, but in U.S.A you have a conversation with the anesthesiologist &
Decide on what you would like. I had my knee done G.A & femoral block. My first surgery
I had G.A but, no block.....oh, the pain....This time I had the femoral block & it was great.
No catheter either.
A word to the wise......
Please don't read to much bad reaction information....I am the same way.
My husband says "Why do you read everything"? My answer...."They took the time to write it, so I
Should read it "
I swear I can make myself
My solution was I had G.A. In other surgeries, so I will be fine.
Take Care,
Diana:luv4y:

 

[beaglador]

@Josephine Jo, do you know what's happened to the Dr Foster Consultant guide? Keep getting a new totally different website.

 

[beaglador]

@new knee in June Thanks for your visit to my thread. You are so right about the things we find to terrify ourselves with on the internet. But this is major surgery and there are some pretty serious things that can, albeit rarely happen. We're all desperate to do what's best for ourselves and for many of us it's hard to pass decisions on to others. I keep thinking I'll be the exception in escaping complications.

As far as the anaesthetic is concerned I'm frightened of having a general anaesthetic. I'll be 73 next month and know that older patients can suffer confusion and memory loss after a GA, sometimes for extended periods. I want to be alert when I get my few short moments with the surgeon post surgery. I've had minor surgery with no problems in that area, but I'm facing 3 major ops in the next year or so - both hips and left knee - and I'm 95% sure I'll cancel with my present OS (was due to have the op January 17th.) His secretary told me his policy is GA only. So now it looks like I'll be waiting till April, if I'm lucky. I have another surgeon in mind and am seeing my GP on friday to, hoprfully, make the change over.
Thanks for listening. I hope your recovery is going well! Not looking forward to getting the knee done, as I understand its a lot more painful. Should have read your thread before writing this. Dont go on the knee side as much as I should. Will do that now.

 

[Josephine]

Jo, do you know what's happened to the Dr Foster Consultant guide?

Not a clue - never use the site.

I'll be 73 next month and know that older patients can suffer confusion and memory loss after a GA, sometimes for extended periods.

I thought I had discussed this with you earlier in this thread. You are worrying unnecessarily about this. People who get these problems are invariably already frail and vulnerable to start with. It doesn't happen to people healthy in body and mind!

 

[skigirl]

I had a GA for both of my knees. I do not want a spinal--ever---it is just too creepy to have a needle in my spine--which is one of my parts that works pretty well.

I woke up in recovery--no nausea, no sore throat. I went back to my room and got up in about 2 hours to go to the bathroom. I was just fine---after I went to the bathroom, I changed my clothes since I did not want to wear a hospital gown and put on yoga pants and shirt. Got back in bed (Had to climb over the cpm).

When the nurse came in, she said I should have called her--but frankly, it never occurred to me to call anyone--I just had to get up and move around.

With my second GA --no effects at all. I asked the doc for something to prevent nausea and I guess it worked since I did not have any. I woke up in recovery and was in my room visiting with friends in an hour or so.

I am 69 and the only time I had any reactions it was to Versed which is what they give you for a spinal---I had memory loss for two days. But, I recovered and am fairly sane too.

 

[FraidyCat]

@beaglador, sorry for the tardy response. I've been lazy lately and not signing onto the site, just skimming the topics. Yes, I will be having my THR at the Boston hospital; currently scheduled for late March, as I hope to avoid a wintertime surgery and recovery. My decision along those lines is already being bolstered, as despite winter's start being officially several days away there have been two sizeable snowfalls, one of them leaving behind much ice! I managed to slip on a small snowbank that I climbed over to get from my car to the house. (The only other option was walking over an icy sidewalk.) Luckily I wasn't injured.

Just today, I spoke with a nurse in the hospital's anesthesiology dept. regarding my question about GA vs. spinal, as the norm there is to use GA. She said that the main reason for the GA preference was because of the loudness of the equipment (saws, etc.) used during the op. Makes me wonder if I should ask for earplugs to protect hearing while I'm out! She stated that ill-effects sometimes seen post-GA (e.g., nausea) can now be well controlled and suggests mentioning any concerns to the anesthesiologist before the surgery. Since this hospital is widely considered the best for joint replacement in Boston, I am just going to hope she's right and go along with their protocol.

Best of luck with your decision. I've had GA several times for major surgeries in the past (last time, I was 51; I'm not counting a day surgery for a blocked tear duct a year and a half ago, as that GA was relatively brief) and never had any adverse effects with memory to my knowledge.

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

@FraidyCat I had spinal/ sedation for THR...can honestly say....never heard a thing!! Chrissie xx


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[FraidyCat]

@FraidyCat I had spinal/ sedation for THR...can honestly say....never heard a thing!! Chrissie xx


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart®

@Hoppy Nanny, I do not necessarily "buy" the reason the nurse gave (loud equipment). However, in Boston, this hospital is THE one for joint replacement; it's rated more highly than other area hospitals for this type of surgery as well. So unless I started shopping around, once again, for another surgeon/another hospital, I don't know if there's any option, if their protocol is to give GA to everyone except those with a compelling medical indication against GA, which I don't think I have. Also, the other surgeon I'd been considering, at another hospital, said that GA was the anesthesia of choice as well. To what extent it might make sense to choose surgeon/hospital mainly on basis of anesthesia type I'm unsure. I would have liked more of a say in the matter, at very least. Possibly the nurse I spoke with is correct in saying that GA has improved and its adverse effects have diminished compared with in the past ... . I hope so.

 

[Poppet]

Hi @beaglador - must ask.. Is your avatar a photo of your dog?

I so desperately want a Beaglier. I am on the register with a breeder, but even though they have had several litters, I am just not in the position logistically to get a puppy yet.. They keep emailing me - talk about a tease

 

[beaglador]

@Poppet Hi, The puppy in my avatar isn't mine, fortunately. It's not even a beagle. But she does remind me of the dog I had years ago- same colouring. The reason I say "fortunately is because I suspect it's a rotweiller pup. LOL. Not that I don't love all kinds of dogs and cats, but I wouldn't want anyone to pick a pup on the basis the basis of that picture. I'm not very good on the forum. It's the first one I've ever posted on. So I was just lucky to find any picture I liked at all and get it to end up as my avatar. She's very cute tho so I think I'll keep her for a while. I hope you get your puppy soon.

And I wanted to say, also, that you a such an asset to this forum! All us bonesmarties are so fortunate to have the perfect mix of experts to help us along our journeys to new painfree hips and knees. You're all not only so knowledgeable, but just as important very, very caring. Thank you so much for taking the time to care.

 

[beaglador]

@FraidyCat Your two posts on my thread have helped me tremendously to come to the decision to stay with my present OS and have my surgery next month. Thank you so much for visiting my thread at just the right time. I have prayed a lot about this, and in the last two days before seeing my GP to decide what to do, (I made the appointment with the intention of switching to another OS who does what is called in the UK, enhanced recovery, and uses a spinal block with sedation) I received the posts, and the ones from Josephine and skigirl and had conversations with others that showed me I should stay with my original surgeon, whom I chose because he does many joint replacements and is well respected in my area. I totally agree that it must be wisest to choose the best surgeon before other things. I'm also happy with the hospital, though it is a small one. Now I just have to try and keep myself from thinking too much and finding something else to obsess over. My family thinks this will be impossible.

 

[Butterfly]

@beaglador I obsessed about everything you can think of. As soon as I got over one obsession I'd find another. About the only thing I didn't obsess about was the possibility of an earthquake during my procedure -- but that was only because it didn't occur to me.

 

[FraidyCat]

@beaglador, thank you for telling me my posts have been helpful to you; I'm pleased to hear this. Our shared concern about the type of anesthesia, whatever its pros and cons compared with other types (discounting major risks, which, I gather, seldom materialize), would seem to pale in relation to factors such as surgeon's expertise and quality of postop care by hospital staff. When in January is your surgery scheduled?