Need for blood during/after surgery

Lea61

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Hi. I am very new to this forum and have learned so much from reading everyone's pre-op and post-op experiences. So I thank you all.

My surgery for a bilateral THR will be on November 20th, so I still have time to read and learn (and stress)! I haven't seen too many posts that talk about loss of blood. I know that people can give their own blood prior to any planned surgery to be used in the event that it is needed. Just wondering if this has been an issue and if you recommend giving your own blood prior?

Thanks

P.S. I never posted before, so I hope I created this properly and it is going in the right place !
Otherwise, I have read enough to learn that if I didn't, you will fix it!
 
Hello @Lea61 I saw your post in the November surgery group saying that your surgeon was encouraging you to have bilateral THR. Looks like you have made up your mind and going for it! My BTHR is in two weeks (from tomorrow!). I'm feeling a mixture of excitement that I'll be moving toward getting my active lifestyle back again, and also now that the date is almost here, and I've had all my pre-ops, a tad nervous!

My world has been getting smaller and smaller and I can't do anything I enjoy, can't sleep, am now limping on my right hip at the end of the day, and living on Tylenol. Time to get on with it! I'm making all my final preparations now.

Some folks don't understand our desire to get the surgery completed in one go, but I couldn't bear the thought of having one hip done, living with trying to rehab that, while being uncomfortable on the other, and then have another surgery again, and another rehab! I don't do well with long term projects like that :heehee:

My surgeon is going in through the anterior approach, and said there isn't as much blood loss. I asked him if I should give blood. He said he would prefer that I didn't, as he didn't want me to be anemic. Then we had to change the date, as my husband had to go and help care for his 95 year old Mum for a couple of weeks, and perhaps I could have given blood after all and would have time to get my counts up.

When I went for my pre-op with the anesthesiologist, he asked me if I was OK with receiving blood if necessary. I said that was fine. In hind site I should have given blood! Ask you surgeon about it.

This forum is THE BEST! I've learned so much already. Everyone here is so supportive and informative. I would not have been anywhere near as comfortable going into this bilateral surgery had I not had the support of the folks here. Have you figured out how to find all the bilateral folk, who have gone through the surgery? The have the green bilateral banner. If you click on the banner (I think!) it will give you all the bilaterals!
Message any time if you have questions for those who are on the healing side, and I'll share what I know thus far!
:flwrysmile:
 
@Lea61 ,
Welcome to BoneSmart, glad you joined us!

Suggest you call your OS office about your concerns about blood transfusions.
@Josephine our Forum Director and Nurse will be along to help with your questions.

Here is some pre op reading for you, to learn more about post op, check out the threads in the recovery forums.

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:
Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?
Score chart: how bad is my arthritic hip/knee

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing hip recoveries
 
@Lea61 I hadn't thought of it before surgery until a friend suggested it. By that time it was too late as i was scheduled already. If I would have thought of it earlier I would have done it just in case.
 
:wave:Welcome to Bonesmart!
I too had BTHR and I didn't have a need for blood. My OS never mentioned it prior and I didn't think to ask honestly.
The op was about 3 hours...(I'm told, didn't feel a thing)
Congratulations on getting a date and getting your life back!
Lots of great advice here from those who know.:wink:
 
I had bilateral surgery 8/13. Two days post op my hemoglobin levels dropped to a point where a transfusion was required. I felt like I didn’t have a choice as I felt lousy until I got it. I also have pretty low blood pressure in general. My brother who is an RN assured me blood is very carefully screened nowadays.
 
Thank you so much for all your responses. I will reach out to my OS and ask about the need for blood transfusions (he made no mention of it during my visit, it was something I had read about afterward). I will definitely look at the sites and links suggested by the forum advisers/administrators.

Alitm and stellaluna - I had been following both of your posts and you have helped me tremendously ! I understand the mix of emotions Alitm mentioned. Sometimes I feel that I am able to think of nothing else, and I have to consciously give my mind a break (although that is difficult when my hips don't let me forget) ! Stellaluna, you did such a great job of detailing your post-op experiences, and your recovery was amazing (minus a few setbacks, which you dealt with). You made me feel that (maybe) I can do this!
I am happy to have found this site, and truly amazed that so many people who have had surgeries months back, still come here to offer their insight, experiences and support.
 
Not right away now!
I say at least 6 months!:tada:
 
@Lea61 Let us know what your OS's opinion is on this, if you would like! I'm interested as my OS didn't seem concerned about me giving my own blood at all, and was more worried about me rocking up for surgery being anemic from giving blood! It came up again with the anesthesiologist, when going over the pre-op questions, and he wanted to know if I was OK with receiving a blood transfusion. I guess that question has to be asked.

The article that @Josephine posted about how blood loss was measured and controlled was pretty interesting.

:yes!:....We can do this! Have a great long weekend:flwrysmile:
 
Hi Alitm, I will make the call to the OS office on Tuesday and will let you know the outcome. I also found Jo's article about blood loss very interesting. Kind-a feel sorry for the person who gets stuck with counting and weighing all the gauze pads !
Anyway, your count-down begins ! Can't believe it's September 1 already. How are you feeling ?
I am a preschool teacher so I had the summer off, but I won't be starting next week when school re-opens. By the end of the last school year, I was having a very difficult time, but managed to get myself through to the end of the year. So, there's no way I can return now (and I don't like the idea that by the time some kids are over their separation issues, I would be leaving for 4-6 months on disability). So I chose to go out now. Teaching 4 year olds, I can't just sit at my desk (oops, I don't even have a desk)! I am basically standing, hopping, jumping, bending, sitting on low chairs or the floor, etc (most of which I have not been able to do for a long while). It hasn't actually hit me yet that I'm not returning next week with the rest of my school. I am afraid that I will have too much time on my hands to over think and stress about the surgery that is two and a half months away.
I think I started to ramble.......(sorry)......I hope you are having a good week end.
 
Learned something interesting reading my surgical report about blood loss. I was given Tranexamic acid, which I had never heard of before. Seems it's used during surgery to help prevent blood loss. According to Wikipedia, it's "used in orthopedic surgery to reduce blood loss, to the extent of reducing or altogether abolishing the need for perioperative blood collection. It is of proven value in clearing the field of surgery and reducing blood loss when given before or after surgery. Drain and number of transfusions are reduced"

Pretty cool!
 
Boy, I need to get my surgical report.
Have no idea whether I was given that or not.
Interesting!
 
I guess things are different in the UK but at my pre op they took a blood sample so that they could order in the correct blood in case it was needed.
In the recovery room I asked if they had needed to use the extra blood and apparently not :)
 
Thank you dlp for your info on blood loss. That was very interesting. I will find out this week what my OS recommends (which I am assuming will be that I won't need it since he did not talk about it during my visit). I'm just curious now as to his explanation.
Hope you're having a good week end.
 
Hi....I did get an answer regarding blood loss and saving your own blood. My Dr. said that in his experience and that studies are now showing, that the people who end up losing blood and needing a transfusion post op, are typically the same people who saved their own blood. So, he no longer recommends doing that.
 
So, the Doctor is saying that the cure causes the disease?
 
There seems to be pros and cons to storing your own blood. From what I understand, after donating your own blood your body may not have enough time to replenish all of its blood. And because of this, patients who donate their own blood may be more likely to require a blood transfusion. I think, in the end, our decision is based on what makes us feel most comfortable.
 

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