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Sequin98's Pre-op Journey

Oh my @Kazann, don’t know that I want them to wake me for that! However, your body and your right to see. Glad they complied with your wishes. I take it even though you had an awareness, you didn’t experience the pain?
 
I wanted a spinal with sedation but ended up with general anesthesia. My OS said since it was a mini posterior and the incision would be so small, I could not make any voluntary or involuntary movements during the surgery. This resulted in general anesthesia. I’m going to try anterior and a different OS for the next THR in May.
 
@sequin98, I would at least contact the surgeon's office to find out what your best course of action is. I'm not sure what the wait time in AB is like, but here in Ontario it's a long wait (over a year)... anything you can do to reduce the time is a benefit to you.
 
For my left hip 3 years ago I had spinal with sedation. I told anesthesiologist that I did not want to wake up or see or hear ANYTHING. Also, I didn't want to see the operating theatre as that would probably have given me a heart attack. They gave me something before I was wheeled in and then I was waking up in the recovery room....
 
When we went to class they mentioned this is more the routine now. at first I was a little freaked and questioned them on whether I would be awake. They said that they have a cocktail for that. When someone else questioned the possibility of a spinal headache she smiled and said "we have a cocktail for that" if it even happens. Then I started noticing how much she talked about cocktails for this, that and the other thing. Just think of it as going to a very sanitized bar!
 
I woke up somewhere towards the end of the surgery, the anesthesiologist asked if I wanted to go back under but I declined. Still super drowsy and a little in and out, you don't feel any pain but you can feel them working. Got to listen to the chitchat of the surgeon and helpers about golf and tv and stuff :)
 
crispy said:
When we went to class they mentioned this is more the routine now. at first I was a little freaked and questioned them on whether I would be awake. They said that they have a cocktail for that. When someone else questioned the possibility of a spinal headache she smiled and said "we have a cocktail for that" if it even happens. Then I started noticing how much she talked about cocktails for this, that and the other thing. Just think of it as going to a very sanitized bar!
Click to expand...

Gee I hope it's a Margarita...I do so love them!:roseshwr:
I just heard that I might be going the spinal and sedation route myself....stay tuned....not sure yet. In speaking with a nurse at the hospital she said it's becoming more routine.
For those of you who had the spinal, did you feel the shot and how long before you felt your lower half again ?
 
A margarita sounds much better than anything hospital related!

My anesthesiologist was great, I didn't feel a thing when I had my spinal done. I was nervous, but it was a non-event. It did feel like forever before my I could feel my toes, although I lost track of time in the recovery room... but it was at least a few hours post surgery by the time I had full sensation again.
 
They actually administered the propofol (knocking me out) before the spinal (just had me lean forward to hug a pillow (putting me in position) and I was out before my head hit the pillow.

I started being able to move the toes/feet within 1/2 hour. Surgery at 9, in room by 11 and PT and departure at 2 pm.
 
Finding this thread useful wondering what to choose next week the nurse at pre op said I should be able to decide never had a general before except as a child for tooth extraction and found being 'gassed' at the age of 9 rather traumatic:bawl:have had plenty of locals since for stitches broken bones etc .
 
@mcopt I found recovery from GA much more difficult that from spinal with sedation. I suffer for days from nausea and just a horrid feeling of being unwell post GA. After the spinal I was fully awake, eating my first meal within an hour of coming out of surgery.

BTW, a spinal isn't a local. Here's a thread that will give you some details: Anaesthetics - spinals, femoral blocks, GAs and everything else
 
At the end of the day, it really boils down to what makes the most sense for you and for your surgeon. If I ever end up having the other hip done, I would absolutely do the spinal again... I'd just find out if I can bring a book with me, because I was kind of bored last time!
 
Do you have to have a general with a bilateral, cos of the length of the op, or can you still have a spinal?
 
@Josephine... in researching the advantages of spinal anesthesia vs general I read two main advantages among several others; reduced risk of DVT and reduced intraoperative blood loss. Can you explain in laymans terms how spinal anesthesia makes this possible, I don't understand the correlation.
 
Hello @Bumblebee re you asking if anyone felt the spinal shot going in...... I remember asking him if this was gonna hurt and he just said he'd done it! Would definitely have sedation + spinal again if I ever need other hip done.
 
When a patient is under general anaesthetic, their blood pressure is often lowered a little which means the interoperative blood loss is minimal. However, this can sometimes happen with a spinal too so the same would apply.

As for the reduced risk of DVT, I've never heard of this. Have you any links the where you read this?
 
Josephine said:
When a patient is under general anaesthetic, their blood pressure is often lowered a little which means the interoperative blood loss is minimal. However, this can sometimes happen with a spinal too so the same would apply.
As for the reduced risk of DVT, I've never heard of this. Have you any links the where you read this?
Click to expand...


https://www.frca.co.uk/article.aspx?articleid=100977

Choice of anaesthetic

Total hip replacement can be performed under general, spinal or epidural anaesthesia, and often a combination of techniques is used. There is no evidence of a difference in mortality between the techniques. However regional anaesthesia has significant advantages over general anaesthesia.

Advantages of regional anaesthesia
• Reduced blood loss during surgery , reducing the need for blood transfusion
• Decreased bleeding at the operative site, improved cement bonding and shorter surgical time
• Reduced incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)
• Avoids the effects of general anaesthesia on pulmonary function
• Provides good early post operative analgesia
• Lower cost

The reduced blood loss seen with spinal anaesthesia, as compared with general anaesthesia is due to the reduction in arterial and venous pressure resulting from sympathetic blockade, which gives rise to less arterial, and notably less venous oozing of blood from the surgical area.
 
Well, she's not wrong but earlier, when it wasn't a practice to do spinals, where I worked, we had minimal blood loss even with a GA. We used to (and still do) weigh the swabs to assess blood loss and often as not, found we only used a very few swabs anyway so it can work both ways. It all depends on the anaesthetist!
 
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