Epidural and sedation for hip op

hi heather. think you'll find its standard for most hip replacements plus other orthopaedic surgery. main thing with it you can be up and mobile within a few hrs whereas with a GA itd be the next day. being up as early as possible helps your recovery. I came out of theatre at 3pm and took my first 4 side steps at 5pm - was fine.

the spinal and sedation was gt. I'd asked the anaethetist to make sure I slept which besides a couple of waking periods I had the best sleep I'd had for a few yrs lol. didn't feel a thing even when awake - just told myself to go back to sleep plus the anaethetist checking I was ok and back to sleep I went. for me one of the bonuses was being awake at the end while still in theatre and being able to thk the theatre staff - which I know they rarely get.

good luck with your surgery 😃

Another satisfied customer of epidural. Sedative in IV made me groggy. Then I remember being sat up for the epidural and I was out. I was so alert in post-op that I was able to completely enjoy the gorgeous sunset through the small window near my bed. What a way to awaken.

hello

i had RTH R 4 weeks ago. I was also surprised and not too keen with same anaesthetics . In fact it was brilliant. i was sedated and then given epidural. woke up without any pain . the only thing was i couldnt move or feel my feet for 4 hours. So dont worry it it fine.

good luck

barbara

I was sort of given the option but was told epidural was better.

I can remember talking to the assistant anaesthetist about cycling then i was asked if I'd like to listen to some music and finally would i like to have a 'rest?'

When i came round on the way back to the ward i knew the op had been a success, my foot had flopped down to the outside. It hadn't done that for years.

I had a side effect from the epidural where a couple of my fingers felt numb on the outside but it went after a couple of months.

HI heather , i had the epidural, no problem, with sedation, you recover so much quicker, i had a double hip replacement, 7 weeks ago, good luck

Hi, i had lthr 6 weeks ago and rthr 4 yrs ago. On both occasions i had epidural and sedation. Both successful and i remember nothing about procedures. When possible, i believe this is advantageous in terms of recovery. Hopefully you trust your surgeon and comfortable with his advice. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Hi Heather!

I had my THR back in 2015 with an epidural and sedation.

I was scared to death!

They must've given me the epidural while I was sedated because all I remember is saying good bye to my family and then waking up in recovery!

Hi

I had my right hip replaced last July under spinal block and sedation and was apprehensive when they told me I wouldn't be having a general anaesthetic, I needn't have worried. When I had my other hip replaced 7 weeks ago, I had no worries at all about the spinal block. I was so well and discharged home after 2 days, I am recovering really well.

Hi

I to was concerned, but after advice from this forum, I had the same. And was so glad that I did. I never heard anything from the op and after a couple of hours I could get out of bed.

Ann

You know a spinal block and epidural are two different anesthetics. An epidural is used in child birth. It goes into the side the spine and not all the way in. The woman gets pain relief, but can still move and can still listen to the doctor. A spinal deadens everything from the waist down and you can not move at all.

What happened to me is I was in the operating room after being sedated and asleep. I was on my side and the anesthesiologist was having a hard time with the block. I screamed from the pain, raised my head, saw the surgeons standing by me and waiting to operate. I saw the anesthesiologist pushing the needle in and out while sitting on a stool. He said he was having a hard time getting the needle in.

I had my THR just 4 days ago with an epidural. It was brilliant! I was in the OR chatting away, nodded off* and awoke 45 minutes later to see an xray of my shiny new hip staring me in the face. "There it is! We're all done." I was part of a day surgery test (home within 12 hours) but wound up having to stay one night in hospital because of pain and faintness. I didn't have any prior health issues. Now my pain is fairly minimal, mostly discomfort, and I'm at home recovering. *As to nodding off, they did slip a little something into my IV otherwise I likely would have talked their ears off. If you can avoid a general is it REALLY worth it.