needing a knew knee

URK! Awake? I prefer to be asleep when my bones are sawn and hammered! You can be fully sedated by general anaesthetic and or spinal block. You wouldn't want to hear what they do to us, I imagine? The recovery time is long for most but reward is a pain free knee, in most cases. Get lots of info on here and be prepared for your resolve and tenacity to be tested. Plenty of folks have gone on to live great lives after a total knee replacement. Stop worrying and get informed. xx

Hi, I’ve just come through left TKR and I was dreading it.  I’m now 6 months down the line and I can finally see the end of the tunnel.  I can’t tell you it’s easy because it definitely isn’t!  I also had to have manipulation as my bend was not good.  I have also got to have the right one done but I’m not doing that for a while. I reckon a year for each.  The only thing I can say is have the full anaesthetic!  Good luck!

R u shifting me!!! No way awake!

The anaesthetic is a personal choice I am 3 weeks post op and I chose to stay awake this time, for my 1st TKR I chose a general anaesthetic, so of the 2 options I prefared to stay awake I was given sedation and was completely relaxed I was aware of the surgeon talking and a certain amount of activity but nothing that bothered me I was quite happy listening to my music time seemed to fly by

Having right knee done in 3 weeks and want a general anaesthetic as for me too much risk with spinals as last two did not work, plus side effects.

 

Knee replacement is difficult and a personal decision many times. I think the rule of the thumb is. That when the pain is so great It stops you from living the life you want to live, its time.

Go through till you find posts from Chico Marx and you can also look at some of mine. Mine wasn't a decision I had any way out due to a tumor. Chico tells it like it is from beginning to end but always with the caveat, you will be better off and YOU WILL HEAL.Hope this helps ally some of you anxieties, which right now have to be off the chart.

One other note....depending on the situation and your Dr s advice they will give you a spinal or general. You couldn't bear the pain of being awake and they w/o u ld agree to it. I knew a retired ortho that had done hundreds of these and he wanted to be awake and was refused the request. I have always, through 11 surgeries on my leg had general and have never had trouble recovering and mine went from age 65 to my last one at 79. On two occasions I had a full meal in recovery room.

I'm not sure where you live but they do put you out. In SC you are not awake. This is major surgery. I'm four months in, it's a long recovery road I'm not even halfway there. There is a lot of pain and hard physical therapy but like everyone on here will tell you at the end of the tunnel it is worth it.

Hi I had my TKR done 5months back,I had a spinal (stayed awake) with absolutely no problems at all I talked all the way through it  it flew over. You can had a sedation with the spinal this won’t put you out but make you drowsy that’s all,big plus is after the op your ‘all there’ awake the paralysed feeling is really weird but it wears off after about 5-6 hours,this is the second spinal I’ve had after a reaction to a general anaesthetic at a previous knee op. The surgeon told me if I didn’t get them done (right knee TKR end of this year to get done) I would end up in a wheelchair I had arthritis on them,now no arthritis pain at all in my left knee best decision I’ve made.