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THR WITHOUT GENERAL ANAESTHETIC

Posted , 18 users are following.

sarah22500
sarah22500

Hi, I read on here about someone who was nervously awaiting a porter to take her to theatre for a THR without a general anaesthetic. I can't find that particular thread so just asking if anyone has had it done with just an epidural and what it was like? I'm one of those people who gets very anxious when not in control. Trying to wake up properly from a general anaesthetic leaves me very anxious and my pulse rate is very fast until I gain control and can keep my eyes open. I've had this phobia for decades so it's not going to change now. If anyone can give me their own experiences of their epidural THR I would love to hear from you. Thank you.

0 likes, 46 replies

46 Replies

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  • Anne68156
    Anne68156 sarah22500

    Posted

    My surgery is scheduled for August 22. I will be having an epidural but as I understand it I will also have some type of anesthetic that will keep be relaxed and unaware of what is going on. It is a scary thought, but hopefully all will go well.
    • sarah22500
      sarah22500 Anne68156

      Posted

      Awww, well good luck Anne68156, let me know how you get on. Not long to wait now. I was told three months ago my op would be "in a few months" but I've heard nothing. My thigh & groin pain are terrible, very little sleep & can't walk without a rollator. I've had to buy a scooter for shopping. Anyway I hope everything goes really smoothly for you and don't forget to write on here how you get on x

  • ptolemy
    ptolemy sarah22500

    Posted

    Spinal anaesthetic is becoming very popular and is now normally offered for THR, although you can refuse, not as drastic as an epidural and it means a quicker recovery immediately afterwards rather than with a GA. 
    • sarah22500
      sarah22500 ptolemy

      Posted

      I thought an epidural WAS spinal anaesthetic?.....
    • ptolemy
      ptolemy sarah22500

      Posted

      Hi Sarah

      A spinal is a single injection with a thin needle that puts the local anaesthetic close to the nerves, within the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord. The numbing effect lasts for about 11⁄2 to 4 hours.

      With an epidural, a fine plastic tube is threaded through a needle and the tube is left in the epidural space in the back. Local anaesthetic is injected down the tube to cause numbness, which varies in extent according to the amount of local anaesthetic injected. Local anaesthetic and other pain relieving drugs may be given to prolong the effect of the numbness.

  • valerie190541
    valerie190541 sarah22500

    Posted

    Hi, I have had a hip and knee replacement with an epidural and it was fine. They will give you a sleeping sedative if you ask. I feel that if you are awake you can let them know if it hurts, but if you are tgat nervous ask for tge sleep sedative. Best wishes Valerie
    • sarah22500
      sarah22500 valerie190541

      Posted

      The reason for asking about an op without a GA was because I don't like being out of control. So if I ask for a sleeping sedative that might be as strong as a GA??

  • michael11283
    michael11283 sarah22500

    Posted

    Sarah

    I have a friend who has had heart surgery so when he needed a new hip they did it with an epidural and he wore earphones and listened to classical music during the procedure. He certainly didn't have any pain.

    My revision was done with an epidural + a bit of general and that was completely pain free. In my case, and I think generally, they leave the epidural in after the op which means you are pain free when (in my case) you wake up. The downside is that while the epidural is in they check if you have sensation in your legs by spraying a cold spray on them starting at the top. AND they won't let you out of bed until you have sensation in both legs (to avoid you falling over)

    Mike

  • lyn1951
    lyn1951 sarah22500

    Posted

    Easy peasy, no general these days, not for hip replacement, they put in a spinal block, and your lower half goes to sleep, you can even elect to stay awake if your surgeon agrees, some do.

    I did not want to stay awake so they gave me sedation, I presume something like big dose of valium, I was gone, and woke up in recovery, still hooked up to spinal as pain relief only 24 hours later did they take it out, wonderful the relief, and all the grinding pain from the hip joint was gone, just pain from the surgery, but even that was well controlled with morphine for a couple of weeks until I got well again.

    Easiest way, lots of women have babies including caeserion with a form of spinal block, no pain, and you are wide awake.

  • judith12644
    judith12644 sarah22500

    Posted

    Hi Sarah, I had spinal with sedation, told the surgeon I didn't want to hear or feel anything, and he said "I don't blame you!" It was all absolutely fine. Spinal seemed to take ages to go in, came in a large squishy sort of packet. The sedation was through a canula in my hand. Just went to sleep, was woken up and the surgeon was telling me that it had all gone well. Wheeled into the recovery ward, had a cup of tea, and had lunch in the ward an hour later.

    Later in the afternoon I was walking using a frame, and went to the bathroom independently. Straight away that bone on bone pain has gone. Amazing...

    Good luck with it all!

    • sarah22500
      sarah22500 judith12644

      Posted

      It  scares me a bit this "going to sleep" business. Do you suddenly go off like you do with a GA? And are you in control if you want to be when you wake up?

    • sjhips
      sjhips sarah22500

      Posted

      In my experience, yes it is just like a GA - you suddenly "go off". One minute you're about to go into theatre, the next you're waking up in recovery. I felt completely calm and relaxed when I woke up. I'm not sure what you mean by "in control if you want to be" - in control of what? I really think that with the sedatives and painkillers you'll be given you just won't care! Your surgical team want the best result for you: you just have to trust them.

      Hope it goes well for you.

       

    • lyn1951
      lyn1951 sarah22500

      Posted

      I think they feed in the sedation slowly, so you just drift off, or thats what I did.

      You wake up very quickly in recovery area, with pain under control, and or dealt with very quickly.

      I was offered a cup of tea within about 10 mins of waking up, and they knew I was concerned about my sick husband, handed me a phone and asked if I wanted to call him, which I did to tell him all done, and I was being transfered to the ward when they were happy with me.

      Within a few minutes of finishing the tea the orderlies were there and pushing me and bed, no transfer, or not that I was aware of. 

      As I said easy peasy, the pain from your horrible old worn out hip joint will be gone, and yes I won;t deny there is pain, but its healing pain, and within the first few days you will notice the difference.

    • ptolemy
      ptolemy sarah22500

      Posted

      You can choose the amount of sedation with a spinal. I understand you can even watch your operation on a spare TV if available and they are using computer facilities for the op. My anaesthetist said they were not televising it for me!
  • Cindybud
    Cindybud sarah22500

    Posted

    Hi I was supposed to have a general and then they said I could have epidural if I wanted. I went for it and it was fine, they will also add a sedative if you want it, I went for that as I got restless legs just before having operation. So much better than a general in my opinion. Hope that helps and good luck x
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