Spinal anaesthetic

petur64

In June i'm having a full knee replacement, they will give me a 'spinal block' anaesthetic. The op is likely to take an hour and a half. 
Has anyone experienced this? What is it like? Apparently this is now routine instead of general anaesthetics. My worry is for the unfamiliar as i do 100% trust the surgery team. Maybe im worried about nothing again!!

Alex_Alumni

Hello there @petur64 and thanks for reaching out.

I can understand why you're feeling worried, as something unknown is always a bit scary. Have you been able to speak to your GP/consultant or the surgery team for more details, or some extra reassurance? 

Hopefully someone who has been through similar will be able to share their thoughts, and for now I'll mark this post as unanswered to help. 

Do keep us up to date with how things go in June, what are you hoping the outcome will be once you've recovered from the op?

petur64

@Alex_Scope thanks!
I was having my pre-op yesterday but apart from a booklet the nurse didnt tell me much except i could bring my own music!!  My hopefull outcome is once the knee is done, my spine can get done.
The knee, funnily, wont make much difference to my mobility! Yes, i'll keep the forum informed.

Alex_Alumni

Well I hope all goes smoothly for you as and when, take care for now @petur64

ShirleyW

I've had 2 knee replacements and both were spinal blocks so you are not unconscious.   But you can ask for sedation so that you are not aware of what is happening.   There is a lot of sawing, drilling and hammering during the surgery and I did not want to know about it.  The sedation makes you sleep through it all.

The after effects are much less than a general anaesthetic for most people.  Some people say it gives them backache but not me.  It can affect your bladder and most people wet themselves during the first few hours until it wears off.

Generally you don't feel as ill with a spinal as a general anaesthetic.  You won't be able to get out of bed until it wears off.

A knee replacement is brutal major surgery and takes a few months to recover from.  Make sure you are given enough painkillers because it is very painful and make sure to do your physio exercises afterwards.   But above all be kind to yourself as it's a big thing and you will need plenty of time and rest to recover. 

petur64

Thank you @ShirleyW! It helps me to understand it all better. Im not a squeemish person and i cope well with pain. Ill be limited in my recovery because im waiting for spinal surgery.

ShirleyW

Try to do the exercises if you can.   Most of them are lying down in bed.  Your physio should be able to advise you on them.  The exercises really are the key to getting mobility from your new knee.

It's 8 weeks since my second one and I am walking without crutches now but I don't have any spinal problems.   Just arthritis in most of my other joints ... 🤔