‘Twas the night after surgery
May 11, 2009
The only thing that was different than I had expected was that the anesthetist recommended I have local anesthetic (as opposed to general). I came in assuming I would want to have general anesthesia, and have had no issues with this in my past operations. In any case, I came around to the anesthetists recommendation and I lay out below (what I see) as the pros and cons of weighing the decision. I was also commenting on Bennet’sblog page on the same topic earlier today, so I assume this is a topical subject for all of us:
General Anesthetic:
Practical Pros — Knocked out cold and little/no recollection of entire surgical procedure
Practical Cons — Possible medical ramifications on other bodily organs (minimal though if you have no history of problems or in your family history); Potential nausea post-op; Likely to be doped up for the remainder of the day
Local anesthetic:
Practical Pros — Awake soon after surgery; Pretty much mentally fully functional after surgery; Leg numb for 12-15 hours
Practical Cons — Have to listen to/see initial wheeling into surgical room; Local anesthetic blocker applied to specific nerves (minimal complication risk); Numb leg for 12-15 hours feels like you lost a limb
I’m sure there are many other pros and cons, but these were the one’s that were top of mind as I write this. Going back to my situation, I was hell-bent on GA. My mother is a retired anesthetist and she wouldn’t recommend anything but it. However, today, for some reason, the anesthetist encouraged me otherwise indicating for this “standard” procedure local will be more easy to administer and I’d feel much better for it. He was right (or so I think at the moment) — I was wide awake a couple of hours after surgery while everyone else in the post-op waiting room were sound asleep (another surreal experience).
The toughest thing about the local was being fully aware as I was being rolled into the operating room and seeing all the doctors around me (felt like a bad dream). The subsequent psychological damage, if any, was having to listen to the anesthetist and his junior anesthetists poking around my leg with a needle and ultrasound imagery to find the “nerve” to block. This was a little uncomfortable with a couple of mildly painful shots, but soon subsided. Within minutes, they hit me with some strong sedatives (anesthetist said they were “valium like”) and I didn’t wake up until the post-op room.
So, here I am at home, almost 10 hours after surgery with my leg up on a chair buffeted by a big pillow. The advise to raise your leg above heart level is pretty unwieldy, so I asked my dad about this (who is a plastic surgeon) and he said try to keep your leg at least above groin level… this is a little more comfortable at least.
With that, I’m going to go back to watching some more dumb TV, reading the papers, and having a nice glass of wine (not too much though, as I’m likely going to need the heavy pain killers as soon as this local anesthetic wears off!). Good night all.
Better get used to this leg-up position...
May 11th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
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May 12th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Glad all went well for you.
I had a spinal block and would not have had it any other way. It was suggested that it would be more beneficial for me due to vaious oher medications I am on plus I have alergies to various anesthetics. I am also a very curious person so the experience of seeing what was going on in theatre was fantastic, all the amusing chat of the docters etc. was good, I was given a whiff of something which made me very lightheaded but not so much that I couldn’t make out what was going on.
I was back in my room extremely quckly and was drinking and eating within the hour.
Thank goodness for laptop computers, it was my saviour when I got home, I could work and email back to the office for the first few days. I was back in work just over a week from my op which I am sure is what kept me sane.
Good luck over the next few weeks.
Annie
May 12th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Glad all went well for you.
I had a spinal block and would not have had it any other way. It was suggested that it would be more beneficial for me due to vaious oher medications I am on plus I have alergies to various anesthetics. I am also a very curious person so the experience of seeing what was going on in theatre was fantastic, all the amusing chat of the docters etc. was good, I was given a whiff of something which made me very lightheaded but not so much that I couldn’t make out what was going on.
I was back in my room extremely quckly and was drinking and eating within the hour.
Thank goodness for laptop computers, it was my saviour when I got home, I could work and email back to the office for the first few days. I was back in work just over a week from my op which I am sure is what kept me sane.
Good luck over the next few weeks.
Annie
May 18th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Hey. Looks like we’re pretty much in the same boat. I popped mine about a week before you, also whilst playing squash. Had my surgery for the full rupture at NYU, done by a great surgeon, with a walking boot afterwards and instructions for light weight bearing. Maybe once we’re both better we can have a game and not try to injure ourselves?
Brian
May 18th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Annie - Thank you for your post. I wish you a speedy recovery and continue to follow your progress.
Brian — I’m sorry to hear about your injury. I’d definitely be up for a game when we’re both recovered, and perhaps we can set that as our mutual goal? It sounds like your surgeon is more aggressive than mine though as I’m still in a cast and I don’t expect any weight bearing for a few weeks now. We should connect via email so we can follow each others progress. All the best for your recovery!
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