best anesthesia for knee replacement surgery ?

[Friend7]

Greetings…

I experienced my first struggle with daily RLS after 2 emergency gallbladder surgeries in 2021. My RLS lasted 10-12 horrible months post op… a short time still I’m aware, relative to the experience of so many sufferers on this forum.

Apparently I am one of the lucky ones for whom only daily iron supplementation eventually worked to rid my body of this dreadful condition. Or, was my RLS possibly simply triggered by anesthesia? Now I’m unsure…

During that long hard year I avoided starting any medications for RLS (which I was offered by my GP doctor) in to avoid augmentation, side effects etc

I never stopped hoping that raising my ferritin level might be enough for a cure from RLS. My resolve was made much stronger because of smart advice I was given from people who posted here… and I’m very grateful for that.

However now I’m facing two knee replacement surgeries in the next year. Im worried about a flare of RLS again.

I’ve recently read that any surgery and/or anesthesia can trigger RLS. Even my orthopedic surgeon thought that anesthesia might have been my previous trigger. I know about asking for Zofran as the only anti-nausea med to use for surgery, but what is the best anesthesia? My orthopedic doctor thought a spinal anesthesia might better than a general anesthesia, but Im not sure about that … and the idea of being awake during the procedure scares me. I also read about a case where a spinal anesthesia triggered RLS.

I’d very much appreciate your opinions? Thank you!

[SueJohnson]

I don't have an answer for your anesthesia. There are several reasons why your RLS can get worse after surgery. If you are given narcotics they shouldn't be suddenly stopped but weaned off of. Surgery causes inflammation and inflammation makes RLS worse. Bleeding which will occur as a result of a knee replacement can cause your iron to go down. And there is your own stress which makes RLS worse.

Don't be afraid of being awake. You won't see anything and you won't feel anything.

[Friend7 in reply to SueJohnson]

Thanks for your response. I’m working on being brave !

[DicCarlson]

I, like you, received RLS relief from iron supplements. I was never sure just why I was iron deficient (ferritin 49) in the first place. Possibly inflammation from a head injury skiing accident some 10 months prior.

Yeah, don't watch any knee replacements videos on YouTube!

[rlsagain]

My 91 year old mum had her dislocated artificial hip put back in nearly three weeks ago under a general anaesthetic. Two weeks of pretty constant RLS followed, while she recovered in hospital. Five minutes after being discharged (I kid you not), she dislocated it again. This time it was put back in under an epidural. No RLS since. Make of that what you will…