I am a nervous wreck and my bunion surgery is a little less than 2 months away. Yes I know, its far away, but it consumes my thoughts. I am so scared!!!

I need to know, do they put you completely out? please say yes. my neighbor just told me she had 8 toes fixed from hammertoes about 12 years ago, and she was awake, just couldnt see anything. I just assumed I would be knocked out but now I dont know!!

I was really concerned about my surgery, since I'm hard to knock out and the podiatrist had said I'd be in "twilight" - I wanted Darkness! The anesthesiologist came by to talk to me before the operation to tell me what he would be giving me, and he said, "you won't feel a thing; you might drift in and out and maybe hear voices, but you won't remember anything." I made it VERY clear to him that I did NOT want to drift in and out or hear voices--I wanted to be OUT! It was brilliant - I don't remember a thing from the time they put something into my iv until I was waking up in the recovery room - apparently they'd just wheeled me in. I would suggest making sure you have a chat w/the anesthesiologist and make it clear what you're hoping for. They're pretty good at adjusting. Good luck!

My dd is going to be OUT..could be that she is 7??.I have heard of a few adults having a local but am sure you have a choice...hey if it was me i would not agree to a local.Crazy to stay awake for that!! good luck!

I have had two bunion surgeries within the past two years which required a total of 5 IV sedations.
I have had general anesthesia in the past twice.
IV sedation is just the best way to go!
I always had problems with general anesthesia and none with IV sedation.
Even after a 4 hour surgery, I was driven to Starbucks for my iced mocha when I headed out of the outpatient surgical center.
That being said.........
When I was to recieve the first sedation for the first foot, I talked with the anesthesiologist. He said you will drift to different levels but I will adjust to keep you under. I SAID TO HIM " MISTER I WILL BE COMPLETELY OUT AT ALL TIMES AND YOU WILL MAKE SURE OF THAT."
I said it in a funny way and I was not aware of anything at all (a pleasant experience).
On the occasion of the second surgery. I had an anesthesiologist who barely said hi before hauling me off. It was an almost four hour foot surgery.
The foot is given a major local anesthesia so one awake or not will not feel the surgerized foot.
However, the foot that was not receiving surgery HURT. i DRIFTED IN AN OUT OF A BLUR. THINKING IF ONLY i COULD MOVE MY FOOT THEN THEY WOULD KNOW THAT IT HURT.
When I awoke, that foot had a large red area over the heel and it was blister painful for the rest of the day.
The podiatrist told me that they had been leaning over the foot while working on the other foot.
An odd story but I think that the anesthesiologist didn't have me under deep enough. Those levels can be varied.
Also, I called the surgical center before the surgery and requested a good anesthesiologist. My sister in law who was a surgical nurse suggested that I do this. I did it for the first foot but not the second.
One of the first things that the nurse said to me when I entered the hospital was "Oh you got the good anesthesiologist" I should have done it for the second foot too.

twilight is good as long as you have enough sedation so you cant hear anything. remember anastesi9a is not the best thing in the world for you

I just had an ankle block so I was totally aware of everything that was going on. Throughout the surgery, my dr. let me know what sensations I was about to experience which helped curb my anxiety a little. The only discomfort I felt was the turnaket around my leg to cut off the blood flow. I actually brought a movie to watch on the lap top dvd player they provided. This helped a bit to keep my mind off things and thank goodness for the headphones because that helped drown out the noises! However, afterwards I told the dr. if I was to ever have the other foot done, I would want something to help relax me. He said he could give me an Adavan pill, it doesn't put you out but just makes you kind of out of it (wish he would have given me the option the first time.) Funny, he said now that you know what to expect, next time would be easier...yeah right! I wouldn't want a general anesthetic because that can be harsh, but definitely something to make me relaxed and unaware. Just be sure to ask a lot of questions prior to your surgery so you know all of your options and get what you want to make you the most comfortable. :)

I had this done at 10... well i had my bunions removed and my big toes straightened... they put me under a general. Ive never had a local or been offered one and i really wouldnt agree to one anyway. General is a lot better ... no time passes you are unaware of anything that has happened and it means your surgery (to you) has took place in less than a minute... thats what i found obv it hasnt lol

for all 3 of my surgeries I had local with IV sedation. You sleep through the procedure. I did wake up for most of one of the surgeries, but you are so relaxed and with the local you do NOT feel a thing! I felt them moving my leg around when they were wrapping me up, but it was no big deal. You wouldn't know the difference between being sedated and general.. but there are a lot less risks with sedation!

my DD is have both feet dome tm.bunionectomy and starightening of toes..she is 7yrs old....how did u cope??post op?? she is having general

I've always had general. Since I started coming to during a deviated septum repair at age 15 I've always been adamant that I wanted to be OUT. Nothing is worse than coming to and them not knowing you are. Seriously, you do not want to have the slightest idea of what's going on!

I had the same thing done last August, and having another this august, and I was completely out last time. They said I had 'local' whatever that is, and they gave me an IV, and I went out without even noticing, and woke up afterwards, and didnt even know what happened. it was wonderful.

How much pain did you experience after your surgery? I (stupidly, I think) canceled my surgery for last week. I started feeling much better with new shoes and the fact that my Dr. said my foot "may" not get any worse.

I have "issues" with anesthesia and risk factors, as I am 65 but in excellent health.

I am also concerned about taking narcotics afterwards. Was this type of pain medication prescribed for you and if so, how long did you need to take it. Any severe side effects?

Today, I think this was a foolish decision on my part because I KNOW the foot isn't going to get better...just concerned about causing further problems as a result of the surgery and the recommended procedure. Basically I was feeling OK in sneakers with my orthotics...BUT, I started feeling over confident last week and pushed my walking regime - now I am hurting again.

What I keep telling myself is that my experience with anesthesia and pain meds may be totally different than the experience of others on this board.

I also always have general anesthesia, even when I had a bunion removed from my baby toe. I had a local to remove a neuroma from my ankle years ago and it did not work. I could feel them tugging on my nerve. I tried to get up and they finally put me out. So nothing but general for me. I've been put under many times and have never had a problem. General anesthesia is very safe as are narcotics. People react differently to everything but for most people the stress beforehand is the worst thing that will happen.

Stitcher.. I didn't have general, but I had no reactions to the sedative.. the local anesthesia keeps working after you wake up, so for about 12 hours afterwards I actually had little to no pain (bunionectomy.. left foot, big toe). After that though, when it kicks in it's anti-inflammatories and narcotics every 6 hours! I find though that after day 3 I can start to ease off the narcotics (I've had 3 surgeries) , but you need to take the Ibuprofen (or whatever they prescribe you) for awhile afterwards. This helps keep the swelling and the pressure down.

I have had bunion surgery on each foot and both times I had the twilight anesthesia. It was great. I did sort of drift in and out (mostly out of it) and could hear stuff but I couldn't have cared less :)

Good luck!

Jane

I really want to know how the ankle block was! I'm scheduled for hardware removal in a few weeks (screw is broken), and they are going to do an ankle block. All my research indicates this may be worse than anything to do with the surgery. Did they sedate you for the block? Or just make you tough it out? This kind of stuff (needles in the foot) worry me more than anything.

Thanks!

I had very little pain, even with having both feet done at the same time, because I took the meds. The staff was very good, but very insistent about keeping ahead of the pain. I took them at their word, and took my Percocet like a good girl. I was glad I did! When the brain perceives pain, it can set off all kinds of physiological reactions that don't help the healing. If you take the pain meds like they say, getting dependent is not an issue. All I ever felt, other than no pain, was a very mild "nice" feeling, or being sleepy. Take the meds.

If you are in good shape, you have a very good chance that you will heal quickly. Good luck!

I just had a Brostrom today,and I was put completely out.My anesthesiologist said that I could have been sedated,but I would have had to remain completely still,and if I moved too much he would use a general anesthetic on me anyway,so I just chose general for the ease.My experience was great.I don't even remember them starting the anesthesia.The last thing that I remember is moving onto the operating table and them saying that they were going to start the anesthesia.When I woke up,the only side effects that I experienced were drowsiness and a sore throat.No nausea or anything.So,with that being said,I would ask to be knocked out,they shouldn't have any problems with that as long as you're healthy.It was a good experience for me.

I had a double bunionectomy done, and I was holy crap scared out of my pants. I'd never had any sort of surgery before hand, and had never spent a night or anything in the hospital. While I was waiting to go in, my anestesiologist came to see me and they prefer you take the sedation rather than going right under. They say the recovery is easier, and you don't need a tube down your throat with sedation. But they did give me a choice. I choose the sedation because that was recommended by everyone. Even though I was quite nervous, they give you happy drugs so that if you wake up, you really don't care what is going on. I woke up in the middle and heard someone say "oh, she's awake" then I drifted off to sleep again, not a care in the world.