Noise cancelling headphones vs ear plugs vs snooze band during surgery

[Ihateslugs]

I am having knee replacement surgery in December and have been told that I won’t be having a general anaesthetic just mild sedation and a spinal injection. I understand that it can be noisy in the theatre from the bone cutting tools ( eeek!) and I want to cut out as much noise as possible.

I don’t listen to music, I prefer to read, crochet, watch tv or do some baking to relax so I don’t have an app on my phone to use for music which all the noise cancelling headphones that I’ve researched use. They are also expensive for a one off use and don’t seem to eliminate all noise, especially infrequent high pitched sounds like the tools used in knee surgery. I do listen to audio books sometimes but I’m not sure if my anxiety will stop me concentrating.

So I’m looking at alternatives which might suit me better. One suggestion is basic ear plugs as long as they can be moulded to my ear cavity. I’ve got some from the amenity pack on a plane but I guess I could buy better quality ones. Then when browsing the internet I came across snooze bands which are worn like a head band, some have speakers in for music but some just seem to block out noise, no idea how effective they are.

I was wondering if anyone has used something like these during knee or hip replacement surgery and could advise me on the most effective product to buy that actually works. Also any info on how noisy it was might be helpful to calm me down. I keep waking up in the middle of the night worrying about the operation, recovery time afterwards when I live alone and everything I need to buy and do before I’m ready to go into hospital. My to do list gets longer the more I think about ( and fret about ) the operation!

Maybe ask your medical team what you'll be aware of - I react badly to opioids so when I had major abdo surgery I had a spinal and mild sedation and was totally unaware of anything for the hours I was under. I used a snoozeband afterwards in the ward as it blocks out the lights they turn on at 6am every morning and helped block out the noises of other patients. I would also check that you're allowed to take your phone and ear buds/headphones into surgery too.

All the best and I hope you find a solution!

I don't mean to add to your anxieties around this, don't count on being allowed to bring anything extra into the operating area. Although it may be a fairly small procedure, the medics will want to keep all channels clear in case of potential problems arising, unlikely though they may be.

I said that, it is important that you raise your worries about the noise with the surgical team before surgery.

As a PP has said you need to ask what you can have or use. A Snoozeband links to your phone via Bluetooth and uses your music or a playlist or radio etc. Good luck.

I've had two surgeries without GA including anal fissure surgery with spinal block. In both cases the theatre operating assistant was key. They calmed me down, held my hand, chatted to me to keep me busy.

Sedatives are fantastic. They practically knock you out. Talk to the anesthetist about how anxious you're feeling on the day so they can medicate accordingly.

A knee replacement isn’t a small procedure! However, I agree OP may not be able to bring anything into the theatre because of the risk of infection. I had to take out my hearing aids when I had surgery under a local. They will also need to be able to communicate with you, even if you are sedated.

I don’t listen to music either and so when I go to the gym I listen to bbc documentaries on iplayer on headphones. Mainly to drown out the noise of the music in the gym.

I had a hip replacement with a spinal and sedation and knew nothing at all till I woke up in recovery.

Crikey it gets very noisy I believe.

I had ankle surgery with just a spinal and ‘mild’ sedative and slept all the way through. Hopefully they will do the same for you.

Good luck.

That’s what I’ve been told, so noisy that surgeons who do knee replacement surgeries all the time can suffer from hearing loss! I will be discussing this at my pre op visit when I get the chance to talk to the anaesthetist as well so can tell him of my fears. A friend who had the same operation at a different hospital was told to wear headphones but hospitals might have different rules.

As I cannot walk around shops I have to use on line deliveries which can be delayed near to Christmas but my pre op isn’t even booked yet. I guess I’ll end up paying for fast track deliveries!

Thanks for your suggestions so far, hopefully I’ll be well sedated! The operation will last about 11/2 to 2 hours which is a long time to lie there awake and listening!

Did the snooze band cancel out all the noise in the ward? I have private medical insurance so will have a room on my own and have been told I might only be in one night so I’m not too worried about noise post operation, it’s more the sound of the saw as they extract my old knee!

Talk to your anaesthetist when you see them before your surgery. They'll be best placed to advise you on what you'd be allowed to take in, how sleepy you'll be from sedation etc.

Best of luck.

I have been in many private hospital rooms, sadly you can still hear people snoring in other rooms! I needed my Loop ear plugs when I was in last year. There was an older man snoring like a train on the other side of the corridor.

You absolutely can take headphones in. We offer music and headphones to patients having spinals routinely. We’ve got some old iPods and not very good over ear headphones in theatre so if someone brings their own phone and headphones so much the better. Cheap ones will be fine and usually the over the ear ones are better than ear buds. You won’t need full on noise cancelling headphones. I’ve never seen a snooze band used but that’s actually a good idea. Especially if you’ve already got one.

You probably won’t meet the anaesthetist until the morning of surgery so take some options with you.