The story mentions cognitive decline after major surgery, which is definitely a concern and not sure how much it's really discussed. My mother had a noticeable change in "brightness" after a knee replacement, and within 18 months was diagnosed with ALS. I'm not sure we can blame the surgery but I think the neurological side-effects of deep anesthesia particularly in older patients is something that requires a serious weight of risks/benefits. This was not something that was discussed by any of her doctors, at the time.
I think that's why doctors recommended my grand mother to only have a knee replacement with local anaesthetic. It was interesting hearing her talk about her experience of the operation...
It would be useful to hear about her experiences, especially regarding the "drawbacks". The side effects of general anesthetic in the elderly seem to be troublesome.
I remember she said she was able to feel the doctors chopping up her knee but she felt no pain. Also there was a curtain so she didn't have line of sight to the operation.
