Question:
I was offered the option of an epidural for pain relief, can I do without it??
A woman in the surgeons office told me of her horrible "nightmare" with the epidural. Now I am terrified to have it. She said they had all kind of problems getting the needle in and such....any feedback would be appreciated...thank you :) — Annette W. (posted on August 8, 2001)
August 8, 2001
Well, you CAN do without the epidural. I had a PCA pump and I LOVED it. I
am terrified of epidurals and although I was not offered one, I'm glad. The
PCA (morphine) put me in charge of when I was able to administer my own
pain meds, and I was off the PCA in two days. I then was on oral pain meds
with optional morphine shots when I requested them. I was relatively pain
free, just a little sore. If you don't want one, you probably don't have to
have one. The pain wasn't excruciating at all. I had a LAP RNY. Maria
— Maria H.
August 8, 2001
Even though my epidural was painful going in due to two herniated disks in
my lower back, I was happy to have it. Firstly, the anaesthesia (sp? - I
was never good that that word) was delivered through the epidural, which I
understand is much more effective than doing it through the IV. Secondly,
the pain relief I got using the PCA was excellent. The only problem I had
was when the first pump I got failed and no one gave me meds until they got
a new one hooked up. I was in major pain then. Once they got the new one
hooked up, they gave me an immediate large dose, which worked very fast.
— Dee P.
August 8, 2001
I had the epidural for pain relief, and hated every minute of it. Getting
it in was no problem, but being cathederized was a nightmare. If I had the
choice, I would probably choose another form of pain relief.
— Kim B.
August 8, 2001
TAKE the epidural!!!My answer is based on being a RN and a patient.
Difficulty of placement can possibly be difficult because of either anatomy
or size. I even overweight have not had a problem with the few I have had
for past surgeries. Also, the medication being administered is different.
It acts on the pain center to interrupt the pain signal. No GROGGY side
effects. You are essentially pain free, therefore you are MORE ambulatory.
Need to get moving around to avoid blood clots. I have requested one for
my surgery next week and am having a hard time getting a yes. My surgeon
doesn't like dealing with them is what I'm finding out. Since most of his
patient go into surgery obese the rate of difficulty of insertion is
higher. It is DEFFNITELY MY choice for pain management. Good Luck.
— [Anonymous]
August 8, 2001
I was offered an epidural too, but Im leary of anything messing with my
spine, (yeah I know, its safe, but still)..so I opted for the PCA pump and
did just fine with it. No epidurals for me!!
— Jennifer J.
August 8, 2001
While an epidural sounds wonderful, go with the PCA as it is less invasive!
When I had my son, the hit a nerve when trying to start the epidural----I
was having lots of back and arm pain for 6 months and trying to take care
of a newborn! I later found out that this was a very common
complication---one that I didn't need! Also, if the amount of medication
used via an epidural isn't just righ, or your sensative to it, you can have
vomiting----very common and no way to predict if you will or will not be
tossing your stomach & dry having. Sorry to be so graphic, by everyone
talks about how great epidurals are for baby delivery, I'd really think
twice about having another!
— Sue F.
August 9, 2001
Skip the epidural. I had one once and it took forever to get the feeling
back in my legs. It felt awful too, half there/half not there! Creepy! We
need to be up on our feet as soon as possible after surgery, not waiting
for the sensation to return.
— Cindy H.
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