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.