I never had an epidural - ever. With my first child, the OB-GYN knocked me out when the time came. This was 36 years ago, and I guess he was a little "old school" for even that time. But it was OK. G wasn't allowed in the delivery room - as if he would go!
So when I was getting one for this surgery, I didn't know what to expect. I remember when Daughter was giving birth to Lady Bug they wouldn't give her one until she got to a 4 or 5. She was progressing slowly. She had been hospitalized the night before with the cervical softener which didn't seem to be doing it's job.
She was progressing slowly the entire next day. About 5:30 pm she said she had to go to the bathroom. I looked at the nurses like they had three heads when they said she could get up and go. What? I know the birth procedure in the hospitals had changed, but ... When she got into bed, she requested they check her again.
What a flurry of activity. They said she could have the epidural, and the doctor would be there immediately to give it to her. They didn't request we leave the room - which happened with both the other two and mine even. She was like a wilted daisy. Son in law was there to hold her still, and she just laid on him. As soon as the medicine went in, she sat up like a puppet on a string. She was "bright-eyed and bushy tailed!"
Well, I was with her on at least one of the next two, but I never saw her flinch with the insertion of the needle or the drug. That wasn't the way it was for me. IT HURT. When the medicine went in the sensation down me left leg was like the device used in old science fiction movies that consisted of the two poles with the static electricity running up them at intervals.
I was really surprised with that epidural. In addition to me not knowing it would hurt, it came loose on the second day. I would push my button, and my back would get wet. The nurses checked it, and all looked well. The pain doc on call came over after things calmed down in the birthing center. It looked ok.
The next day, when it was scheduled to come out, my bed was soaked. It is our (nurses, doctors, me) conclusion that I didn't have the epidural stopping the pain properly. Wow. I will tell you this, there was no difference between the pain of day one and day two.
4 comments:
oh this medical world...they act like magicians and messiahs and operate like charlatons and harlequins!
I just HATE it when the doctors and nurses don't listen to the patient. I thought an epidural was just a shot. The one I got when dd#1 was born didn't take on one side and I kept telling the doctor I could feel the cutting (C-section) and since he had already done the numbed side, he thought I was just imagining it. I think my screaming finally convinced them and they finally put me under. Sure didn't go back to that doctor when my 2nd was born.
Oh no! I hope you did tell them about it when it happened. I've had a number of epidurals to relieve sciatica before surgery for a slipping vertebrae, and all of them hurt--the numbing medicine before the big stick and i get whoosy just thinking about the needle.
If it makes too big a hole, you can get a bad headache. And especially if some fluid leaks out. I'd have to talk to husband, who does Nurse Anesthesia every day to ask him what happened with your left leg. So sorry to hear it.
I told the doctor about everything!! I had expected a headache post epi, but it never came. Perhaps that's because it was taking itself out little by little (lol).
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