epidoral

Hi 2b,

I'm totally unaware of the risks but I do believe it is a very common procedure. I had the epidurals for both of my surgeries and if I had to do it again, I would definitely opt to go without it.

The first surgery there were no complications with it, however, the second one there were. It seemed that the entire incision area (10 inches) was totally unprotected. I didn't realize this in recovery nor when I got back to my room by 9 pm but by midnight when the effects of the anesthesia had worn off, it was not pleasant to say the least. Of course the nurses are unable to administer narcotics so I was in agony for 10-12 hrs before they could get me on the morphine pump which worked great. I used that for 2-3 days and then only Tylenol thereafter.

So, I view it as a hit and miss procedure that works well if the area is frozen and not so well if it's not. If there were a way of testing prior to putting you to sleep, it might be more efficient.

At any rate, this was only my experience and I'm sure others will add their opinions.

Best of luck to you with whatever you choose.

I had epidurals with both my surgeries and they worked GREAT. Much better than opiates in my opinion. I was nervous about complications etc but the anesthesiologist talked to me about it for a few minutes when they came to insert it and its really quite safe. The problems associated with epidurals for childbirth have to do with the labor, not the epidural itself, for the most part. I'm HOPING I get to have one for my takedown because I'm really sensitive to opiates so after my epidural is removed I always drop straight down to Tylenol.

Good luck!

I'm really happy for you for makig a date for your decision!
The epidurals work really well, I had one for each of my three surgeries. There is risk like everything else has risk once you set foot in the hospital. They will inform you of it, just as they inform you of all risks. They are inserted by someone who absolutely knows what he or she doing, and then monitored the entire time it's in your back. You will wake up from surgery with no pain at all, in fact I have to say I hav eno memory of every being in pain once in three op's.

crohnie might have had a different experience but I was definitely able to walk with my epidural in. I actually got up and walked two laps around the ward six hours after my colectomy because the pain relief was so effective! Sometimes if it is placed incorrectly it can cause (TEMPORARY) numbness in the legs which might be what happened. I know someone else posted that her epidural had to be removed early because it was placed wrong and one leg became numb.

It is inserted with a needle in your back... you'll be given a topical anesthetic shot first -- that's the part that hurts, it burns a bit. After that you won't feel the insertion of the actual epidural. I'm sure it's not standard everywhere but I was always given a small shot of midazolam (Versed, a sedative) before the epidural insertion, so it was a very low stress experience for me.

It's inserted and then a big piece of Tegaderm (the plasticky stuff that goes over IVs) is placed over it to keep it in place and protected. My experience was that the pain team came around to check on my epidural and make sure it was still in place and functioning properly every day, and then when the surgeon decided it was the right time (3-4 days post-op) they removed it. I never actually felt the removal... I always felt the Tegaderm being ripped off, and then they'd say "we're done!"

The epidural is placed lower in the spine for labor and delivery -- as a result it's more likely (if not a guarantee... not sure) to have a temporary loss of feeling in the legs. It can cause issues because the woman can't "feel" herself pushing during delivery, leading to an increased likelihood of tearing/episiotomy I believe, if not potential sphincter issues. Anyway, none of that has anything to do with colorectal surgery.

It does not leave a scar. It's a very small needle, smaller than an IV I think.

Opiates are used in epidurals, they're just delivered via a different location/manner.

When the nurses got me up to walk the day after surgery (proctocolectomy w/perm ileostomy), I had no feeling at all in my left leg from the top of my hip to my ankle. The anesthesiologist was called in to reposition the epidural as it was obviously causing the leg numbness. While waiting to regain feeling in my leg, the epidural just fell out. I was in tremendous pain and they finally decided (after a couple more failed attempts at reinserting it) to just put me on the pain pump and hypos (phenergan for the resultant nausea). It was a nightmare.

Because of the leg paralysis and initial lack of pain control, I was not able to walk/move around at all for the first 2 days post-surgery. I subsequently (my second day home from hospital) developed a blood clot in my leg (DVT) which in turn caused a pulmonary embolism (PE). It was a most horrific and painful experience. While the DVT/PE were not a direct result of having the epidural, I think they could have been avoided had the epidural not failed and I had been able to get up and walking earlier.

That said, I know of many people who've had the epidural with no problems. Best of luck to you on your surgery, Hodaya!

crhonie, nena, thanks. nena, so sorry about your horrible experience. scary. on one hand sounds like a dream if it works, on the other a horrible and dangerous nightmare if it doesn't... will have to make my choice.

yeah, maybe that's what makes the whole difference with placing/misplacing and i should only ask doing it before anesthesia.

I can't beleive they gave you tylenol for major surgery! (And I can't believe that after that experience you would want to have surgery ever again!)
The epidural will be a completely different expereince. You will be comfortable the entire time, and probably get a pain-pump for a couple of days, for just in case. They reduce the dosage day by day, especially when they see that you haven't used the pain pump. The pain-management theory these days is that pain will create a memeory that is not good for a person to have, so they do everything they can to prevent you from feeling it. Will you bein Herzliah or TA?

You will not feel the needle, it is in something very soft and flexible, not at all the way you are imagining. You will not be able to wear a bra while you have the epidural but it's not important. You can lie on your back and take the pain-pack with you when you get up for walks. You will not notice the needle is there. I am pretty sure that the patient has the right to demand an epidural, so it shouldn't matter what hospital.
Speak to your surgeon ahead of time about it, tell him you really want it, and it shouldn't be such a big deal. Anaesthesia teams usually interview the patient first anyway, before working out the strategy.
I did not have one moment of pain, maybe just a kind of soreness.

You have tolerated that for quite a while now so it's great you made the decision and great that you will have the epidural - you don't have to worry about feeling any pain at all.
Recently I started eating less and measuring everything, hoping that I could go to the bathroom less often but it's still at least 8 times a day, mostly in the evening. Sometimes I want to stop eating completely because I am tired of spending so much time on the toilet. I constantly have to interrupt whatever I am doing. I feel pressure when there is just a little in my pouch, and I have to hold out until I know it is really full. The pressure feeling itself is also a distraction. Often I have to get up once or even twice in the night. I often say, 'I am so sick and tired of sh#tting!!' but I know I can't complain because it's all basically working out the way it is supposed to.
I can't remember - are you working already?

Hodaya, great to hear from you (just said that on another thread too!). Congrats on deciding on surgery, glad you're excited for it. Weren't you going to school too? How has that been going or are you done?

Re: epidural. Mine was put in crooked. It didn't hurt going in, but afterward, I couldn't move one leg at all, had to get the nurse's help to roll over the first night. In the morning, the pain specialist decided to take it out. I guess that happens sometimes.

I didn't have the same issues as nenagirl, though, that sounds awful. Once the epidural was out, I got feeling again pretty quickly and was able to start walking on schedule. Pain was not so awful w/the morphine pump etc (my surgery was lapro).

I would probably go for the epidural again if I had the option on another surgery, even though it didn't work out for me.

Glad you're loving your job! I know what a big deal it was for you to go back to school. So nice to hear.

Yes, the epidural is just a more direct way of administering the pain meds, and there are alternatives if it doesn't work.