Re: General Anaesthetic versus epidural?

[Guest guest]

Hi, Jen. When I had my resurf, I signed up for the epidural -- with a light

sort of twi-light anesthetic so that I would be aware of the surgery. Evidently

the epidural must be in exactly the right spot for it to " work. " And evidently

mine wasn't. So I ended up with a general anesthetic -- though no breathing

support, etc. Then I was on a morphine drip for a couple of days. All would

have been well except that I seem to have a terrible reaction to morphine drugs.

After I got home, was off the drug for several days -- I went into the

grandmother of all panic attacks. It was so clearly a withdrawal and/or

reaction to the drugs that I know I can't use those sorts of drugs again. At

least not without some measures taken to prevent panic withdrawal. I read these

posts daily and haven't read of anyone else having this reaction to the drugs.

But that's my experience. The actual surgery was great -- total success. I'm

about 10 weeks post-op and doing fine. But those morphine drugs??? I wonder

what the alternative is.... Joyce (Dr Gross, LHR, 2/04)

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen,

I had an epidural, but I was not awake, as they also gave me something

to put me to sleep. I went into the pre-op room, they rubbed something

on my arm, and the next thing I knew, it was all over. The main side

effect of the epidural was my unoperated leg feeling very bloated and

heavy. They kept the epidural up as a drip for a few days, if I

remember correctly.

Eleanor

General Anaesthetic versus epidural?

I have just got a date for my re-surfacing, 12th May 2004. I am very

nervous, but its what i have been waiting for, so am glad it has come

sooner than i expected (In december i was told the waiting list was

about 8 to 9 months long). So the English NHS isn't so bad after all!

At my pre-op assessment the nurse mentioned that the anaesthetist

would talk to me about whether I wanted a general or an epidural. I

had never considered anythign other than a general, but its got me

thinking now. In the past when i have had GA's I have been really

sick and very miserable and depressed for several days

afterwards.Equally, I'm not sure that I like the idea of being awake

during the op - I really don't want to know what is going on! Any

advice? I would really value knowing what other people's experiences

have been (good and bad).

Cheers,

Jen

_____

[Guest guest]

I had an epidural and never felt at all sick. They left the epidural

in for a day after surgery which was nice because I didn't have to

deal with any pain. They gave me something else that essentially

knocked me out so I wasn't awake or aware during surgery.

RC2K Dr. Gross 3/24/04

> I have just got a date for my re-surfacing, 12th May 2004. I am

very

> nervous, but its what i have been waiting for, so am glad it has

come

> sooner than i expected (In december i was told the waiting list was

> about 8 to 9 months long). So the English NHS isn't so bad after

all!

> At my pre-op assessment the nurse mentioned that the anaesthetist

> would talk to me about whether I wanted a general or an epidural. I

> had never considered anythign other than a general, but its got me

> thinking now. In the past when i have had GA's I have been really

> sick and very miserable and depressed for several days

> afterwards.Equally, I'm not sure that I like the idea of being

awake

> during the op - I really don't want to know what is going on! Any

> advice? I would really value knowing what other people's

experiences

> have been (good and bad).

> Cheers,

> Jen

[Guest guest]

I was given Vicodin to use after leaving the hospital. I took two of

them - one for the (8 hour) ride home and one that night. I stayed up

all night obsessing about all kinds of strange things. That was it, I

didn't take anymore. As it turns out, I haven't needed anything

stronger than Tylenol or Ibuprofen. I do agree the narcotics have

some strange side effects - I don't like that at all!

RC2K Dr. Gross 3/24/04

> Hi, Jen. When I had my resurf, I signed up for the epidural -- with

a light sort of twi-light anesthetic so that I would be aware of the

surgery. Evidently the epidural must be in exactly the right spot for

it to " work. " And evidently mine wasn't. So I ended up with a

general anesthetic -- though no breathing support, etc. Then I was on

a morphine drip for a couple of days. All would have been well except

that I seem to have a terrible reaction to morphine drugs. After I

got home, was off the drug for several days -- I went into the

grandmother of all panic attacks. It was so clearly a withdrawal

and/or reaction to the drugs that I know I can't use those sorts of

drugs again. At least not without some measures taken to prevent

panic withdrawal. I read these posts daily and haven't read of anyone

else having this reaction to the drugs. But that's my experience.

The actual surgery was great -- total success. I'm about 10 weeks

post-op and doing fine. But those morphine drugs??? I wonder what

the alternative is.... Joyce (Dr Gross, LHR, 2/04)

>

>

[Guest guest]

> In the past when i have had GA's I have been really

>sick and very miserable and depressed for several days

>afterwards.Equally, I'm not sure that I like the idea of being awake

>during the op - I really don't want to know what is going on! Any

>advice? I would really value knowing what other people's experiences

>have been (good and bad).

>

>Jen,

I had spinals for both of my resurfacings. I woke several times, calmly

commented on the proceedings, and went back to sleep. Didn't bother me a

whit to wake up, and most people don't. I've never had a general, so don't

have that to compare it to except watching my mother's experiences with

them, and I'll take a spinal or epidural any time.

Cindy

C+ 5/25/01 and 6/28/01

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jen_lfc2003 footygirl_jen@...> wrote :

> One of the warnings the nurse gave me about epidurals, is that she said it can

take your bladder and bowels a few days to recover from an epidural which can

result in incontinence problems.

Jen,

Spinals and epidurals cause you to not feel anything below the waist.

Therefore, you cannot tell that you have to go to the bathroom, and are just

plain unable to go. You will usually get a urinary catheter in recovery (I had

my first one put in that night when I was fully awake, and it was no big deal),

and you are generally not awake enough to care about it. People often complain

about constipation (which in my book would be the opposite of incontinent in a

way), but I never suffered with that.

Cindy

C+ 5/25/01 and 6/28/01

___________________________________

NOCC, http://nocc.sourceforge.net

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all the replies so far on this one. Seems like a lot of

you had epidurals, whihc is interesting.

One of the warnings the nurse gave me about epidurals, is that she

said it can take your bladder and bowels a few days to recover from

an epidural which can result in incontinence problems. I might be

being pathetic here but that really worries me. Again, is this just

something they have to warn you about as it happens in a few rare

cases, or is this inevitable if you have an epidural?

Jen

I

> I have just got a date for my re-surfacing, 12th May 2004. I am

very

> nervous, but its what i have been waiting for, so am glad it has

come

> sooner than i expected (In december i was told the waiting list was

> about 8 to 9 months long). So the English NHS isn't so bad after

all!

> At my pre-op assessment the nurse mentioned that the anaesthetist

> would talk to me about whether I wanted a general or an epidural. I

> had never considered anythign other than a general, but its got me

> thinking now. In the past when i have had GA's I have been really

> sick and very miserable and depressed for several days

> afterwards.Equally, I'm not sure that I like the idea of being

awake

> during the op - I really don't want to know what is going on! Any

> advice? I would really value knowing what other people's

experiences

> have been (good and bad).

> Cheers,

> Jen

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all the replies so far on this one. Seems like a lot of

you had epidurals, whihc is interesting.

One of the warnings the nurse gave me about epidurals, is that she

said it can take your bladder and bowels a few days to recover from

an epidural which can result in incontinence problems. I might be

being pathetic here but that really worries me. Again, is this just

something they have to warn you about as it happens in a few rare

cases, or is this inevitable if you have an epidural?

Jen

I

> I have just got a date for my re-surfacing, 12th May 2004. I am

very

> nervous, but its what i have been waiting for, so am glad it has

come

> sooner than i expected (In december i was told the waiting list was

> about 8 to 9 months long). So the English NHS isn't so bad after

all!

> At my pre-op assessment the nurse mentioned that the anaesthetist

> would talk to me about whether I wanted a general or an epidural. I

> had never considered anythign other than a general, but its got me

> thinking now. In the past when i have had GA's I have been really

> sick and very miserable and depressed for several days

> afterwards.Equally, I'm not sure that I like the idea of being

awake

> during the op - I really don't want to know what is going on! Any

> advice? I would really value knowing what other people's

experiences

> have been (good and bad).

> Cheers,

> Jen

[Guest guest]

I had an epidural, but they also gave me something to knock me out.

I only wish they knocked me out before wheeling me into the operating

room. I got to see all their tools laid out, which looked like they

came from some nightmarish torture chamber. (bone saws etc...)

I also got to see my x-ray pasted up on a screen with all of these

mechanical drawings over laid across the image. It was rather

disturbing.

However, the recovery wasnt bad and went as can be expected. I was

off pain meds within a few days of going home and really didnt need

them too much after the first day in the hosp.

> Hi Jen,

> I had an epidural, but I was not awake, as they also gave me

something

> to put me to sleep. I went into the pre-op room, they rubbed

something

> on my arm, and the next thing I knew, it was all over. The main

side

> effect of the epidural was my unoperated leg feeling very bloated

and

> heavy. They kept the epidural up as a drip for a few days, if I

> remember correctly.

> Eleanor

>

> General Anaesthetic versus epidural?

>

> I have just got a date for my re-surfacing, 12th May 2004. I am

very

> nervous, but its what i have been waiting for, so am glad it has

come

> sooner than i expected (In december i was told the waiting list was

> about 8 to 9 months long). So the English NHS isn't so bad after

all!

> At my pre-op assessment the nurse mentioned that the anaesthetist

> would talk to me about whether I wanted a general or an epidural. I

> had never considered anythign other than a general, but its got me

> thinking now. In the past when i have had GA's I have been really

> sick and very miserable and depressed for several days

> afterwards.Equally, I'm not sure that I like the idea of being

awake

> during the op - I really don't want to know what is going on! Any

> advice? I would really value knowing what other people's

experiences

> have been (good and bad).

> Cheers,

> Jen

>

>

>

> _____

>

>

[Guest guest]

I had an epidural, but they also gave me something to knock me out.

I only wish they knocked me out before wheeling me into the operating

room. I got to see all their tools laid out, which looked like they

came from some nightmarish torture chamber. (bone saws etc...)

I also got to see my x-ray pasted up on a screen with all of these

mechanical drawings over laid across the image. It was rather

disturbing.

However, the recovery wasnt bad and went as can be expected. I was

off pain meds within a few days of going home and really didnt need

them too much after the first day in the hosp.

> Hi Jen,

> I had an epidural, but I was not awake, as they also gave me

something

> to put me to sleep. I went into the pre-op room, they rubbed

something

> on my arm, and the next thing I knew, it was all over. The main

side

> effect of the epidural was my unoperated leg feeling very bloated

and

> heavy. They kept the epidural up as a drip for a few days, if I

> remember correctly.

> Eleanor

>

> General Anaesthetic versus epidural?

>

> I have just got a date for my re-surfacing, 12th May 2004. I am

very

> nervous, but its what i have been waiting for, so am glad it has

come

> sooner than i expected (In december i was told the waiting list was

> about 8 to 9 months long). So the English NHS isn't so bad after

all!

> At my pre-op assessment the nurse mentioned that the anaesthetist

> would talk to me about whether I wanted a general or an epidural. I

> had never considered anythign other than a general, but its got me

> thinking now. In the past when i have had GA's I have been really

> sick and very miserable and depressed for several days

> afterwards.Equally, I'm not sure that I like the idea of being

awake

> during the op - I really don't want to know what is going on! Any

> advice? I would really value knowing what other people's

experiences

> have been (good and bad).

> Cheers,

> Jen

>

>

>

> _____

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think the bowel problems come as much from the narcotics used to

control pain as from the epidural. It did take a couple of days for

my system to get going again. I didn't have any problem with bladder

control.

RC2K Dr. Gross 3/24/04

> > I have just got a date for my re-surfacing, 12th May 2004. I am

> very

> > nervous, but its what i have been waiting for, so am glad it has

> come

> > sooner than i expected (In december i was told the waiting list was

> > about 8 to 9 months long). So the English NHS isn't so bad after

> all!

> > At my pre-op assessment the nurse mentioned that the anaesthetist

> > would talk to me about whether I wanted a general or an epidural. I

> > had never considered anythign other than a general, but its got me

> > thinking now. In the past when i have had GA's I have been really

> > sick and very miserable and depressed for several days

> > afterwards.Equally, I'm not sure that I like the idea of being

> awake

> > during the op - I really don't want to know what is going on! Any

> > advice? I would really value knowing what other people's

> experiences

> > have been (good and bad).

> > Cheers,

> > Jen

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Wow I never thought about all the preparation they no doubt go too before

they have the body on the table so to speak.......... My surgeon and

anaesthestist knew that they were dealing with someone who had a very high

fear level of hospitals/ops from the past - though I was still getting that

through to the anaesthestist as they wheeled me to the theatre............

groan. i.e. he didn't order a preop so they had a little hiccup because I

refused to go anywhere without one..............

After that they just knocked me out even to put the epidural in and long

before I got to see the line up of tools etc............ Now I would be

facinated to see them all but not then................ I did surface during

the op but whatever they give you sort of puts you in a space where fear

doesn't live............ I know , who sometimes posts, watched her

whole op with great interest.............. so some quite enjoy the

proceedings........... These days they seem fairly reasonable in catering to

your needs.............

The beauty of an epidural is you are sort of more alive immediately after -

I was busy phoning half the country and sending them into shock as I was out

of surgery 3 hrs earlier than expected............ and obviously high as a

kite on morphine.............. I still did my chuck it all up routine

probably from all the premeds etc........... but I figured that probably

helped clear my system of rubbish anyway...........

Many hospitals put in catheters which means you can then flood your system

with water and happily flush as much of the junk away before you need to

struggle to the loo.............. so another benefit........... I have never

heard of anyone having anything other than constipation......

Edith LBHR Dr. L Walter Syd Aust 8/02

> I had an epidural, but they also gave me something to knock me out.

> I only wish they knocked me out before wheeling me into the operating

> room. I got to see all their tools laid out, which looked like they

> came from some nightmarish torture chamber. (bone saws etc...)

>

> I also got to see my x-ray pasted up on a screen with all of these

> mechanical drawings over laid across the image. It was rather

> disturbing.

>

> However, the recovery wasnt bad and went as can be expected. I was

> off pain meds within a few days of going home and really didnt need

> them too much after the first day in the hosp.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Wow I never thought about all the preparation they no doubt go too before

they have the body on the table so to speak.......... My surgeon and

anaesthestist knew that they were dealing with someone who had a very high

fear level of hospitals/ops from the past - though I was still getting that

through to the anaesthestist as they wheeled me to the theatre............

groan. i.e. he didn't order a preop so they had a little hiccup because I

refused to go anywhere without one..............

After that they just knocked me out even to put the epidural in and long

before I got to see the line up of tools etc............ Now I would be

facinated to see them all but not then................ I did surface during

the op but whatever they give you sort of puts you in a space where fear

doesn't live............ I know , who sometimes posts, watched her

whole op with great interest.............. so some quite enjoy the

proceedings........... These days they seem fairly reasonable in catering to

your needs.............

The beauty of an epidural is you are sort of more alive immediately after -

I was busy phoning half the country and sending them into shock as I was out

of surgery 3 hrs earlier than expected............ and obviously high as a

kite on morphine.............. I still did my chuck it all up routine

probably from all the premeds etc........... but I figured that probably

helped clear my system of rubbish anyway...........

Many hospitals put in catheters which means you can then flood your system

with water and happily flush as much of the junk away before you need to

struggle to the loo.............. so another benefit........... I have never

heard of anyone having anything other than constipation......

Edith LBHR Dr. L Walter Syd Aust 8/02

> I had an epidural, but they also gave me something to knock me out.

> I only wish they knocked me out before wheeling me into the operating

> room. I got to see all their tools laid out, which looked like they

> came from some nightmarish torture chamber. (bone saws etc...)

>

> I also got to see my x-ray pasted up on a screen with all of these

> mechanical drawings over laid across the image. It was rather

> disturbing.

>

> However, the recovery wasnt bad and went as can be expected. I was

> off pain meds within a few days of going home and really didnt need

> them too much after the first day in the hosp.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Wow I never thought about all the preparation they no doubt go too before

they have the body on the table so to speak.......... My surgeon and

anaesthestist knew that they were dealing with someone who had a very high

fear level of hospitals/ops from the past - though I was still getting that

through to the anaesthestist as they wheeled me to the theatre............

groan. i.e. he didn't order a preop so they had a little hiccup because I

refused to go anywhere without one..............

After that they just knocked me out even to put the epidural in and long

before I got to see the line up of tools etc............ Now I would be

facinated to see them all but not then................ I did surface during

the op but whatever they give you sort of puts you in a space where fear

doesn't live............ I know , who sometimes posts, watched her

whole op with great interest.............. so some quite enjoy the

proceedings........... These days they seem fairly reasonable in catering to

your needs.............

The beauty of an epidural is you are sort of more alive immediately after -

I was busy phoning half the country and sending them into shock as I was out

of surgery 3 hrs earlier than expected............ and obviously high as a

kite on morphine.............. I still did my chuck it all up routine

probably from all the premeds etc........... but I figured that probably

helped clear my system of rubbish anyway...........

Many hospitals put in catheters which means you can then flood your system

with water and happily flush as much of the junk away before you need to

struggle to the loo.............. so another benefit........... I have never

heard of anyone having anything other than constipation......

Edith LBHR Dr. L Walter Syd Aust 8/02

> I had an epidural, but they also gave me something to knock me out.

> I only wish they knocked me out before wheeling me into the operating

> room. I got to see all their tools laid out, which looked like they

> came from some nightmarish torture chamber. (bone saws etc...)

>

> I also got to see my x-ray pasted up on a screen with all of these

> mechanical drawings over laid across the image. It was rather

> disturbing.

>

> However, the recovery wasnt bad and went as can be expected. I was

> off pain meds within a few days of going home and really didnt need

> them too much after the first day in the hosp.

>

[Guest guest]

At 10:50 AM 4/17/2004 +1000, you wrote:

>......... I have never heard of anyone having anything other than

>constipation......

Edith,

That be me! I had the runs the entire time, so kept turning down the

automatic offers of laxatives ;-).

Cindy