Epidurals:My Personal Experience

Whenever a woman finds out she is pregnant it seems to start her and everyone else to think about the labor and delivery.I bet I was asked a thousand times about my plans for delivery and would I choose to have an epidural. I was afraid of the epidural so I strongly stated my answer of No!! I was going to tough out the pain of labor and childbirth. After all our mothers did it and never had any type pain relief so why couldn't I? Through out my pregnancy I heard how great the epidural could be, how it made all the pain go away. I did my research on the epidural and what it entailed, but I was still committed to having a natural birth. This was until I found myself in labor for three days straight. On the third day I finally gave in, I remember how scared I was. I asked the nurse if it would be that bad and she said no it would be fine. So I agreed to have the epidural ,I would of agreed to chopping off my legs if it made the pain go away at that time.

The anesthesiologist came in and prepped me for the epidural. I remember him saying for me to sit as still as I could. Obviously this was a man who had never felt any type of pain near to what I was experiencing. I did my best and he got the epidural in place. I had never felt anything more uncomfortable then when he inserted the needle into my back. Once he had finished with the epidural he told me I should begin to feel relief from the pain within a few minutes. I waited and waited but the pain was getting worse. When they came back to see if the epidural had worked I made them aware it hadn't helped at all .So the anesthesiologist came in again and said he must of not hit the exact spot he needed to and he would try again. Great now I had to sit still and have him poke me in the back some more. I agreed to this torture once more and hoped for the great pain relief they kept promising me. This time once the epidural was in place my right leg begin to feel numb, I thought Hallelujah it was going to work.

The only problem was my leg was the only thing to be numb and it only lasted about fifteen minutes. I couldn't believe after all that I was still no better then before he began. The epidural was becoming a nightmare. I was in so much pain I couldn't think right and when they said they would send another anesthesiologist in to try and get the epidural to work I said yes. They said the other one had been there for 36 hours and maybe he was just to tired .So after waiting several hours for this other guy to come in I was ready to go and find him. He finally came in and once again told me to sit as still as I could. I would of liked to tell him to see if he could sit still while something inside of his body was trying to find the exit through his most delicate body part. I held my composure and he inserted the catheter into my back once again. This time he gave me some different medication that was suppose to be stronger and work faster. The amazing thing was it did. The epidural had actually worked. I was numb by the time he was finished. This was the greatest thing I could of imagined. The pain was gone I could finally get some rest. When it was time for my daughter to come into the world I dint feel a thing. The epidural was the greatest thing since sliced cheese, or so I thought.

A few years after having my daughter I started having terrible backaches. I couldn't sleep at night; all I did was toss and turn. I thought it was something to do with my water bed so we got a different mattress. The pain didn't get any better. Now I was having lots of problems with my legs at night to. They would ache all night long. Every time I would finally fall sleep they would feel like they were going to cramp and I would have to get up and walk around. I went to the Dr. for the problems but I always got the same answer, you see I am over weight so he always said if I lost weight that the problems would go away. I asked if he thought it could be related to the three epidural I had when having my daughter. He said there was no way that contributed to the pain. I tried to explain I was heavy before I had my daughter and didn't have these issues. He would hear no part of it. So unless I wanted to pay for special expensive testing there was nothing else he could do. So after dealing with these leg and back problems for a few more months I gave in and tried losing weight to see if it would help .I lost 65lbs and still had the same leg problems as I did before the diet. I have tried several different remedies to help the pain and allow me to have a good night sleep, every thing from over the counter medicines to extra vitamins and herbs. Nothing has helped.

I did my own research and found that several other women who have had the epidural now have the same issues with their legs and back. My husband was talking to a chiropractor and he said my symptoms are textbook for side effects of an epidural. They learn about it in their training it's so common. Now if that is the case why didn't they warn me of this when I was getting the three epidurals? Most women only have one and have the problems I had three so I guess there was no way I would have avoided it. I don't have health insurance so I cant afford to pay for special expensive testing as the doctor so kindly put it. So now I have to deal with this pain at night when I try to sleep. While there isn't much I can do to change this I can warn other people about my experience with the epidural in hopes that someone else doesn't have to suffer the pain at night that I do. While many women do have epidurals and have no side effects there are plenty that do. The doctors should have to make their patients aware of this possibility, and not while they are in labor, not really in the right stage of mind to make a decision. If I was told ahead of time about the long-term effects from the epidural I could have I would of stuck by my original plan of a natural birth or chose another form of pain relief. Doctors are to quick to pressure a woman to have an epidural instead of informing them of other methods to lesson the pain of childbirth.