May Do Spinal For Surgery!!!! Help!!!!

Okay guys I am back from the doctor's office and except for the fact that I gained five pounds everything seems good and my doctor and I have a date on Saturday.

Here is the question, but before I ask let me just say that I LOVE my doctor and I trust his judgement but I gotta know this one. He suggested that I have a "spinal", not an epidural done during my surgery instead of being put to sleep. He stated that this would help manage my pain control once the procedure is over and that if I were put to sleep I would have to deal with naseau and other side affects that come from it. He told me that they would sedate me along with being numb from the waste down, so basically I would be in "la la land" and I would not remember the procedure. He told me that in no way did he want to scare me into doing it, but on an overall scale there had been more uneventful recoveries with his patients that chose this method so he wanted to present the option to me especially with me being afraid of being put to sleep. He also gave me two prescriptions for antibiotics to take the night before the surgery. He told me to eat light meals 48hours before surgery. I have to do the dreadful enema the day of the surgery along with a betadine douche.......

Has anyone ever had the spinal with a hysterectomy, if so could you please enlighten me because I have never had it done and I am SERIOUSLY considering it.

I havent had either.. (or hyster at this time)... someone will come along shortly and help with this one.. and while they are at it.. can someone tell me the difference between an epidural and a spinal?

I personnally think being totally numb when you awake sounds like a good thing, along with not risking any sick feeling when awakening... am interested in hearing what the wise woman here have to say, the pros and the cons of your choice.
take care,
xo Donna

Hello Chalese,

I had a TVH on 3/5/01 - 6wks ago. I opted for a spinal for my hyster. My dr told me less chance for stomach upset and also great for pain management.
They do give you some type of amnesia medicine so you wont remember anything and are in La La land.... I do not remember them inserting the needle for the spinal, however, I did open my eyes a few times during surgery and spoke to the Drs. It was no big deal though. When I was in recovery, I had no Fog feeling.. Just numb from the waist down, They gave me duramorph in my spinal for pain management. I did not have any pain for 24hrs or so. However, I did find out that I am allergic to Morphine and was naseaus from it. The dr did control it with medicine and I was fine. Many have a pain pump, I did not because of the spinal. Once the spinal wore off, I was on Darvoset for pain. The pain is more of an achey feeling and believe me, is not as bad as my cramps were.
I would do a spinal again, I was feeling great and did not have the side effects that come along with General.
I hope that I have helped you .
I know everyones experience is different, Mine was a positive one.

Tina

Hi,
I'm going in for my tah on 4/23. I did alot of research on this, along with reading some posts on this site regarding spinal VS general. It sounds as though there are less problems when you have a spinal.

Asked my doctor for her opinion, and she said that she prefers that her patients go with a spinal, because there tends to be less problems. She said it was up to me. She said that they do give you something to make you loopy, and she suggested that I could also put a headset on to listen to music.

I'm curious also, what is the difference between an epidural and a spinal?

So far, I'm opting for the spinal.

Dusky
tah for large fibroids 4/23

Hi, Chalese,
I'm not too far from you - in Smithfield, Va.
My surgery is scheduled for 5/14. I have been going to my dr for almost 22 years. He said they do most of their vaginal hysterectomies with spinals or epidurals (I'm not sure what the difference is. Haven't done my research!). If he suggests it, I trust him completely.
I've had 4 surgeries and been sick from the anesthesia with 2 of them. The headphones sound like a good idea. I don't want to know what's going on during the surgery! I use headphones during most of my dental work, too.
Let me know what you do and how you make out. I have 4 weeks to go!
Dianne

I go in on May 3, 2001. I think that is a wonderful idea and I plan to talk with my doctor about it. I'm scared of being put to sleep. Thanks for the idea!

Mary Beth

Hi Chalese

I had some health concerns regarding anesthesia and was able to get an appointment with the anesthesiologist who would be doing my anesthesia a few days before the surgery. He spoke to me in detail about drugs used during surgery and what my options were.

In my case, he suggested not doing a spinal because the procedure I was having done would include a lot of 'messing around' and cutting high up. However, he said that many hysterectomies are done with spinals if they do not include what mine did and if they are not expected to last longer than the spinal. The spinal is administered before the surgery, usually along with a long acting narcotic for pain control, and often with sedation as well.

Another common way to handle the anesthesia at the hospital I went to is a combination of general anesthesia with an epidural. The epidural is administered ongoing so it can be adjusted, and often a narcotic drug is administered along with it. That way the general anesthesia can be lighter and the epidural and narcotic can be less as well. Since I am not able to use narcotic drugs, I opted for the epidural with no narcotic as well as a newer gas for anesthesia which leaves the body quickly and is less likely to cause nausea. As a matter of fact, I have used these newer gases on several occasions and have never experienced nausea and always did with the old gases.

I'm sure when you do speak with the anesthesiologist you will be reassured. They are usually good about informing you about as much as you want to know, and they are responsible for your comfort during and after surgery.

BTW, I also use headphones for many procedures and although I had a general anesthesia for my hyster, I used my headphones as soon as possible afterwards and kept them on pretty much for the first day or so. I usually take music that I have used previously for relaxation, so it triggers a relaxation response in me and I feel comforted.

Chalese - Welcome! Your situation sounds like what I just went through, as far as prep and anesthesia. I'm at home after a TAH/BSO last Thursday with epidural. And I'm REALLY glad I went with the epidural, so is my DH. I was concerned about surgery because of all the concerns with general anth. I mentioned that to my doctor when we first discussed the surgery and she said I had the option of an epidural due to my situation. A fellow sister forewarned me to check on post surgery pain medicaton with the epidural, which I did, and was reassured that I would recceive pain med by my epidural until I could take orals. (This is one of those, discuss as varies individually). Thursday afternoon (surgery was at 10AM) was actually a better day for me than Friday afternoon was. I was "chipper" all day. Probably nerves. My epidural pain relief was an automatic pump. I did have some itching, which I got benedryl or such (thru my IV) for. The numbness was little strange waking up, you can tell your legs are still there, but they don't pay a lot of attention to you - or - to the amusement of my family - they do and you don't know it! And they keep my catheter in until 8 hours or so after my epidural had been removed. I was drinking SO MUCH water, that I didn't complain - that way I didn't have to get up!