Epidural analgesia is most commonly known as a pain relief for women in birth labor and older adult patients. It’s used to manage postoperative pain, procedural pain, trauma pain, or labor pain. The method is the procedure of administrating opioids and/or local anesthetics into the epidural space.

.Epiduaral Space.

Epidural Analgesia procedure is performed by inserting a needle in the epidural space, lower back and injecting analgesics, or by threading a catheter through the needle. A similar procedure is used for lumbar punctures.

Whilst epidural analgesia is used to alleviate pain during labor, epidural anesthesia on the other hand is used to provide anesthesia during delivery and surgical procedures.

Epidural anesthesia paralyzes the bottom half of your body temporarily where you will experience loss of sensation and motor function and involves the administration of local anesthetics and/or opioids into the epidural space at a larger dose than what was administered during labor to achieve epidural analgesia.

I remember having both procedures and the anesthetist running an ice cube or so he told me down my leg and asked if the feeling was hot or cold and I said it was hot. For all, I know he could run a pen down my leg and I would not have known. Come to think of it, this was in theatre so where would he have got an ice cube from? lol.

Now 20 years on after the birth of my daughter if I bend at an angle for about two to three minutes I experience excruciating pain and my whole back spasms in which all I can do is sit down in order to stop the pain. I first noticed I had a problem after my daughter was born by c-section and when I came home the upper part of my back cramped whereby I could not move. As the years went on I knew that there was an underlying problem but did not think there was anything anyone could do. Nowadays even washing up or bending to lift grocery shopping can cause my back to spasm.

Fortunately for me, I work for myself and do not need to have permission to have time off if I am feeling unwell or produce a sick note and seeing I am working remotely do not have to move from the comfort of my home/office.

The long-term procedure of epidural analgesia is used to manage persistent (chronic) pain, including cancer-related pain.

Long-term epidural catheters can be surgically implanted and attached to an implanted or external infusion device.

For me even though I do have these spasms there is no way on earth I would I ever have another procedure done to correct the first one unless it not invasive.

For me, I just take Sopodol 30mg/500mg Caplets (codeine phosphate) prescribed by my GP for the pain for my knee but also helps with other pain i.e. my back. I immediately have to sit with my back supported with a soft cushion. I also use Deep heat and Deepfreeze and to be honest, I prefer the cold sensation to the warm. I also prefer to just spray the area rather than in patch or gel formula.

You can read more on Epidural Analgesia here:

https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2012/08000/Epidural_analgesia__What_nurses_need_to_know.15.aspx#:~:text=Epidural%20analgesia%20is%20the%20administration,(weeks%20to%20months)%20basis.

Side effects Epidural

1). Low blood pressure. It’s normal for your blood pressure to fall a little when you have an epidural.

2). Loss of bladder control

– (This is me, like clockwork running to the bathroom every two hours 24/7).

3). Itchy skin.

4). Feeling sick.

5). Inadequate pain relief.

6). Headache.

7). Slow breathing.

8). Temporary nerve damage.

9). Infection.

10) Permanent Nerve Damage.

11) Fits (convulsions).

12) Severe Breathing Difficulties.

13) Death.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/epidural/side-effects/

** Please note due to the current panademic regulations do not go to your surgery but speak with your GP over the phone.

Disabled Entrepreneur - Disability UK | + posts

The Editor Suffers From OCD & Cerebellar Atrophy. She is an Entrepreneur & Published Author, she writes content on a range of topics, including politics, current affairs, health and business. She is an advocate for Mental Health, Human Rights & Disability Discrimination.

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