Anybody had an epidural operation?

Had one for a foot op, Mtp joint fusion, metatarsal to phalangeal ( big toe ) joint removed and bones fused. Very weird feeling or not once it kicks in.

Quite uncomfortable whilst they applied the epidural, apparently the discomfort I could feel was the needle scraping the vertebrae.

Slept through the op, asked for a sedative. The thought of hearing the bone cutter and smelling the bone grinder didnt appeal at all.
 
I had a nerve block when they repaired my bicep last June (full distal snap)

Crazy feeling or lack of! When he was poking and prodding my arm and drawing where he was going in, it was like it wasn't my arm.
I still opted to be asleep for the surgery though, I was brought round just as they were bandaging me up and fixing my sling.

Op was around midday and I could start wiggling my fingers at about 9pm.
 
Had one when I had my hip resurfaced. Really odd feeling to be able to feel my legs with my hand but not feel the sensation on my leg. I was pleasently surprised how muscular they felt.
 
My uncle had his leg cut off from above the knee and epidural was the safest way due to stroke risk ( had several in previous operation )

Only took half an hour.

Diabetes has made his and his wife / daughters life a living hell, i honestly did not know the horror of it.
They are up all night taking turns to move him due to so much pain. The strokes leave you near on a cripple.
 
dowie said:
Conversely, I had a colonoscopy once where they offered sedation and I turned it down, would have been a faff getting someone to collect me during the pandemic + didn't want to stay overnight - was totally fine, just had the old laughing gas to inhale and could be discharged pretty much right after the procedure.
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That's interesting. I've got one in a couple of weeks. Just wondering whether I could avoid the anaesthetic as well. I really don't like the luaghing gas stuff though - I had some recently when I hurt my back. It took my back to smoking a joint when you're incredibly drunk and how awful that can feel.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
On Wednesday afternoon I had a full knee replacement and it was the weirdest sensation ever. I'm talking to the anaesthetist about music while the surgeon is drilling, grinding, hammering and burning and you can't feel a thing.
Of course all the team on the other side of the curtain are talking about holidays, going for a meal, quizzes etc :)
About 7pm the epidural started to wear off and all evening and night it was a 10/10 for pain.
Today is a lot better, pain free until I do my exercises.

So anybody else had an epidural?
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Women that had C-Sections. Was weird, yet fascinating looking at sliced stomach muscle and a baby being pulled out of my wife.
 
I had an epidural when I had my hip replacement and pelvis reconstruction, they gave me so much sedative to me it was as if I's had a full anaesthetic :D I was also told it was safer and I'd recover quicker, I fully expected to remember something but it's a complete blank.

Sadly no stitches/staples to show off, they glued me back together. I do have an impressive bit of of meccano though.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
No pain, little sensation
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Same when mine came out, no pain at all and I barely felt anything.

How are you getting on now, I know nothing about knee replacements so intrigued as to what the outcome will be - full movement, partial movement, etc?

Can't say I like the idea of being awake while they're hammering about down there though.
 
Feek said:
Same when mine came out, no pain at all and I barely felt anything.

How are you getting on now, I know nothing about knee replacements so intrigued as to what the outcome will be - full movement, partial movement, etc?

Can't say I like the idea of being awake while they're hammering about down there though.
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Late reply, I find it very hard to type from phones and believe it or not this is the first time I've sat by my PC since coming home.

Operation Feb 9th
Discharged Feb 14th, as soon as I got home around 6pm I couldn't sit on anything downstairs so decided to go to bed.
It took me over 45 mins to get upstairs and scared the life out of me, my stairs are nothing like the ones in hospital in Physio.
I spent the next 4 days upstairs before I attempted to get down them a couple of steps at a time and then back up but the top of my stairs are really hard to navigate.
I can now get up and down, down is easy but going up it's like I have to hop up and I have it planned out like Everest what I need to do at certain steps because of the turn at the top.
What also made it worse is that on the first day I got home I sprained my ankle on my operated leg, since the 14th I made a 'device' out of a belt that I put round the bottom of my foot and pull it back to get some relief so pain in ankle + throbbing knee is a lot worse. I had an ankle support come today and should have ordered that on the 15th to be honest.
I thought I had done crap with my recovery, I'm still in a lot of pain but the Physio told me yesterday I'm doing well - "Just remember this is one of the most painful, traumatic operations you can have" and all the Clinicians told me the same. it doesn't help when some idiot says "My 85 year old Dad at that operation and was walking down the shops two days later".
I can't get anywhere without my crutches but every day is getting better, last night was the first time I actually had a good mostly pain free sleep.

My wife has a friend who had an epidural operation, she was asked if she wanted to go asleep but refused, funny thing I was never asked.
A few months later she ended up at Counseling when she realised what she had been listening to during her operation and is trying to put a claim in.
It hasn't bothered me one bit, I found it fascinating.
 
kneestaple2.jpg
 
Fully sympathise with you @SexyGreyFox with the stairs. They wouldn't discharge me from hospital until I could demonstrate I could go up a flight of stairs on my own. I was reliant on 2 crutches at the time due to the muscle wastage in my leg so, you can imagine the struggle. I manged the flight at the hospital and admitted at the time there was no way I could have done a second, I was sweating and completely exhausted. They said that's ok you get a rest after each flight at home. When I got home I realised there was no banister to hang on to for the first 2 stairs and I had a 90 degree turn 2/3rds up the flight! Each time I made it to the top I was again sweating and breathing deeply. Good luck with the recovery :)
 
I was told there's less chemicals/drugs in an epidural and that reduces side effects and aids recovery post op. Didn't get much time to make my decision as all this was only explained/offered to me the morning of the operation! Went epidural and I don't regret it. I was on the table for around 5 hours, lost a shed load of blood such that they had to give me a top up from their stock, but remember nothing about it as they gave me loads of sedatives.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
A few months later she ended up at Counseling when she realised what she had been listening to during her operation and is trying to put a claim in.
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Was the theatre playlist really that bad?!

Glad you’re on the mend. It’s remarkable what can be done in a planned and routine fashion in the modern world! Post op X-Ray looks cool!

From my ankle fracture experience (plus metalwork) the hardest part is the physio and rehab, but it’s worth the time and effort and really pushing yourself to complete all the daily exercises.

Good luck with your recovery, you’ll be dancing again soon!
 
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