Question mostly for women who have given birth
 

though I know there will be others that would be able to answer but in general they might have a better idea. Also, men..don't say you haven't been warned.


Ladies...have you had an epidural and if you did what temporary side effects did you have afterwards and how long did it take for them to go away?

I had to go back in the hospital the other night because I wasn't feeling good and they gave me an epidural to do one proceedcure. They had to go in a number of times and I bled a good deal on my back and it is very black and blue. However, my calves are really aching. They feel like they would the day after I ran or walked a lot. I called the doctor and he said I shouldn't really worry about a blood clot since they both feel that way. I thought maybe it was because when they were numb and I was trying to move them I must have been using the muscle a lot even though I didn't feel it but they are really feeling very tight and making it hard to sleep, etc.

I go back in this weekend for the last bought but shouldn't require me to to be put under at all so i will get them to look at them if they still hurt but man my back looks like i have had the crap beaten out of me.

Is this normal?

I asked my wife about this and she personally hasnt experienced the numbness. However I can remember them taking several attempts on one occasion and that caused her some bleeding. Cant recall about the bruising though.

I have had 3 and the last one I had was a rough one.
I was kind of numb in my legs and my back was BLACK AND BLUE!!
They missed with the epidural 3 times before they actually got it in the right place and that is what causes the bruising .. because the other times have not been like that for me.
Good luck with it and I am pretty sure that it will stop hurting soon. :2 cents:

k...i am so black and blue. I told the nurse as I was in the recovery room that my back hurt and asked if that was normal. Later on my pillow was bloody but she said since they had to try five times before getting the long needle that it was no wonder.

Good enough reason not to get pregnant. Don't need this again.

I had an epidural while giving birth to my daughter. It's something I wont ever do again. Since then (4 1/2 years now) I have had horrific migraines (sp) to the point where I black out. The blackouts aren't often but they shouldnt happen at all. I also get really bad shooting pains up my spine every so often. Luckily it only lasts a few seconds. The migraines are the worst. They last for days at a time and there really isnt much I can do to take away the pain.

I dont remember being black and blue, but then again..I cant really see my own back hehehe.

I do however remember not having use of my left leg with the epidural and that lasted for several hours after I gave birth too. I couldnt stand on my own either. That was a nightmare.

If you don't mind em asking..what was the reason they gave you one? Sorry if I sound clueless but I haven't had internet access in a week so I probably missed a lot.

I've had an epidural and a spinal. The after-effects of the epidural sucked ass compared to the spinal. I had leg pain, I bled terribly and had bruises for close to a month. I would get twinges in my back and a lot of pain. My legs would go out from under me if I moved the wrong way too fast for the first month or so too. And the feeling while you're under is HORRIBLE.


The spinal I was up and walkign within 30 minutes, there was only a bit of pain, and the recovery wasn't nearly so bad. Ask for a spinal next time hon :)

Is a spinal a real alternative to an epidural?

(im thinking a spinal is some sort of test or something)

My SIL had HORRIBLE headaches after hers. She went back to the doctor about a week later and they did something with her nerves (not sure what) and she was immediately OK.

My back was also bruised up because they put three different needles in before they finally put a catheter in there.

They attempted to give me an epidural...she tried 4 times before actually injecting the fluid and the epidural didn't take. This is very scary because that means she injected the fluid into my body, but not in the correct location. So to numb the pain I recieved an intrathecal (sp?). A few hours later all the numbness wore off except in my right upper thigh...in fact, that area remained numb for 6 weeks after the baby was born. But the worst part of the whole ordeal was the rash...from the waste down I had a horrible rash for 2 months because of the epidural that was released incorrectly.

Would I do it again? Hell yes! Anything not to have to experience the excruciating pain of childbirth.

[awesome thread - I'm lurking - learning]
[kind of stuff I want to have in the future]

I had a biopsy done of the wall of my womb. I have had some problem with bleeding since and am going back in this weekend just to have an IUS fitted as part of the treatment for polycystic ovaries.

They were suppose to do a spinal but couldn't get the needle in the right place. I heard her say 'it is going to have to be an epidural. Get me the big needle.'. No joke, exact words. Then they told me not to move. There is a needle - the 5th one - in my spine..you try not to say ouch ..lol.

I have had 2 epidurals for 2 children. I remember while getting both, I kept having severe pain in my left hip and knee. They said "Hmmm." and that was about it. Since then, I have had hip/lowerback problems, and I've always had knee problems.

Now, as for bruising, I had a decent size bruise (probably 4 inches across), but they only stuck me one time on both occasions. I would imagine, after being stuck so many times, that massive bruising would be "normal". However, I would definitely go see the doctor if other symptoms begin.

The numbness is normal. I couldn't feel parts of my thighs for almost a month. I could pinch my leg and feel nothing. I could walk, just not feel surface pain. My legs were very weak and shaky, but I had just given birth. I don't know which the symptom was associated with, childbirth or the epidural.

Anyway, Best of luck with your side effects. I hope you get to feeling better soon. :thumbsup

[I'm still lurking - bump - awesome thread]