You may experience some numbness after an epidural, which is caused by the anesthetic. This is most common in the arms and legs, and it typically goes away within several hours, potentially up to four to six hours.
To avoid injury, remain resting until this numbness subsides. Sometimes, you may notice a slight increase in pain in the days following the epidural. This happens before the steroid has begun delivering its effects but after the numbness wears off. The pain should get better within ten days of the epidural, but you may notice a reduction within one to five days.
All content has been reviewed and approved by orthopedic specialist Dr. For more, contact Dr. Zed or call The steroid injected can reduce inflammation of nerves in the epidural space and thus reduce pain and other symptoms.
The actual injection takes only a few minutes. Please allow about an hour for the procedure; this will include talking to your doctor before the procedure, signing the informed consent, positioning in the room, and observation by the recovery room nurse afterwards.
The injection consists of a mixture of local anesthetic e. All of our procedures begin by injecting a small amount of local anesthetic through a very small needle. It feels like a little pinch and then a slight burning as the local anesthetic starts numbing the skin.
After the skin is numb, the procedure needle feels like a bit of pressure at the injection site. You also have the option of adding some oral or intravenous sedation. This choice is yours. You can choose to have the procedure done under local anesthetic only. You can also choose to have IV sedation, which can keep you very comfortable. It can range from some drowsiness or you may have little or no memory of the procedure depending upon your comfort level, regardless of the amount of sedation, you must not eat or drink anything for 6 hours prior to this and you must also have a driver when choosing sedation.
It is OK to take your medications with a sip of water with either decision. It is typically done with you lying on your stomach. Your blood pressure and oxygenation will be monitored. Sometimes we use this technique when a faster onset of pain control is needed. CSE uses the same types of drugs and has similar side-effects to those of epidural pain control.
There is no evidence that epidurals increase the risk of cesarean section. At UNC, we use dilute solutions of local anesthetic; studies show that these dilute solutions do not affect labor. You should speak with your obstetrician about his or her beliefs and feelings about pain relief during childbirth.
Certainly not! If you are coping well with labor pain you might choose not to use any kind of pharmacologic pain relief. If you find the pain too unpleasant, the anesthesiologist is available every day and night to help you. Many women try having no pain medications at all in the beginning; they might then request a shot in their intravenous IV line; some will be quite happy with this, while others might desire the stronger pain relief that comes from an epidural. Remember, the choice is yours.
If you have specific questions or concerns that are not covered here, we would be glad to speak with you. Two web sites that have more information are www.
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