pain in the...neck

jesennia · 11-29-2007, 09:52 AM

has anyone had an epidural? With my first i went natural (

) but with Zack i got the epi..the first try she um..missed and i felt this strange twang down one leg..after the birth i had headaches so bad that i was doped up on percocet and had to lay with my head down for almost three weeks. also had to return to anesthesia and have the doc do a blood patch (they stick a huge needle in you, draw out blood and put it back in the epi space). for the most part the headaches and severe neck pain went away but things have never returned to normal. could this be residual pain from the misplaced epi?

Mireille · 11-29-2007, 09:58 AM

Wha ??? STILL ?

What the he**......

Might be a nerve thing. Ever thought of going to see a chiropractor/osteopath to get checked out ?

tahiradancer · 11-29-2007, 09:58 AM

In a word - Yes.

Epidurals are tricky little buggers. If the pain continues, I would go see someone about it. But also remember to be patient and give yourself time to heal. We get frustrated when our oachies don't go away immediately. Keep the convo open with your Dr., make sure that you have a real understanding of a time line and go from there.

{{{HUGS}}}

jesennia · 11-29-2007, 10:30 AM

yup still having ouchies :( sometimes it feels like a pinch in the neck and most days i have a headache that makes me want to curl into a ball and die (not dye). I've kept a kind of journal about it..last time I saw doc he said it would go away in a couple of weeks but I wonder if i'm one of those freak cases :(

and ya know what i felt that head come out during delivery so the epi wasn't worth it. ever hear of ring of fire? the epi didnt touch that kind of pain!

Nisima · 11-29-2007, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesennia

has anyone had an epidural? With my first i went natural (

) but with Zack i got the epi..the first try she um..missed and i felt this strange twang down one leg..after the birth i had headaches so bad that i was doped up on percocet and had to lay with my head down for almost three weeks. also had to return to anesthesia and have the doc do a blood patch (they stick a huge needle in you, draw out blood and put it back in the epi space). for the most part the headaches and severe neck pain went away but things have never returned to normal. could this be residual pain from the misplaced epi?

Wow, I had an epidural over 30 years ago with my son and no aftereffects whatsover, and no pain at all during delivery. That is how it is supposed to work and yours obviously was problematic. . I would keep communicating with yyour doctor and if you aren't getting information - get a second opinion. After all, you have enough to do with normal healing process and new baby wihout all these headaches!
BTW, I had no anesthesia with my second baby (ran out of time, actually but that's a thread hijack).
Gentle hugs and take care,

Nisima

GypsyInara · 11-29-2007, 05:01 PM

It sounds like they may have caused spinal fluid to leak when they did the epidural, and the resulting pressure change from the missing fluid and/or the fluid leaked out and put pressure on the spinal canal and that is what caused the headaches and pain. It takes awhile for our bodies to replace that fluid completely, and you may still have a small leak, esp since they did a blood patch (trying to seal off the leak).

It is also slightly possible that they tweaked a nerve during the procedure, esp since you said they missed the first time. If the pain continues or gets worse, I would ask for a referral to a neurologist.

Sort of related, I had meningitis when I was 12, and had to have a lumbar puncture, and ever since I have had migraine headaches and back pain. The only thing that helps is seeing a chiropractor once a week, and taking migraine meds.

Then when I had my daughter 5 years ago I had an epidural and it was a dream...it almost worked too well....I couldn't feel anything, couldn't move my legs at all. The only problem I had was it made me itchy. That was not fun, in labor with hives.

I hope they get to the bottom of your pain soon, as its not fun.

HubicRuzz · 11-29-2007, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesennia

has anyone had an epidural? With my first i went natural (

) but with Zack i got the epi..the first try she um..missed and i felt this strange twang down one leg..after the birth i had headaches so bad that i was doped up on percocet and had to lay with my head down for almost three weeks. also had to return to anesthesia and have the doc do a blood patch (they stick a huge needle in you, draw out blood and put it back in the epi space). for the most part the headaches and severe neck pain went away but things have never returned to normal. could this be residual pain from the misplaced epi?

Get a second and third opinion. I have heard of problems with epidurals and the spine is a delicate area.

beki · 11-30-2007, 10:37 AM

I've had two spinal blocks and have had no bad side effects (other than a couple of headaches during the first month after kiddo #1 was born).

Get thee to the doctor! Go to a different doc if you need to but get some answers.

"What can you do now to alleviate the pain?" - To get you some relief.
"Is this kind of continuing pain common?" - So you know if something is wrong.
"When can you expect to be healed?" - So you know if you need to contact them again and you'll have a date to look forward to.

jesennia · 11-30-2007, 10:57 AM

thanks everyone, for the feedback..yeah i think the pain has continued beyond what is normal so i'm making another appointment..thanks much

ps yes when they tried to place the epi the first time i felt a painful sort of twang down my left leg. she placed it again but it wasn't too effective because they went to put in the catheter (sorry tmi) and i felt it..the epi took away the pain of contractions which was great but i could still move my legs a little and i felt the entire birthing experience. for kid number three if i'm silly enough to do all this again, i think i may ask for a glass of wine and not allow any more needles near the spine.

Asra* · 11-30-2007, 11:40 AM

I'm a nurse on a neuro ward where we do lumbar punctures all the time. It's normail to have a headache and maybe a bit of a still neck for a while afterward, but I've never heard of it going on for more than a couple of days. It doesn't seem normal to me, and I think you're doing the right thing by talking to your doc again.

Make sure you're not dehyrated so your body can replace any lost fluid.

The twang you felt in your leg was the doc missing your epidural space and hitting a nerve - shouldn't happen but sometimes does. If it's still bothering you I would definitely mention that too.

Take care!

tahiradancer · 11-30-2007, 05:43 PM

My understanding is that, in todays OB wards, the aim is to alleviate enough of the pain for the mothers to still actively participate in the labour and delivery as opposed to the 'olden days' when they aimed to deaden the pain from the waist down. When I had my Epi, this was the case.

Go get a second opinion. If necessary, insist on seeing a neuro specialist.

{{{HUGS}}}