Spinal anesthesia question - please help

[BethW]

Has anyone ever had a cysto/hydro under a spinal anesthesia rather than a general anesthetic?

I've only had one cysto/hydro that was used to diagnose my IC, but my urologist says it's time to go in and have a look again. He wants to do it under the spinal anesthesia.

My other option is to have the uro/gyn I'm seeing do a cysto under general anesthetic at the same time as she does a laparoscopy. She does not want to do a hydro b/c she doesnt think it will benefit me.

Really not sure which is the better option and dont know if there are any side effects/risks to having a spinal anesthesia.

If anyone has any advice/stories to share, I'd really appreciate it!

[ICNDonna]

I have had a spinal for nearly all of my 35 hydrodistentions and will have another spinal next week for my 36th one. I prefer spinal anesthesia, but some don't want to be awake. For me it's much easier --- and they do give me medications to help me relax before I go to the OR.

When I have a general, I end up nauseated, disoriented, and have a sore throat from being intubated. With a spinal, I am able to see my bladder on a TV screen --- very interesting.

The only times I have had general anesthesia were when another procedure was being done at the same time as the hydrodistention.

Donna

[ICLori]

I second ICNDonna's opinion, I think spinal's are much more comfortable than general anesthesia.

I don't know the statistics about spinal versus general, as far as risk, but my anesthesiologist told me, before my hydro last week, that they much preferred to do a spinal rather than general because the risks were lower with a spinal.

Like ICN Donna, I also had some discomfort the one time I had general anesthesia. My throat was just so uncomfortable - it felt unbearably dry, and I found it hard to even speak, it was like my throat had the worst cold or something I'd ever had. And nothing I could think of to do made it feel better, it only felt better with time. It took about 36 hours before it felt better. I didn't like it much at all.

Plus, somehow during the time I was out, one of my back lower molars was chipped a bit and so for a few weeks my tooth was so very sensitive. The damage wasn't bad enough to need a crown or even a filling, but I didn't like that extra sensitivity.

Oh gosh and the nausea. I have been told by anesthesiologists that it's still possible to have nausea with the spinal, but that it's more common with general. I had some nausea, lying still, but as soon as I stood up to start checking out, after they took the IV out and so on, I got a really bad wave of nausea. I dashed for the sink, barely making it in time, and was sick. Then I was so ashamed for being sick in front of a room full of people, that I started sobbing and the nurses wanted me to come back and lie down again until I stopped crying and I just kept saying, "I want to go home, I want to go home" I didn't want to stay there in front of the people I had just humiliated myself in front of, you know. So my hubby got the discharge instructions and they got me into the wheelchair to be discharged and away I went, still crying.

So I didn't like the general anesthesia one bit. Given any choice in the matter, I will pick the spinal anesthesia every time.

With my spinal anesthesia (I have had three now), two of the times I was given enough versed so that I don't remember getting the spinals at all. This last time, I was only given a bit of versed, so I was awake and remember all of it. I sat on the edge of the surgery bed, with my back bared and a nurse in front of me to hold me in the proper position. I then was told to curl myself, so that there was lots of space in-between each vertebrae, like a cat arching her back. Basically slumping like our parents always told us never to do, LOL!

When I was in position, first the doctor injected anesthesia into the area of my back where the spinal was to be given. This was the only part that involved any discomfort at all. There was a stinging sensation, a little like what you feel when the dentist gives you a novacaine shot. Not bad. Then I didn't feel anything when they put the needle in, just a slight sensation of pressure (or maybe that was my mind making it up, because I knew they were back there...) Oh I did feel a very momentary, sciatica type pain, down my right side, and then they adjusted me some so I was in a better position, and then I felt nothing. They wanted me to be awake for that reason, so they could get things just right. My fraction-of-a-second sciatica sensation told them that they were a bit too far to the right. But again, none of this was painful at all or hard to bear.

Then they put me into position on the bed, then moved me on to a surgery table I think it was. And they began the procedure. Oh, at this point the anesthesiologist asked me if I wanted to be awake or asleep, he could give me extra Versed and let me sleep and not remember anything. I was excited about seeing the inside of my bladder on the screen, so I asked to stay awake. And I'm glad I did, because it was very interesting to see what my bladder looked like, all red and full of little veins and big veins and those glomerulation spots!

I felt absolutely no discomfort during any of the procedures, and it was really fun being able to see my own bladder!

Afterwards, I was taken to a recovery room, where they let me rest a bit. I dozed for awhile, then when I was awake, a nice nurse came to check on me, and to talk with me for awhile. We were waiting for my spinal to wear off, and we knew it would be awhile. She pinched me very lightly in various areas, to determine how much sensation I had at that point and how high up the anesthesia was. At first, I could feel only my upper chest, and could not feel my legs or wiggle my toes. It was kind of odd not being able to wiggle my toes, but there was no discomfort and it wasn't unpleasant.

I had a book with me, and wanted to read it, so I asked them to raise my bed up just a bit, which they did, and they gave me a pillow. So I read for awhile and was very comfortable.

When the anesthesia started to wear off (I was given a very big dose of the marcaine) it was several hours later. They helped me to stand up (gosh my legs were so weak with the anesthesia still there!) and I managed to get into a wheelchair. Then they helped me into a bed in the second recovery room, the one you get to go home from when it's time. I spent proabably another hour and half in that room, before I felt steady enough on my feet and the anesthesia had worn off enough I could urinate on my own.

During this time, my husband was there visiting with me, and I got to eat some crackers and drink a soda. So it wasn't bad. My husband had already filled my prescriptions for me, and so when I was ready to go home, it was really easy, I just dressed, and went on home. I ate lightly that day, not that I felt sick or anything, I just figured it was best not to push my luck too very much.

My husband remarked that there was a bruise on my back, from the spinal, but I didn't find it especially sore or anything and nothing hurt.

Whew! I wrote a book, I guess! But I wanted to give as good a description as I could, about what general anesthesia was like for me versus spinal anesthesia. Just hoping I could help give more information so that it would be easier for you to make a choice.

I wish you the best of luck, and hope that your procedure will be a very comfortable one and your recovery fast!

Blessings, Lori

[Melanie]

I had a spinal for my hydro/cysto (almost 6 yrs ago). I did have nausea afterwards. I also had to be cathed afterwards because I couldn't void on my own. Basically they gave me a little too much medicine.

But knowing the risks and benefits, I'd go w/ spinal again in a heartbeat.

If you are worried about being too anxious or alert, they can give you meds (like valium) to sedate you. I actually take meds like that whenever I'm having almost any type of procedure just to take off the edge of anxiety. Best wishes & keep us posted.

[BethW]

Thanks for the info everyone! Really appreciate it! Will keep you posted....

[saptree]

If its not to late to comment:
I had a laparoscopy under general and at a different time had a hydro with a spinal. After the general I was in the recovery room for 3 hrs when they told my husband it would be an hr. I couldn't wake up. Then I had a wave of nausea later on, right befire I was sent home.

For the hydro, I was given a choice. Based on what I had read at this website, I chose to try the spinal. I was told there was a 1% risk of a spinal headache, and I won the lottery. Its the most intense pain in the head ever, like your skull is going to explode. It goes away while laying down, and get very bad while sitting up. I had to return to the hospital (which was 1.5 hrs away) to get a blood patch. They drew blood out of my arm and put it in the spinal site in my back in order to clot the leaking spinal fluid. That was very scary, but I was so much better in a matter of minutes. The funny part (or not so funny) was that the dr and nurses I talked to kept telling me to eat caffeine because it builds up spinal fluid (thats why migrane medicine contains caffeine). They said "Have a 6 pack of Mountian Dew and some chocolate bars". Not a nice thing to say to an IC patient. During the spinal I didn't like the pins and needles tingling in my legs, I found that to be painful.
Next time around, I'm not sure what I would do. I would probably go with the general. Why? Because it was just too creepy to listen to my dr talk during the procedure.

Sherry

[Cheryl529]

Hi Beth, I understand you being scared about the spinal anesthesia. I had a cysto performed apx a year ago and that was the method they used on me. After they inserted the IV I was pretty relaxed. I was nervous about the epidural, don't get me wrong. The IV helped ease my nerves a bit. The nurse was really nice and held my hand and said it is very common not to remember having it done at all. Sure enough I don't remember it at all. It was strange as it wore off. My husband had a swell time poking at my legs since I couldn't feel it. lol. The worst part was them making sure you could use the bathroom before they released you. It was very painful to have the urine come out for me. I hope this helps. -Cheryl

[aantol73]

GOOD LUCK BETH....
I really think you will like the spinal better... it's interesting to watch and listen what is going on....
Sending you warm thoughts and prayers...