Kriss
The good thing is you will already be asleep when the Anesthesiologist gives you the spinal. They must have some new drugs that now work for 24 hrs. When I was an OB tech, spinals were used for emergency c-sections. If there was not an emergent need, the patient was given an epidural. Spinals are a one shot dose. Epidurals leave a soft plastic catheter in the epidural space OUTSIDE the spinal cord that can be redosed as needed. Spinals also carry the chance of having a spinal headache due to spinal fluid leaking out. The remedy for that is called a blood patch. I had an epidural for my bilateral free flap. (They take skin, fat and a vessel from your abdomen - and do a tummy tuck at the same time - that was the best part of the whole thing). My stomach was still very sore, but I'm glad I had the epidural. Talk to your anesthesiologist before you have surgery to make sure a spinal is the best option for you. Hope this helps.
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04/05 Onset 49, DCIS, solid, Hist 2/3, Nucl 2/3, 7cm R Brst
04/05 E & P + HER2+++
05/05 Mediport
05/05 Cytoxan & Adriamycin every 3wk x4
08/05 Taxol every 2wk x 4, Herceptin every wk x1yr
10/05 Bilat Mast - my Choice
10/05 3/19 lymph nodes Pos, Stage IIIa
11/05 Rad x 37 Rx, R Brst & Axcilla
02/06 Herceptin stopped (L vent HF 40)
03/06 Started & Stoped Arimidex after 2 mos.-QOL side effects
05/06 Started Tamoxafin
06/06 Bilat Free Flap Reconstruction
12/06 Cardiomyopathy reversed-HF normal
01/07 Bilat Saline Implants
07/07 CA 27-29 steadily rising from 28 in 12/06 to 46 in 7/07
07/07 PET Scan NED, but inflamation at prev surg site.
09/07 Started Femara
10/07 CA 27-29 down to 39
06/08 CA 27-29 down to 32
09/08 Lg joint pain & QOL side effects from Femara, will live w/ to keep CA markers within normal range.
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