a question for any medical pros

Blackrose1918 · June 2012

If you've read my RN Rant, you know about the ridiculousness that occurred on Thursday. Anyway, I got an "it depends" answer to another question and was hoping you guys could help me. Are there specific medications/analgesics used in epidurals? The RN I dealt with told me that it depends on the hospital, the anesthesiologist, and how far into labor you are. After all the other bad information she gave me, I was wondering if this is wrong as well.

Also, is toxoplasmosis transmissible through scratches? I figure, cats kick their fecal material to cover it, and it's transmitted through fecal material, so it would make sense.

RedRose87 · June 2012

Not sure on the first part, and I can only speak from experience on the second.

I have a cat, who loves to rearrange his cat litter btw (he's very picky), and I've been scratched by him on a couple occasions. No toxoplasmosis for me, but again that is just personal experience.

AndromedaEclipse · June 2012

I know the cat answer - unless you have an indoor/outdoor cat, toxoplasmosis is rare. I wouldn't worry about it.

equinus · June 2012

I am a vet, and toxoplasmosis is transmitted via fecal- oral transmission, so just don't lick your scratches (or put your hands to your mouth after you clean the litter box before washing your hands). As prev poster said it is extremely rare in indoor only cats.

elise987 · June 2012

In my hospital (large teaching hospital) epidurals generally contain ropivocaine or bupivocaine (non narcotic) but occasionally contain hydromorphone (dilaudid) in addition which is a narcotic.

dmhrn13 · June 2012

Where I work- lidocaine (the stuff used to numb you when you go to the dentist) & Fentanyl (a narcotic) are used together in the epidural.

No, toxo is transmitted by breathing in the spores- if you have an only indoor cat- don't worry. It comes from cats who go outside & eat dead rodents. It also has a very short life in a cat, so you only catch it if the cat just caught it in the last 2-3 weeks.

Blackrose1918 · June 2012

AndromedaEclipse:
I know the cat answer - unless you have an indoor/outdoor cat, toxoplasmosis is rare. I wouldn't worry about it.

The cat is my mom's (dog person here) and is an indoor/outdoor farm cat. She's difficult to handle and needs a flea/tick preventative treatment and so far I've been the only one able to do it with minimal struggle. That's where my concern comes in.

caralck · June 2012

The epidural do vary from facility to facility but usually all the docs in the same group tend to use the same analgesics in their epidurals since the hospitals tend to stock those meds for them. But as the nurse told you, it really does depend. If you have a specific allergy/sensitivity or concern. You can ask to have a consult with one of the anesthesiologists before your delivery. For people with scoliosis or other back issues, it's usually a good idea to do that too, especially if it's severe.

equinus · June 2012

dmhrn13:
Where I work- lidocaine (the stuff used to numb you when you go to the dentist) & Fentanyl (a narcotic) are used together in the epidural.

No, toxo is transmitted by breathing in the spores- if you have an only indoor cat- don't worry. It comes from cats who go outside & eat dead rodents. It also has a very short life in a cat, so you only catch it if the cat just caught it in the last 2-3 weeks.

I have never heard of toxo being transmitted by breathing in the spores, only by ingestion of the spores, and I am a veterinarian. The most common way people actually get toxo (around the world) is ingestion/ improper handling of raw or undercooked meat that has spores in the muscle (the same way a cat gets it from ingesting a dead animal) or exposure (dirt on your hands then you touch your mouth) to garden soil or sandboxes where infected cats may have defecated. It is true that cats only shed oocysts in thier feces for about 2 weeks after the initial exposure. I wouldn't worry about the once a month or so you handle the cat to give it it's flea treatment. I'd be more worried if you were gardening in soil where that cat may have gone to the bathroom. If you want to be extra cautious just where rubber exam gloves when you do it's treatment.

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