Scared of spinal block

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

Hi everyone! I am currently 35 weeks pregnant with my first child and have recently been scheduled for a c-section due to the baby being breech. I am high risk as I have a uterine abnormality but everything has gone well except for the position of baby. I am not so nervous about the procedure itself but the fact that I hear you have difficulty breathing with the spinal block. What does your breathing feel like when this happens? How long does it last? When I get anxiety I experience shortness of breath so I don't want to go in already having problems. Thanks everyone!

BeachMama7693 · September 2013

Oh eff me I have never heard this, I have anxiety also and now IM scared ha. My section is in two weeks, I had a vaginal birth the first time and got an epidural late in the game. With that I had no breathing issues but perhaps a spinal is different? Ill be following this.

IrishPiratess · September 2013

FTM here, but I had a spinal block with a knee surgery a few years back. I had NO breathing issues with that. .

TXswissmiss · September 2013

My MW said that if the epi is slightly mispositioned it can cause a little difficulty breathing but they can usually adjust it if that happens...

Ninabean1030 · September 2013

I had a spinal block with my first c section and don't remember having any trouble breathing.

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

It's good to hear it doesn't happen to everyone. A friend of mine had it happen to her and well now I'm anxious about it. I know I'll have an anxiety attack worrying about it

how high does the spinal numb you? Can you feel yourself breathing?

curlyq625 · September 2013

I had a spinal with my DS and have another scheduled for Wednesday, I had no trouble breathing and have never heard anyone who did.

AlwaysForgetful · September 2013

Out of the 3 spinal blocks I have had (my first baby was an Epi Csection) I have never had that issue that was caused by the spinal block. I HAVE ended up with spinal headaches, but not any issues breathing.

The only time I had problems breathing was when I was having a slight panic attack on the table. It is just odd to be numb but feel the pulling sensations. Plus, the Dr. was training someone and it was a little unnerving. The 2nd time was because baby was up high (he did not want to come out) so they were pushing way up my midsection trying to get him down (after forsepts failed and they were on the 2nd kiwi attempt).

mcg512 · September 2013

hellokittyrn4 said:

It's good to hear it doesn't happen to everyone. A friend of mine had it happen to her and well now I'm anxious about it. I know I'll have an anxiety attack worrying about it how high does the spinal numb you? Can you feel yourself breathing?

There are a million different things could happen to one person and not another. Don't stress about all the possibilities or you'll send yourself into an anxiety attack right now. And for the love, do NOT google anything. You'll be numb so you don't feel the operation but you will still be able to feel yourself breathing. Just keep telling yourself everything will be fine and keep your eye on the prize, the LO you will be meeting very soon!!

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

I appreciate everyone's input. I am trying to keep calm and not go into it worrying since that will only make it worse. Mandycody36 I unfortunately googled it haha which obviously made it so much worse as all I read about were horror stories. I'm just trying to see how other people reacted to the spinal block even though I know it's different for everyone.

imakeeff0rts · September 2013

Hopefully this will turn into one of those situations where you're horrified of it now, but once you actually have it you'll laugh at yourself for being so worried.

Obviously there are risks and horror stories for any medical procedure, but people (both men and women) have spinals every day with minimal or no problems/complaints.

Agreed with @MandyCody36 - step away from Google. Good luck.

juliane2004 · September 2013

I've had 3 c/s, and no trouble breathing.

SnoopyLuv · September 2013

I had absolutely no issues with my spinal. They gave it to me with a shot of morphine and I was in bliss. I'm more scared of an epidural this time around than the spinal since the spinal is a one shot deal and the epidural is a catheter. They literally gave me a numbing shot, then 5 seconds later the actual shot and then quickly had me lie down. It took all of 10 seconds and I immediately was numb from about the collarbone down (but my arms were OK). It was not painful, uncomfortable, nothing.

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

I probably am worrying about it way too much. I'm good for worrying and getting myself anxious. The thought of being numb from my chest down panicks me since you can't feel your chest rise and fall. I'm sure once my baby is out ill be less focused on me and more focused on her

Shanmarie1083 · September 2013

The anesthesiologist will be right next to you the whole time. If you start to panic they can quickly give you something through the IV to calm you down. I had a bit of a panic attack with my previous section, I told the doctor and within seconds I was feeling relaxed.

alatham · September 2013

I don't recall having any trouble breathing either. The spinal sucks mostly because you're by yourself when they do it. At least in my case I was alone when it was done because they did it right before C-section in the OR before they allowed SO in the room.

roo1oo · September 2013

You can always tell your doctor in advance that you're nervous about the procedure and they can give you something to calm you. Only bummer about that is you may not remember much of the delivery.

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

Yeah I feel like I may need something to calm my nerves a little. I'm known to give myself panic attacks when I'm nervous and don't know what to expect. And of course one of the things that happens when I'm having a panic attack is my body and chest go numb and I have difficulty breathing. I did mention this to one of the doctors and she rudely told me the anesthesiologist would deal with me. I'm sure I'm not the first to worry about it.

TashnBabii · September 2013

hellokittyrn4 said:

Yeah I feel like I may need something to calm my nerves a little. I'm known to give myself panic attacks when I'm nervous and don't know what to expect. And of course one of the things that happens when I'm having a panic attack is my body and chest go numb and I have difficulty breathing. I did mention this to one of the doctors and she rudely told me the anesthesiologist would deal with me. I'm sure I'm not the first to worry about it.

I'm 35 weeks pregnant and my baby is currently in a transverse position. If he does not adjust to the head down position, I will need a c section. Either way, I am scared of a needle going into my back, and I also suffer from anxiety disorders. Try to think about the fact that these people went to medical school and are (hopefully) competent. I'm not sure if this will help. I'm a FTM and not there yet, so who knows how I will feel once the time comes! Haha

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

Thank you! I definitely have faith in the medical team, it's me I worry about haha. I'm just hoping I'm blowing the whole procedure out of proportion and it ends up being less frightening then I'm imagining. Oddly I'm more worried about the spinal block/numbness then the actual surgery.

i just can't wait to meet my little girl!

BSnipes35 · September 2013

Here's how it went for me, and how it felt: You sit up on the operating table with your legs out in front (DH cannot be in there at this point), and you kinda hunch your shoulders and look down. The nurse is next to you, the anesthesiologist is behind. He swabs your back with antiseptic, then a numbing shot which just kinda stings. Then, they tell you to be really still and he attempts the spinal block. It took three tries for me, because I have scoliosis and my spine is curved. They will tell you this: as soon as the block is successful, they VERY QUICKLY lay you back. And, it's true. They all kinda grab you and lay your head back on the table. It starts in your toes and feels like when your feet fall asleep.

They drape you and let DH come in. It takes maybe five minutes and the weird tingling feeling travels from your feet to about your rib cage. The tingling only lasts a minute, then that part of you is numb, while the tingling continues to travel. They will take a needle or their finger and poke you on your sternum and ask if you can feel it. The drape is up, so you cannot see them doing this. If you feel it, just tell them and they'll wait another minute. You can feel your arms and your boobs.

I didn't experience any trouble breathing, but when they pushed on the top of my belly to push DS1 out, I held my breath. It felt like a fat man sitting on my chest. Of course, they told me what they were doing all along, so I knew it was coming. But, I didn't expect all the pressure. It didn't hurt, but my natural reaction was to hold my breath. I remember them telling me to breathe.

DH can bring baby over, and I touched his face and kissed him. Then, they sew you up. I sent DH with DS1 to the nursery, and I will do this again. Once they're done, they wheel you to recovery. By this time, you can easily sit yourself up in bed, hold baby, etc. Your legs will still feel heavy, and eventually they will tingle again and the feeling comes all the way back. I was up and walking around a few hours later.

AObub · September 2013

You're not alone. I'm scheduled for my C-section in two weeks and am worrying about the spinal. I never heard anything from anyone about breathing problems but I'm worried about my blood pressure. It's already on the low side and I heard spinals make it go lower. I've been told that it's a manageable situation but it's still scary.

One of my biggest concerns is the "spinal efficiency test". I don't want for them to rely on MY judgment to determine whether it worked or not. I don't trust myself when I'm stressed. I hope that they do something unmistakably painful to test the area. Poking with a finger won't cut it

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

Thank you BSnipes35 for your detailed description! It helps to hear reassuring stories instead of all the horror stories you read about. As long as I feel myself breathing I will hopefully do well. I just know since people put it in my head that it feels like you are suffocating that I'll go into the c-section panicking and cause myself to feel that way. Hopefully with my fiance and the staff I will remain somewhat calm. :-S

gladygirlca · September 2013

I'm asthmatic and had a little trouble when I was first laid down after my epidural was placed. They tilted me (my head) down a little too much. I quickly got out that I was getting tunnel vision and having breathing trouble, and they got me into a better position and gave me O2 just to help. When the epidural was switched to spinal for my c-section, I didn't have any issues. I get claustrophobic in an oxygen mask, so as I was being wheeled to recovery, I begged to get the mask off, but other than that, I was good. I'm also nervous as I have my second c-section scheduled in November. I may ask for an anti-anxiety med for the day before and morning of...we'll see. My OB said she'd do that for me if I felt I really needed it.

gladygirlca · September 2013

One thing I did experience was the shakes after the procedure. I've since read that this is pretty normal as the spinal wears off. I remember being so exhausted and emotionally drained from the long labor, that the shaking made me cry because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to hold my baby for shaking too badly. I did hold him and the nurse was right there next to me for added support. By the time I was in my actual room, the shaking had mostly stopped.
<:-P

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

Thank you gladygirlca! I appreciate you explaining your experience to me and its reassuring to know that you have asthma and still didn't really experience trouble breathing with the spinal. I'm hoping I'm as lucky and that I'm just listening to all the people who had bad experiences rather then the norm. I know the medical team is wonderful with keeping you calm and know what they are doing but the thought of feeling like your suffocating sounds awful even if it is for a few minutes!

gladygirlca · September 2013

Do your best to communicate how you're feeling, even if you're not sure how you're feeling. Only you know how you feel. People are always quick to share bad stuff, and not as quick to share good/expected experiences. I'm sure you'll be fine and well taken care of. Try to relax because our nerves can contribute to how our bodies react, and let your team know you're experiencing anxiety about this unknown experience. I'm sure you'll get support before hand, and they'll know to be extra reassuring to you as you go through the experience. Good luck!

ScarlettV · September 2013

My DH is an anesthesiologist and does these all the time, especially for c sections. I can ask him in the morning how common shortness of breath is or if its something to worry about.

I've been pretty worried about having a possible spinal, and thus have been up his butt with questions, lol...but so far he's been very honest and I'm starting to feel more comfortable with the idea.

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

Thank you ScarlettV that would be great if you spoke to your husband. Maybe if I hear it from someone who actually performs them ill relax some

ScarlettV · September 2013

@hellokittyrn4:

So this sensation isn't uncommon and it can happen sometimes.

What it is is the numb sensation can sometimes travel towards your chest. It is in NO WAY actually affecting your ability to breathe or your lungs and they are not going to become paralyzed; you can breathe just fine the entire time. It's just that sometimes this numb sensation can feel weird because you can't feel your chest moving like normal, so people 'think' they can't breathe or are short of breath - but you actually aren't. Naturally that freaks people out sometimes and they hyperventilate a little.

So in the end, you could feel this way but it's important to remember that it's just a 'sensation'. Your lungs are working just fine and you are not going to suffocate. Just breathe normally and stay calm and remind yourself that it's just a feeling and that is all.

And also this doesn't happen to everyone, so don't go into it expecting it. Chances are good you will feel just fine and you don't want to fixate and work yourself up so that you think you're feeling something when you're not.

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

Thank you so much for looking into that for me! I have to try and keep myself calm and not think to hard about the breathing issue or else ill make myself believe I can't breathe. Trying to keep myself from worrying about it is the problem haha.

yorumsfield · September 2013

ScarlettV said:

@hellokittyrn4:

So this sensation isn't uncommon and it can happen sometimes.

What it is is the numb sensation can sometimes travel towards your chest. It is in NO WAY actually affecting your ability to breathe or your lungs and they are not going to become paralyzed; you can breathe just fine the entire time. It's just that sometimes this numb sensation can feel weird because you can't feel your chest moving like normal, so people 'think' they can't breathe or are short of breath - but you actually aren't. Naturally that freaks people out sometimes and they hyperventilate a little.

So in the end, you could feel this way but it's important to remember that it's just a 'sensation'. Your lungs are working just fine and you are not going to suffocate. Just breathe normally and stay calm and remind yourself that it's just a feeling and that is all.

This is exactly how I felt when I had my spinal done with my daughter's ER c-section. It passed after a minute or two, but I remember having to calm myself down because I panicked a little.

Having my second baby tomorrow morning via c-section (breech), so I'm a little more prepared this time! Good luck... keep your eye on the prize!!

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

Good luck yorumsfield!! I hope your c-section goes well today!! Thank you everyone who is giving me reassuring advice so I can hopefully go into my c-section a little less nervous. If anyone else has experiences with a spinal block please share with me

CHI-06 · September 2013

My advice is to talk a lot with your anasteseologist (sp?). Tell them what you're feeling and they can usually help.

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

I'm definitely going to but that's not until the day of the c-section. I tried talking to my OB but they tell me the anesthesiologist will deal with me so they aren't much help

lijah · September 2013

I didn't have breathing problems with spinal!

hellokittyrn4 · September 2013

I finally talked to one of the doctors at my office who said the breathing difficulty happens about 50% of the time and there is nothing they can give me prior to the csection for anxiety but once that baby is out they can so pretty much I have to deal with the sensation until the baby is born. I'm hoping it doesn't even happen because I want to be alert and bonding after baby is born

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