You will be anesthetized; this can happen several ways. Most likely, you’ll have either spinal or epidural anesthesia. With both forms, you remain conscious and aware of the procedure, even though you can’t feel it. In spinal anesthesia, you’ll receive a shot of local anesthetic in the small of your back through the dura, the membrane lining the spinal cord, and into your spinal fluid. Within minutes, you’ll feel numb, relaxed and heavy from your waist to your toes. After surgery, you’ll be asked to lie flat in bed until the numbness goes away and you can move your legs again. This is important; sitting up too soon can cause a severe headache. Epidural anesthesia is like having an IV tube hooked up to your back, instead of to a vein in your arm. A local anesthetic enters the body through a tiny plastic tube, inserted between the vertebrae of your spine near the small of your back. The epidural anesthetic (often used to provide pain relief in pregnant women during labor) bathes the area outside the membrane lining the spinal cord, temporarily numbing the nerves in your lower body. Unlike spinal anesthesia, which comes in one dose, epidural anesthesia can be given continuously. The area of numbness can be adjusted; so can the degree of pain relief. After surgery, this tube can also be used to administer pain relief for the first few days.

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