To feel that I can be the judge of what is adequate pain relief for me?

[PrettyCandles]

I have to have a little surgical procedure done on my perineum. I wanted to discuss pain relief:

"Oh, don't worry, I will give you a local anaesthetic."
"But what about pain relief for the injecion itself?"
"It's a local anaesthetic, you won't feel anything."
"Yes, I understand, but what about when the needle goes in?"

Conversation then goes round and round in circles. It takes a while for him to understand that I want pain relief before he sticks a needle in my ladybits. I've been through this a few times, and I find it excruciatingly painful.

He offers to use a different type of needle. It's still a bloody needle! (What's that joke? "Just a little prick with a needle.")

Eventually he asks me what I suggest. Yeah, right, like I'm the doctor. Fortunately, and thanks to Marvelous Mumsnet, I am able to suggest Emla cream.

"OK, well, if that's what you want." and then tries again to explain that I won't need it because he's going to give me a local.

ARGH!

I bet if he'd ever had a needle shoved in his glans penis, he'd be a heck of a lot more understanding.

Right. Got that off my chest.

YANBU !!!

yanbu.

YANBU.

When it comes to the, erm, personal area there is no YABU. Your foof, your judgement

Have you thought about asking him what pain relief he had when he last had an injection in his vagina ?

YANBU. Your body, you should decide. EMLA cream rocks. What about a mild sedative like lorazepam or alprazolam, as well? Takes the edge off your ability to perceive pain. And you can dose yourself with paracetamol and ibuprofen half an hour before, and every four hours after.

YANBU.

Actually, what I'd really like is my fist on the mouthpiece of a G&A tank! But I was so hacked off at having to argue for Emal, that I forgot about the G&A.

Sht! I just thought - I hope he's going to use disolving stitches! Oh fck fck fck.

I don't normally swear, but sometimes nothing else quite fits.

Jeez, what a moron!

I have had fillings,& I find as soon as the needle goes in,the anaesthetic starts to work.

Also had laser treatment for abnormalsmear & foud the same thing.

Recently had a boil removed& had 2xLA, and fück me, never felt such pain!!
Stung & hurt like hell!

Was crushing holding nurses hand harder than I did husband´s when I gave birth!

Jaysus, I won't have a blood test without emla cream, I'm a coward and I don't care who knows it!

If you don't do pain, you don't do pain! Its not a crime or the the sign of the devil incarnate. You poor soul, thank goodness you got some wise advice and a doctor who listened to you at last.

Good luck with the op too.

Vallhala, would rather give birth that have a blood test

Are you having this in a doctor's surgery or at a hospital? Because if at a hospital, you know they have gas & air available - demand some before he gets started, and if they're arseholes about it, refuse to get on the table without it.
You can always ask him how he'd like to be circumcised, for example, without pain relief. Any female nurse in the area will giggle back you up.

Have you had your procedure? How did it go?

Just a quickie to say that I work in a hospital and while you might logically THINK that gas and air is available and you can just demand it i wouldn't bet on it!

Whenever i ahve tried to get some for a patient (about twice) there has been loads of b*llocks about protocol and needing the pain sister there and can't get it etc etc all the while I am banging my head against ther proverbial brick wall trying to point out that it is not so effing hard to use / se up etc! It would honestly be easier to get morphine. By miles.

Just saying that to make sure that if you want gas and air to make sure you ask well in advance and get it in writing (ask for copy of clnic letter and ensure it states this in it). Not saying that that means it will happen but that hopefully if it has been preagreed people won't treat you like you are mad for asking on the day

good luck!

I haven't yet got a date for the procedure - needed to check babysitting availability first - but it will be at our local 'hospital'. I don't know quite what to call it: used to be the town's hospital, but is now a multi-disciplinary clinic, with a few inpatient wards mostly for geriatrics I think. I would have thought that they have G&A on the premises, but, as Alicet says, it would be a ridiculous hassle to actually make it available to me.

But I've been thinking over the situation, and I think that, with the Emla, I shouldn't need the G&A. G&A doesn't really help with the pain of the needle, it just distracts me.

Just thinking about this brings back the memories of being stitched after giving birth, and how I felt everything. And how the bstrd dr would not believe that I could feel it. Fortunately, with my second dc I was stitched by the midwifery sister, who was a complete Godsend, and who kept me informed of what she was doing. So I do know that the acute sensation was in fact her finger touching me, and the dull pressure was in fact the needle on an anaesthetised area.

Aaaah the joys of being a woman

I think you are probably right prettycandles. Poss even ask for a mild sedative as well if you think it might help? Would mean you would need someone to take you home and be with you for approx 24 hours after though.

hope it goes ok...

Oh, good luck prettycandles. I too remember being butchered stitched up after Jackbaby's birth and the cow of an OB who messed me up did it would not believe that my epidural was wearing off even though I was moaning with pain. Her reasoning was that if my epi was wearing off I'd be able to move my legs. Ha bloody ha. 36 hours of labour and over 4 hours of pushing plus massive blood loss would leave most people too knackered to move their legs. [bitter emoticon]
So I'm sure you can see why I'm rather passionate about proper pain relief being provided.
I so hope you get what you need. Will be thinking of you and hope it goes well.

Date set: Friday 20th. My GP has been most understanding - in my bathroom cabinet I now have Emla for 'pre-op', and Diclofenac suppositories for post-op.

This will soon be behind me (or should I say "beneath me").

'Tis done.

And no pain. Emla did the job.

Tho Dr Plonker thinks it was his deft hand with the needle. Er hello? Excuse me, but I've had needles there before, with epidural, with G&A, and I have NEVER not felt the prick and sting.

All morning I've been trying to distract myself from very intrusive and vivid memories of being injected and stitched after childbirth. Now I've had a 'good' experience, and I know that procedures down there need not be excruciating. If I have to undergo this sort of thing again I will at least have a gentle, non-frightening memory to help me, rather than an extremely distressing memory to upset me.

I'm still high on adrenalin and Dicolfenac (plus a numb yet strangely tingling fanjo). And chocolate of course.