Beyond Blood

Book excerpt: Saturday, December 14, 2013. The case ended up taking seven hours. Her incision stretched from pubic bone to sternum. Although saturated with narcotic, she awakened writhing in pain. Any more pain meds . . . and she’d quit breathing. With help to carefully turn and position her onto her side, I then slipped in an epidural catheter. I put it up high, to be sure the band of numbness would cover the length of her incision. Within minutes after the first dose, she morphed into an entirely different person, chatting with us. Need for IV narcs, gone. She was able to take deep breaths and cough without pain. How could I have lived with myself had I not taken this extra step? It likely helped shorten her hospital stay and reduce the cost. Curses to any payer claiming epidurals for post-op pain are not necessary. Damn any CEO taking credit for the savings while putting a portion into his own pocket.