What does a urinary catheter feel like?
They put it in after you have the epidural, once you are numb. You won’t really feel it – at most you might feel a bit of pressure or the sensation like you need to urinate, it’s totally normal. The epidural can be a beautiful thing, if it works right. And they aren’t perfect, so have a “plan B” if yours doesn’t work to your satisfaction. The only part that hurts is the numbing medication they use at the beginning, it’s a tiny poke and an intense burning sensation that lasts about 10 seconds. After that, the placement of the epidural itself is not painful, just more pressure and maybe a dull ache as they put the medication in. Sometimes as they slide the epidural tube in place you might feel an electric shock sensation, like when you hit your funny bone, but it’s very brief and then gone instantly, and it’s not a sign that something is wrong, it’s normal as it slides past the nerves. There are always risks with each and every intervention. Among them for the epidural are risk for a dec
