I argued with the nurse, and cried and begged not to have a catheter after they pushed me into having an epidural i didnt need. She basically said I wont be able to pee, so Ill need it. No choice at all.
When I had an epidural I had;
a drip in my hand
a permanent blood pressure cuff
2 belts on my bump as i couldnt feel contractions, and 1 to monitor LO
a cetheter
a clip on my finger measuring my oxygen levels
the epidural tube coming out my back
when LO became distressed I also had a screw going into his head (up my foo) to measure heartrate accurately and an oxygen mask.
I was like the bionic woman with 8 tubes and wires in various parts of my body. It was pretty shocking when Id planned a water hypnobirth!
Personally having the epidural was the worst thing for me, but I didnt really want it so I think its very different if you were in so much pain that you really wanted it, you might love it then!