Big wimp survives Lumbar Puncture
- Had my first LP this week, so very scared and my Neuro was great. He numbed me then told me he was going to put the anasthetic deeper. Told me to relax, laid me out flat and talked to me for over 30 mins. He then asked me if I was ready. I said yes and told me to go home. The crafty begger had done the LP when I thought he was numbing for the 2nd time. It stung, basically it feels like someone is sticking a needle in your back!! but it is bearable and only lasts seconds. I've had no headache or any pain. Have taken it easy, took 2 days off work and drank lots of water and ate crisps (Salt helps) I am a big wimp and so surprised how easy it was.
- —Guest Sarah Pearce
Make sure they freeze you good
- I had a LP done yesterday, however I don't freeze that well with topical so I felt it. So hear is a little advice if you take forever to freeze at the dentist tell the neuro this as then he can adjust for your high metabilism. The procedure was not too bad accept they missed on the first try and hit bone. After that the procedure was pretty quick/painless. When I got home I developed the worst headache in my life and it is still with me 24 hours later. I hate feeling debilitated and that is exactly what this headache is. Very debilitating. I have a high pain tolerance, I know I do I have had major surgeories where i never had this much pain. I have returned to work after one day of having heart surgeory so that is how I know this is not your normal procedure. This is very painful. And I hope it goes away very soon. I can't take much more of this.
- —Guest burkular
Post Lumbar puncture headache
- Most debilitating headache that will not go away. It has been almost 24 hours exactly and the headache is so horrible. I hope it goes away soon
- —Guest burkular
Mine was Fine
- I had a lumbar puncture a few days ago and it went very well. Didn't feel a thing, no headache afterwards. Nothing to get worried about. Didn't need an x-ray machine or anything.
- —Guest Guest from NZ
listen to this advise
- They tell you to lay in the hospital bed and don't sit up ect...DON'T..common sense. When you get released, they say don't bend lift ect for so many hours/days...DON'T. The spinal headache is like no other headache. I thought I felt fine, didn't do much but did do a little bending. THAT was my BIG mistake. I leaked and had a headache of death for 3 days and only felt better after laying down for a while and ended up in the ER and had what they call a blood patch. The outcome was immediate releaf and awesome, but getting a needle inserted in my spine and arm at the same time, NOT! The spinal tap itself, not any problem at all, I didn't even know they were doing it at the time and I thought they were still numbing me. Time was very fast and I had tears in my eyes because of the the worrying I had done with having to. WHEW....boy was I silly on both parts.
- —Guest grizbaby
Lumbar Puncture Isn't That Bad!
- I was sent for a lumbar puncture at the age of 17 to confirm my MS. Symptoms and MRI indicated it was highly likely it was MS. I have never stayed in hospital over night before so was absolutely terrified at the idea of staying in for 3 days. I got the Lumbar Puncture the 2nd day. I stupidly looked at the needles before they done the procedure ... don't do that! The anesthetic was quite painful. It did sting and stab quite a bit but after that I felt nothing ... the only thing i felt were the doctors hands pressing locating the best area to gather the CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) from. When the second needle when in i was completely unaware anything was being done. They had me move my leg, cough and breathe deeply to get the fluid moving. The whole experience wasn't half as bad as I imagined it. I didnt get the headache after it and within 30 minutes I was walking about the ward again. The worst part is the nervousness beforehand and the anesthetic. Everything else is pain free!! :)
- —Guest Gillian
Why am i still suffering....
- with headache and stiff neck five years after epidural tap
- —Guest Claire
under x-ray not bad
- i had a spinal tap several years ago and had a headache that landed me in the ER for a blood patch that solved the problem. Seven years later I'm still having trouble, my MRI showed worse stuff. So I had a spinal tap yesterday under flouroscope or xray. It was not as bad and today I've had no headache but I am super super sore.
- —Guest kellyd
Demand it done in radiology
- When I had my first attack (that I now know was the first sign of MS) I lost the use of both legs. They did an MRI and found what they referred to as "abnormal grey matter" in my brain, and swelling in one section of my spine. So they did a LP. In my hospital room, in my bed. It was pure hell, painful stabbing, like when you have a straw in a cup of ice, and are trying to get that straw to the bottom of the cup but you can't. I laid there, screaming in pain, for almost an hour, before my mother burst in the room and demanded they stop. The next day they took me to radiology so they could see exactly where my bones were, put in the tube, tipped the table, and I was done. I was lying on my stomach reading a book the whole time. It was really nothing.
- —Guest O.Suzanna
Worst Headache after Spinal Tap
- I am twenty seven years old with two children. I went to the ER with the worst flu symptoms and a terrible headache. They tested me for everything including Meningitis. They said I had Viral Meningitis and to go home and rest! When I returned home I became a vegetable in bed for about four days! I experienced the worst pain in my head ever!!!!!!! I found out through a family doctor that I had a side effect due to a Spinal Tap. It was the worst experience of my life I still have pain in my back and some anxiety over the whole thing! It was such a traumatic experience I hope that no one ever has to through this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- —Guest Denise
LP to Confirm Results of Meningitis
- After 3 LP attempts and a successful fourth, they were able to confirm that I did not have Meningitis. So I rested for about 30 minutes and I was discharged from ER. The problems had just begun. The headaches were horrible and my primary doctor could not find a diagnosis of what was causing these headaches. I could not stand and when I did, I vomited. This lasted for about 5 days. No one couldn't tell me that I wasn't dying and the high dose pain killers did nothing. Prior to the headaches and the vomiting stopping, my doctor found out what that the spinal taps were causing the headaches and that I needed to have blood placed back in going through my spinal cord. It was the worse experience of my life. In addition, my doctor confirm that I should have rested lying flat on my back for a few hours after the LP before being released from ER. I wished that only ER would have told me this, it could have saved me from THE WORSE EXPERIENCE of MY LIFE!
- —rvenson
Just don't do it
- I had some lesions on the brain so went in for this wonderful procedure. It went very smoothly but I did have a severe post-lumbar headache. THEN I had two epidural blood patches to try and fix that. The "doctor" doing the first one stabbed me ten or so times and I've had horrible back pain (that has only gotten worse) for the past six months. I was a dancer among other things. Don't do it. Ask for ANY other test. Please.
- —Guest Miz Sylver
My leg
- I started getting blurred vision and pain with movement in my eye this is optic neuritis.I am 31 years old.I had a MRI they found a lesion on my brain so they did the lumbar puncture to check for MS it was very scary but turned out not to be as bad as I thought, now two weeks later and I still have pain it my butt and down my right leg which started right after he was done he struck a nerve will this ever go away who knows not even the doctor so the real question is in the end do you come out with more wrong with you then when you went in to it?
- —Guest Beth
Spinal Tap not Bad, Head Ache horrible
- The procedure was easy with drugs and the numbing made it almost painless but my head ache after is horrible. I feel useless i have to lay in bed or else the pain wont stop comming. This is four days after my surgery
- —Guest Jon
Lumbar Puncture - Bad, Stuck 4 times
- My lumbar puncture was a bad experience. An experienced neurologist did the procedure and stuck me about 4 times. He could not go thru as he said I must have bad arthritis in my lower back. After these attempts and my body shaking (probably shock) and tears flowing from eyes from the pain, he apologized and gave up. He said I was one for his medical book. Only of one of two patients in several decades that he couldn't do. I was sent to radiology for the computer digital guided x-ray LP. Wow, it was so much better. Very little pain more bareable. Most pain from that came when they pulled the needle out. Still waiting for the results. Its been about 10 days now. I had the LP headaches starting almost immediately. Mild at first. After two days, I had a very severe headache that moved down into my neck (the sides and front). Felt like I was going to blackout. Went home and laid down for two hours and the headache was gone. Tylenol taken but not much effectiveness. Caffiene too.
- —Guest Jay
