Lumbar puncture-- my story of great pain!

[GoingDown]

My doctor recently ordered an M.R.I. and lumbar puncture for me and I was assured by many people that it is painless and no big deal.

I believed them and did it.

They were so wrong.

Now I know that some people have them and have very little discomfort, but if I had known the amount of pain and weird sensations for days afterward that I was in for, there is no way I would have gone through with it.

My feeling is that they could have found out what they needed to know from the M.R.I. without doing a lumbar puncture. And if I had it to do over again, I would have done the M.R.I. first and then asked for the results, and only if it was absolutely necessary would I go ahead with the lumbar puncture.

They had me get up on a table and lie flat on my stomach, and then they sterilized the part of my back where the needle was going to go.

They felt along my spine to find the exact location in between my vertebrae where the needle would be going and then they even injected local anesthetic in that area first. That was no big deal. But when the big needle went in, I could feel it once it got past the numb area and started bumping up against my spine and then it slipped between the vertebrae and went into my spinal cord, and that was among the very worst feelings I have ever experienced in my life.

It made me want to cry, it was that bad.

I started also feeling all sorts of weird nerve feelings running down my legs, and for some reason, even my shoulders started to involuntarily twitch and shake. I started feeling like I needed to vomit, and then I almost fainted from the pain.

And then guess what? The spinal fluid stopped dripping out into the tube, and they had to do it all over again with a new puncture. And the fun started all over again. They finally got enough fluid and then I had to roll over onto my back and lie there for 4 hours without getting up or moving at all.

When I went home, my right leg was numb. My back was in so much pain, I could hardly walk, and I had the worst headache of my life.

I went home and went to bed and when I got up the next morning, by back still hurt and my leg was no longer numb, but in great pain.

My headache was lessened by drinking coffee. It does seem to help with that.

And after a few days, the pain slowly went away, and I was able to go back to my normal routines.

But don't let anyone tell you that a lumbar puncture is not a big deal. Everyone is different, and maybe it won't affect you in this manner. But just make an informed decision if anyone says you need a lumbar puncture. Weigh the risks and rewards and decide whether you want to take a chance on it or not.

From what I understand, it's like rolling the dice. Some people have little or no discomfort from the procedure. Others have a nightmarish experience like I did.

I just wanted to get this out there are warn anyone may face this choice in the future.

[keepsmiling]

Aw jeez, so sorry to hear. What exactly are they looking for? I hope the worst if over for you now.
Did two mri's last week and that's unpleasant enough without the needle. Yuck.
What are they going to do for you next?
Friend went for back surgery and had terrible results. Can no longer walk. Terrifying.

[tobee43]

ahhhhhhh goingdown, i'm so sorry for what you are going through. the back is a tricky part of the body and i'm certain a very difficult choice to make.

[AngelinaCat]

From what I have read and heard since 1996, when I had my spinal fusion, I gather that I am one of the very lucky ones in that I am almost 98% w/o pain, and can walk normally. But I also understand that to undergo back surgery, it has to be extremely serious. For me it was; if I hadn't had the surgery, I would be paralyzed today.

Be sure that you have a very reputable doctor and hospital. For me, God placed us in Houston, Texas, in 1996 where the Texas Medical Center and Methodist Hospital are. Thank you, Texas!

[kawh]

Sorry you had such a traumatic procedure.

Probably the skill and experience of the operator is a big factor, and you might have been contributing to someone's experience bank.

[kornellred]

Going Down - was this a common "spinal tap" to obtain spinal fluid for analysis or was it a myelogram - a test where a radio-opaque dye is injected into the spinal cord sheath to determine the extent of stenosis?
In either case, what happened to you should not have happened. Whoever performed the puncture did not execute the procedure very well. The most dangerous side effect of a myelogram is arachnoiditis, which is an infection of the arachnoid sheath around the spinal cord. There is no cure for it, and it often causes excruciating pain that requires the implantation of a morphine pump in a worst-case scenario. There is no way of predicting if it will happen - that is why you sign all kinds of release forms before the procedure.
If you are functioning adequately at present, you are probably OK. My spine has been punctured a dozen times over the course of my life for various reasons (pneumoencephalogram, saddle block anesthesia, myelograms, ordinary spinal taps) and I have never experienced discomfort because of the procedures on any occasion.

Best of luck to you.

[AngelinaCat]

I had a myelogram prior to my surgery, and I was more terrified of it than I was of the surgery itself, for exactly the reasons that GoingDown relates. But I did not have any trouble.

GD--I certainly hope and pray that you are on the mend from this procedure and will not have any further trouble.

[GoingDown]

The reason my doctor ordered the lumbar puncture and the M.R.I. was because my sciatica has recently become much worse, and he wants to rule out the possibility of tumors and M.S.

Part of my job is installing wiring and fixtures for recessed lights. I stand on a 12 foot ladder most of the day, sometimes arching back to reach the junction box and make up connections. At times I get a terrible pain in my lower back followed by shooting pains running up and down my right leg, followed by a pain in the leg that forces me to get down off the ladder and go sit down to relieve the pain. Sometimes, getting on my back and slowly pulling one knee at a time in to touch my chest relieves the pain for hours. But the pain has gotten worse, and there is now some numbness in my right leg. It generally goes away by morning, but after a full day of work, it comes back.

I personally don't think it has anything to do with M.S., nor tumors, but this is what I have to go through to get continued treatment. They have to rule out certain things before they will move forward with treatment.

I just wanted to warn everyone out there facing a lumbar puncture that it can be quite painful. But maybe because my back is already screwed up, the lumbar puncture was more painful for me than it would be for someone without a bad back.

[AngelinaCat]

I was in so much pain with my back, that I don't think I would even notice a lumbar puncture. After I had my surgery, I actually was scolded by the anesthesiologists, who thought I wasn't using my morphine pump as often as they thought I should. The truth is, the surgery so improved my back--and my pain tolerance was already so high--that I didn't need it.

I had sciatica like yours also. Your doctor may also be wanting to rule out Spondylolisthesis, Spondylolysis, and Spondylosis. I had all of those. Here is a link to an article I found:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1266860-overview

I certainly hope that you don't have any of this, and a successful course of treatment will be found.

[angel7821]

I hope to hell I never have to have that lumbar procedure. It sounds like a nightmare.

[Pandora]

Been there done that and could write a horror novel based on my experience.

Sorry you had to endure it Going...

FYI - if you are ever facing a spinal tap - make SURE your doctor orders a blood patch and has it as a "standing order". If you dont ensure this order is in place, you could end up like I did years ago... on the floor, literally - for a full week; throwing up, passing out anytime I tried to stand or even kneel - and massive migraines to the point of passing out.

Cause: Spinal fluid leakage due to tap not sealing as they "normally do". Had to endure another puncture to put my own blood back into my spinal column to seal the leak.

NEVER AGAIN... my back still isnt right from that last one they did...it hurts more now than it did then!

[GoingDown]

NEVER AGAIN... my back still isnt right from that last one they did...it hurts more now than it did then!

This is how I feel, too. Never again. I will never submit to another lumbar puncture, for any reason. It is just not worth it to me.

The doctor now has me on some very powerful meds, and I'm feeling a bit loopy at the moment. I have never taken any pain meds in the past, so this is a new experience for me.