SPINAL TAP | LUMBAR PUNCTURE - Is it really that PAINFUL?
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- Hey Guys,
As part of my Multiple Sclerosis confirmation, my neurologist sent me for a Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap). I wanted to share my experience of the procedure and shed some light on how painful I actually found it.
The thing is that it is matter of luck. If you are lucky then everything goes well: minimal pain and successful first attempt and then you don't understand the negative stories. If you are less lucky then the needle will hit a nerve in your spine and believe me then you will experience some real pain and you will understand two things: those negative stories and why the nurse is standing there ready to intervene if you may jump or move or pass out. Another unlucky possibility is that the needle can find a vein and blood gets into the sample, in this case the sample has to be discarded and another puncture will be made. I experienced all of these so I can tell the difference.
My suggestion is to hope for the lucky version but prepare yourself and concentrate so that you do not move if the pay may come. And remember all the time that it will be over soon in any case. The pain goes away quickly after the procedure and then you can start to pray to avoid the headache. :) Drink a lot of water and lie flat as long as the doctor suggests to, these will help a lot.
I'm having a lumbar puncture done in nine hours. Before your video, I was very scared. Now I feel a lot better knowing a bit more of what to expect. Thanks for sharing your experience, Sophie!
How did it go? I go next week
My first lumbar puncher went exactly the same as yours, it wasn't painful but just found it a bit uncomfortable. Unfortunately my second procedure was horrible and everything seemed to go wrong. The local didn't take effect and my spine kept shifting so the needle kept hitting everything it shouldn't of. It took four attempts and in the end I ended up with a CSF leak. Despite this I always say to people I was probably one of the rare unlucky ones. But always advise if they ever have to have one done either choose not to let the trainee do it like I did. Or demand that the fully trained doctor does it if it is to painful or the trainee fails on the second attempt.
I am going tomorrow. Thank you so so much for the advice!
Thank you Sophie, wish I’d found your video when I thought they were going to give me a LP. In the end the neurologist didn’t need it but I got rather anxious about the possibility! Your video is very reassuring x
Had mine done this morning - absolutely fine. Aching a bit now and I had a bit of a headache for a while.
A little bit of discomfort when the needle went in, but no pain as such. But, I have had various unpleasant things done to my body over the years, so maybe it just didn't spook me so much.
The worst part was getting up at five to get to the hospital for seven!
I got the piece of paper to sign (and explaining the procedure) in advance, so I knew about pre and post-op stuff.
Some tips:
Take water with you, and cola - I don't know why, but caffeine is recommended for afterwards.
Have someone pick you up and take you home. This is tricky because you don't know for sure how you will react and how long you have to lie down for. But you cannot drive yourself and you should not try to get home alone, even on public transport or by taxi.
If you are not very flexible and you have time ( a few days before the procedure) do some stretching/yoga to try and loosen up your body a bit. Many people spend too long sitting down and have an inflexible back. They really need to you bend over as far as possible to get that needle into you.
Basically, relax and don't worry. Many people have had this done and the doctors know what they are doind.
I had the same fears as you did when I had my spinal tap done. My case was different because my neurologist had already told me he was pretty confident I had MS and left the decision to have it done to me. I don't know what was going through my mind at the time, but I wanted it done. I just so desperately wanted it NOT to be MS. But... oh well...
But it wasn't bad, like you I just had built it up in my head...
I had the exact same thoughts, you just have that hope that they could be wrong and the LP will come back all clear! That's brave of you voluntarily going for it I don't know if I were given the choice I would have said yes purely based on what I had heard in the past. I think sometimes it's a good thing in a way we build it up but then when it isn't that bad you have that surprised moment of 'I've totally got this'
@@SophieOnScreen Haha... well I don't know about "brave"... I think at the time I was a mixture of hopeless and scared out of my mind. But I like brave, so yeah, I was totally brave! :-)
@@SteveSolvesMS 100% Brave!!
@@SophieOnScreen Ahhh... Sophie... I love you already... haha....
Thank you for making this video... I have a swollen optic nerve caused by brain swelling and expecting to get one soon and I've been worrying myself sick since I found out
Hi Jade, hope everything goes well with the procedure it's so hard not to worry especially when it's completely unknown and you already have so much going on. Hopefully, this has helped in calming some nerves I'm here if you have any other questions.
Sophie xx
I am on the same boat!
How did it go with the swollen optic disk?
As I can see it was 3years ago.
I had a swollen optical nerve with fourth cranial nerve palsy in march. Because of this a lumbar puncture was done. The first two tries were fails and painful like hell. The third and working try was nearly without any pain. Nothing was found in the liquid. After 6 month the swelling and palsy was completly gone.
Glad yours was ok - I'm still recovering from mine over 3 wks ago. I can honestly say it was excruciating as they hit my CNS numerous times and it took about 6 times to get the needle in
Hello, wondering how long it took for yours to heal?
@@brodiethornberry4247 mine still hurts. Headache lasted 2 weeks, but I have pain at the entry site that's within my spinal column (procedure was beginning of December 2022).
My spinal tap procedure was not painful.... the aftermath was the serious pain for me.....terrible headache. Terrible headache. I am a new subscriber to your channel. Thank you for your journey.
Hi Jaci, I'm sorry to hear that, I hope it didn't last for too many days afterwards. did you do anything specific to help you get through? 💕
Sophie thank you for the reply.... the only thing that helped me was to try and lay down for 2 days. That was fun especially when or if I had to go to another room etc. I tried to walk sideways kind of. It looked so funny. I have found help via others’ UA-cam and one especially is Dr. Boster. I find his channel so helpful and he is so down to earth while explaining things in my opinion. He holds open UA-cam episodes where he takes questions. Take care Sophie.....❤️❤️❤️❤️
I just had one yesterday for ms, it wasn't that bad I do have a headache today though but it's a mild one and it goes away if I lay down
I had one four weeks ago having a total knee replacement. I’ve had one before having a planned Caesar. This time it was hell!!! I screamed and shook and was drooling they where panicking asking where I felt the pain. They had to pull it out and wait then sit me up then try again still painfull but I eventually went under and woke up in recovery. I could not feel my leg or move for two days. They had to check on me all day testing if I could feel anything. Will never have this again.
Thankfully when I had it done it was painless, the procedure and afterwards.
I’m worried this is what they’ll suggest for me & I just do not see myself being able to do it. Someone close to me had it done & they described it as one of the most painful experiences of their life.
Hi Honey! I know it's hard not to worry especially when you're going through different tests the thing to remember is everyone has different experiences but hopefully hearing mine might have lessened some worry. Have you heard if you have to get one?
I had to get a lumbar puncture because I have congenital hydrocephalus so they need to check the pressure in my brain because of these massive headaches that I have. It's also causing memory loss & being imbalance . I had 2 neurologist doctor who both fail miserably neither one of them couldn't even get any fluid out of my spine it was so painful. They kept asking me is it to the right or to the left . That was crazy because they're the so call Dr. Now I have to go to a interventional radiology to do another spinal tap to where they will have an x-ray or an ultrasound to guy the needle into my spine. These two 🤡so-called doctors should have done this in the first place. So I'm going tomorrow and I hope everything turn out well hopefully I don't have to go through these miserable unbearable pain again 😔
thank you for sharing your experience 🤍
I experienced a headache, spasms in my spine, & a tingling sensation down my legs after my spinal tap.
Mine was awful.... I screamed and cried like a baby! 😭😫
Ohh no Sandra I'm so sorry it was so bad for you :(
I personally found it way more painful than the doctor assured me it would be
I had one yesterday. It wasn't too painful, it just felt weird and it did last longer than I was told it would. I didn't get a headache. Honestly, the worst part was laying flat for 3 hours... that was rough!
i also have to get a lumbar puncture because i have swelling on my optic nerve and they said it was not calcium build up to i have to get a mrv and a lumbar puncture
I'm having one in like 10 mins I'm so nervous
@@drake8728 how did it go? If you had pain, how long did it last? Hope all is good!
Same today in 30 min
I refused a lumba puncher mri was enough prof for me.
Can't hear her, volume at 100%.
Hi Sophie, I’ve really been enjoying watching your videos. Would you be interested in doing some form of collab together at some point, like virtually xx
Hey, yeah absolutely I would love to!xx
Sophie xo awesome :) drop me an email and we can plan something, sambrom21@me.com
xx