Lumbar Puncture Side Effects

victoriadw84
victoriadw84 Posts: 77 Member
in Chit-Chat
Hi There.
I am looking for some feedback from anyone who has had a spinal tap and how they felt afterwards. I had gone to our Hospital Emergency and it was suggested they get spinal fluid, this was about 3:00am Saturday morning. it is now 72 hours later and I am feeling very nauseous, weak, tired. I have read that within 2-3 days of the procedure you can start to experience post symptoms and can last 7-10 days but the most common symptom I read about is the headache. Is there anyone who has felt the same as I and if so does it get better soon? I guess I am impatient, I was doing so well with my exercise and eating well and now its at a stand still considering how I feel. Thank you in advance for the replies.

Replies

  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Hi There.
    I am looking for some feedback from anyone who has had a spinal tap and how they felt afterwards. I had gone to our Hospital Emergency and it was suggested they get spinal fluid, this was about 3:00am Saturday morning. it is now 72 hours later and I am feeling very nauseous, weak, tired. I have read that within 2-3 days of the procedure you can start to experience post symptoms and can last 7-10 days but the most common symptom I read about is the headache. Is there anyone who has felt the same as I and if so does it get better soon? I guess I am impatient, I was doing so well with my exercise and eating well and now its at a stand still considering how I feel. Thank you in advance for the replies.

    It can take up to 24 hours for the body to reproduce one ounce of cerebrospinal fluid.

    You dont have a choice - you have to be patient....

    If you are having symptoms that you are concerned about, you really need to contact the clinic directly to let them know....

    Exercising is not important at all right now - the more common sense of 'getting better' is much more important. Dont risk injury because you are being impatient.... the last thing you need is to complicate things
  • Birdie
    Birdie Posts: 256 Member
    If you have a headache go back immediately. My husband had one done and got sick with a head splitting headache. It turned out he had a spinal fluid leak, which is a common side effect. They had to do a blood patch and give IV caffine to fix it. They told him if he hadn't come in it could have been fatal.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    I don't know anything about it but I hope you feel better really soon! Take care.
  • marnet12
    marnet12 Posts: 73 Member
    Had one done the first of this year to rule out MS. I was miserable for at least three days. My head hurt so bad I was on the verge of tears every minute. That said, it did go away. If you are not feeling better within 3-4 days after the procedure, you could have a leak, but don't freak out. It is a simple fix. Best advice, when in doubt, go back.

    Feel better soon, I hurt for you!
  • jdennis719
    jdennis719 Posts: 32 Member
    I'm no medical professional here, however, my husband had the same thing.
    I insisted that he go back as well and they also gave him a 'blood patch', because wherever they had drawn the spinal fluid for some reason didnt clot back closed and it was a slow leak. While this can be normal, it isnt supposed to last long. His lasted a few days before I took him back. The 'blood patch' gave him IMMEDIATE relief.

    You should at the very least call the physician who performed your procedure. Or go to your ER.
    This is not something that you should risk taking chances on.
    I wish you luck.
  • victoriadw84
    victoriadw84 Posts: 77 Member
    Thank you all so much! Your replies and support are wonderful. I am going back to my hospital in about 20 minutes. It was recommended by my doctors office. Because I cant drink or eat I may be dehydrated and I suppose they will check for the leak. Thank you all again I cant wait to be up and going soon :) Bless you all!
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    Hope everything went ok yesterday! :)
  • victoriadw84
    victoriadw84 Posts: 77 Member
    Hey everyone! Thank you again for your replies.
    I went to the hospital, after a few hours waiting I saw a doctor and because I couldnt eat or drink due to feeling nauseous he suggested I eat and drink and wait it out as he figures its a virus I have and it can a week to two weeks to feel better. Well its been 48hrs and my head still feels heavy, slight nausea and if I try to walk or "over do" myself which takes nothing I feel hot and sweaty and my back feels like it tweeks sometimes. I still have a feeling its from the spinal procedure so I am calling my family doctor tomorrow in hopes to see him and talk about it and hopefully we can figure it out. I am just nervous I rather get it dealt with now before it gets worse but Im no doctor myself so I will just keep trying.
  • Tangerine302
    Tangerine302 Posts: 1,509 Member
    Hope your family dr will give you more information. Hope you feel better soon! :)

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