I went to Johns Hopkins to get a repeat LP done (last one done in 2003) and it was absolutely the worst experience I have ever had getting one. The doc had me sit up and curl over, which was different, but ok. He spent an inordinately long time drawing on my back marking bony structures. Then he decided to numb me a bit.

Aaah.... we're ready to do the procedure. Stick. HOLY COW!!! That friggin hurt. Then he doesn't get it. So he sticks me again. OMG!! OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!!

I'm now tenser than a coiled up spring. He goes in a third time. WTFriggin heck?????!!!!!! I'm going to emasculate him with my bare hands. If he digs any more, the table's going to have marks in the railing from my hands.

I make him stop for a moment, sit up and stretch my back just so I can relax a bit. He decides to give me a bit more local. Before he goes in again, he says, "Gee, if this doesn't work, we're going to go in by fluroscopy." Um.. ya think?? Better because otherwise you're going to be a eunuch.

His excuse? I have a lot of scar tissue back there. Ok, I've had two LPs in the past--one in 1984 and one in 2003. I had an epidural in 1982. A lot of scar tissue? Where is this guy from?

He got in the fourth time, but I have never been so sore in my life. I spent from Thursday when I got the LP until Sunday in pain and had to take Epsom salt baths to help relieve the muscle tightness and pain.

I'm really thinking that I'm never going to have another one again. That was the worst time I've ever had.

Now I have to sit back for the results. The neuro at Hopkins wasn't happy with the one that I had in 2003 because it didn't list the # of O bands. He questioned the procedure. I'm questioning the one I had at Hopkins, but we'll see what the results show.

Neuro said that he's not convinced that even if it shows O bands that he's going to be swayed that I have MS rather than having had TM. Ok, I'll live with that. But he didn't change my dx from MS to TM officially, so I'm going to still say I have MS until something changes officially.

So sorry that was so bad.
I can top that one tho
I did NOT get a numbing shot at all and was stuck 6 TIMES and he keep hitting a nerve that runs down the back of my left leg.

Oh dear Gazelle. What a terrible ordeal to have to go through.

I've never had one myself, but as an RN I certainly assisted with plenty over the years. I got to know which doctor's knew what they were doing, and which ones didn't...usually by the distress they put their patients through, as well as the excuses they made for their own failings.

I can't change what happened, but I do send you hugs, and hope you feel better soon.

Maybe it was the same guy? Or maybe they're related.

That really sucks. I'm surprised that you kept letting them go in. Yikes!

I picked my docs carefully before I went to Hopkins based on what I knew from working with them in a hospital enviroment. That usually worked--the only one I had problems with was my initial neuro. I liked him, but he couldn't keep his mind made up about anything.

You have to be kidding me, right??

That is absolutely babarbaric! As an RN for 40 years, and assisting with LPs since my student days, I never once saw one done without Local. Hugs for you as well Julie.

I am only one person... but I've had this done once and have had numerous epidural pain shots. They were ALL done under x-ray. I didn't know they did it without x-ray?! I feel sorry for you. How do they know where they are going?

OMG!! That is awful.

Just convinced me to never do that procedure again. My neuro suggested repeating some past tests if my MRI changes sometime to see if there were early false negatives. We will just be scratching ye olde LP off that list! I had enough fun under fluro getting nerve zapped (felt like electicity separated me right down the butt crack) and then got the dreaded headache, too.



Glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read this line.

I don't know. Truly. I'm not sure how hard it is to stick a needle into someone's spinal column and then miss--3 times. But then again, I used to do blood gases on people and sometimes I could feel the arterial pulse just fine and when I'd put the needle in, BAM! Nothing. No blood. Guess it happens.

It would kind of been cool to see it done under fluroscopy as I've never seen it done that way.

Wow, your procedure doesn't sound like it was much fun either. I started getting a headache when I was sitting up and then had to drive over an hour back home afterward. My head felt all funny, but I kept hydrating and went flat on my back for the rest of the day and night. Luckily, I didn't get a headache. I heard they're miserable.