Multiple sclerosis, lumbar puncture & MRI
 

Hi Everyone

I'm new here. I just have couple of questions that I thought I could have answered here.

I am a 23 year old female. In december of 2013, I felt numbness in the bottom of my feet, then within hours my entire lower body was numb. I use to get numbness in my hands for few days but it would go away on its own. Anyway so in December I had my entire lower body numb and walking was painful & annoying. I had an MRI done and it showed few lesions in the spinal cord and "vague" ones in the brain. The doctor said it might be MS. but after about 2 weeks I felt fine.


I have a lumbar puncture on april 25th & I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO scared... Just the though of the needle going in my back terrifies me :( I asked my doctor if I could a general anesthetic and he said no.. just a local one.

Has anyone done an LP before? How bad does it hurt? & is it possible to have a negative LP? is it possible that I have other things than MS? I did a blood test for lyme disease and it came out negative.

Thanks in advance,


Charlie,

Hello Charlie and welcome to our community. Sorry that you are having to go through this :hug:.

Many here have had LPs, including me. Mine weren't anything to write home about but some have found it uncomfortable or that it caused a headache. Drink lots of coffee before hand and afterwards as the caffeine seems to prevent the headache that some get. Also drink lots of water the day or two before so that your body is well hydrated.

In the mean time, try to relax and do something things that you enjoy so you can take your mind off of the worrying.
Please let us know how you make out.

With love, Erika

I have had two LPs. Neither was pleasant, but the actual procedure took very little time. If you can keep it together for just a little while, you'll come through like a champ. Don't forget to moan or groan a bit right up front. I like to think that this keeps the medical team aware that this is a sentient being they are pokin' at.

Welcome Charlie to our little nest.:hug:

I had a Myleogram, which is an LPdone on a tilting table. Uncomfortable but
not painful. I had to lay flat for 24 hours in a hospital bed, after the procedure,
which was more uncomfortable but supposed to cut down on the headaches.

All was well, no lasting sx.

Hi Charlie, and welcome! When I had my LP maybe 9 years ago, I had myself scared half to death leading up to it, and it turned out to be no big deal--even though I'm a wimp!

hi charlie and welcome to NT,

my LP went very well. it hurt just a little. the dr will numb the skin first.
my LP was done by an MD radiologist as an outpatient procedure in the hospital. it was under a floroscopy machine so the dr can see where the needle is and he can get into the right place as fast as possible.

yes, drink lots of water the day before and try to lay flat after you get home. you will be given instructions when you go home. it is possible to have a negative LP but let's wait for the results to come in. MS can be a diagnosis of elimination so your dr will try to look for other causes of your symptoms.

good luck and keep in touch with us.

Greetings Charlie! :hug:

It's okay to feel apprehension about having a lumbar puncture done (spinal tap). I remember dreading it and trying to get out of having one done at all.

The test itself was nothing for me. The worst part was the freezing needle, and that was minor discomfort for a split second. The LP itself was 'business as usual'.

Where I ran into the troubles was AFTER the test. I was in the hospital laying horizontal for about 3.5h to 4h on my SoluMedrol drip (to get inflammation in the brain under control - my MRI results had already been reviewed by my neurologist) and after that was done, I asked the nurses if I should remain lying down for longer. They assured me I was fine to go, and didn't need to lie down any longer.

Big big mistake. I went home and was scurrying around my house doing chores and whatnot, getting my house ready to sell (yeah, I was in the middle of showing my house... not good timing).

The day after the LP, around 8 pm I began feeling a bad headache starting. By 9 pm I was in the bathtub (warm water helps my dreadful headaches and migraines for some reason). By 9:30 pm I was out of the tub and getting dressed/rushing myself in a taxi to the hospital.

I couldn't sit down. I stood up, head against the wall, waiting for triage to look at me in the ER. When she told me to sit, I told her "I sit, I pass out." My blood pressure was through the roof (it's usually quite low) and when she heard I'd had a LP the day before, she had doctors right there rushing me into the back rooms.

I was put on a drip of some sort for the headache, and I was in such a state of shock I blacked out. Thankfully I was in the hospital bed by this point. I woke up around 6 am feeling like a new person, headache gone.

Now I know, from other people's accounts and suggestions, you should lay down for at least 8 hours after the LP has been done. Also, drink a LOT of caffeine the day before, and day of, the LP. Apparently this helps greatly to avoid the spinal headaches.

I wish I'd known these tips when I had mine done. Apart from the brutal headache, the test itself was nothing. Lesson learned!

Good luck! :hug:

I have had 3 and I wouldn't hesitate at all if I needed 12 more. I was like Nurse Nancy and had a radiologist do it under fluoroscopy so he could see exactly where to place the needle. Yeah, the local anesthetic had a little sting to it just like if you were going to have a mole removed from your arm.

Thanks for all of your support guys,

I had the LP done today at 10:30. I was very scared so they gave me 1 mg of Ativan. Surprisingly, the procedure was NOT painful at all!!! 2 more weeks till the results.


Time to get some prayer done.


Cheers,

Woohoo! Glad you got through it okay Charlie. :hug: Prayers to add to your prayer pool from me. :)

I remember (fondly) my neurologist asking me after the spinal "What colour do you think your fluid is?" I hadn't considered the colour of spinal fluid, but that got my creative mind going. I said, "I'm guessing green!". He laughs... "uh... no..." and holds up a completely clear liquid to show me.

Green. :rolleyes: Yeah, good guess Laura. Guess I thought I was Slimer or something. :p