Thread: Spinal Tap...owwwwwwwww

..cr.: warning: self-pitying rant ahead!..cr.:
I've just had the most miserable week of my life. No big deal, I caught the flu, or something like it. I had fever, chills, lost my voice, sore throat, blah blah blah. 4 days into the ick, I get this awful head/neck ache. Can't move, can't stand up, hurts so bad I want to barf. I go to the walk-in clinic because its saturday night and they give me a flu swab. Guess what, no flu...menengitis?...get sent to the ER. Get spinal tap (owwwwwwwww), get IV pain meds, no menengitis, get sent home. Get up Sunday and wooooooooooah, bad headache is worse. Stand up, vomit. Lay down, fine. Stand up, vomit. Lay down, fine. But wait...no more other flu symptoms. I feel great, except for the head thing. Monday= more of the same.
Go back to ER--leaking spinal fluid from spinal tap is the new culprit. Get blood patch injected into spinal column. Get sent home. More drugs. Owwwwwwww.
Good news...stand up, no vomit, no headache. Feeling better! Yay!

Holy crap, Jess. Did they ever figure out what was wrong? It sounds absolutely awful. Hope you're feeling better now.

BTW, I had no idea we had an animated barf emoticon.

Wow. I am glad you are feeling better now. What an ordeal!

Oh my gosh... that sounds so awful. Glad to hear you are feeling better - are they going to continue with tests?

Spinal taps are scary things! I had a couple procedures done to my spine .. I wont tell you what happened. It's frightening. I am glad to hear you are feeling better. Good healing energy sent your way!

Nilaja

Oh man... those spinal headaches SUCK GIANT MONKEY BUTT! They first tried to tell me that caffeine would help...whatever! So glad they helped you right away. Hope you are feeling all better.

Oooooooooow. You poor sweetie. Glad you're feeling better now -- hope you stay that way.

Oh my god! That sounds like a horrific nightmare!! I hope it's over and you're going to be all well now. Lots of healing energy headed your way from me.

I was hoping this thread was about the band or the movie - I'm so sorry to hear about what you've been through!

I had a spinal tap when I was a little kid, but thankfully I don't remember it. My mom said it was the hardest thing she ever saw me go through, and I had a lot of horrible tests and procedures done between birth and 12 years old.

Be careful and monitor those headaches. No body advised you about that when you rec'd the spinal tap? that you should watch out for a raging headache after the procedure. Same protocol should be followed for anyone having a spinal epidural for surgery or childbirth. That is one of the first things they should tell you to watch for. Poor baby. Rest, it may take a few days to feel real normal again.

That's awful. Hope you feel better soon.

{hugs}

Originally Posted by KelsNasim

Oh man... those spinal headaches SUCK GIANT MONKEY BUTT! They first tried to tell me that caffeine would help...whatever! So glad they helped you right away. Hope you are feeling all better.

No! I had to get 2 bags of IV caffeine pumped into me first and had to lay, jittery and f*ed up in the ER for 7 hours before they'd consent to do the blood patch.
It was such a crazy experience, I went from sick A to sick B to new sick, to extra sick, to sick sick sick. Thanks for all the healthy thoughts. Now that I'm feeling better I am so hungry
Shahla: don't you love the animated barf emoticon? There's a cute smiley face for every life experience it seems.

Originally Posted by laura 2

I was hoping this thread was about the band or the movie - I'm so sorry to hear about what you've been through!

I had a spinal tap when I was a little kid, but thankfully I don't remember it. My mom said it was the hardest thing she ever saw me go through, and I had a lot of horrible tests and procedures done between birth and 12 years old.

Dr Hottie in the ER tried to make the spinal tap seem less painful by making some jokes about the movie & I was like "This is nothing like a heavy metal cartoon, pal!"

Wow! Jess I am glad that you are feeling better. Holy COW a spinal tap?! Yikes!

What an ordeal!!! I had a spinal tap a few years ago, they call it lumbar puncture here but I asked the neurologist and it's the same thing. I was a bit fretful about it beforehand but compared to your experience mine was a cake walk.

Mysterious symptoms which no one can explain ... bleh. Glad to hear you are feeling better now.

You are the undisputed winner of the Week from Hell award! My goodness, so glad you're better and go ahead and fuel up!

On a side note--um, there really is IV caffeine??

Jess:

I'm so sorry! Being that sick is so scary and spinal anythings hurt! Glad you're doing better-we all need you.

And Taj: some patients actually get IV alcohol. You name it, we got it.

Kitty

Originally Posted by Taj

You are the undisputed winner of the Week from Hell award! My goodness, so glad you're better and go ahead and fuel up!

On a side note--um, there really is IV caffeine??

Yup. I heard starbucks is contemplating adding an IV bar to some of their more metropolitan locations.....l;,

,m::
Frick and frack! The blood patch didn't take or I coughed it loose or something. I'm back at home lying flat again. This is starting to just be really silly....Times like this make me really thankful for my *normally* healthy, fit body.

Aww, sorry to hear that. Hope you're better soon.

Dear Lord!!!

I hope you feel better!!!

I don't know if a spinal tap, and a mylogram are the same thing...but I was told NOT to stand or sit up for 24 hours!!!
I was in terrible pain, headaches, neck pain, back pain, for days afterward.

(((Hugs)))

Wow, I hope you're up to shimmying again soon :(

ooooooo you have my complete sympathy. After my first back surgery I was leaking spinal fluid. Blood patch would not fix so they opened me up for a second time and did a lot of damage to my muscles to find the leak.

It put me into a six month recovery on full disability. So I know how that spinal leak feels. Would not wish that on my worst enemy.

Glad to hear your feeling better.

Big hugz