isuues after spinal tap (lumbar puncture)?

Hello there, I am also a victim of LP, i had LP 7 months back, yes you read it 7 months back, I still have severe neck pain,occipital head ache(not so severe as post spinal head ache), severe lower back pain, i have a lump(swelling at the site of LP), i never got a blood patch done though, i am totally bed-ridden now and barely can sit even for few minutes, I can barely walk for a short distance as i have bone pains in my back, i have undergone three MRI since then and doctors say there is nothing in the mri which is suggestive of any damage, pls pls help? any diagnosis

Hi, when I was a baby I had an injection and I later had an allergic reaction to it. My doctor then issued a spinal tap to make sure the reaction didnt reach my brain. I am 17 years old now and for about a year my lower back has been swollen and in a lot of pain, I cant even stand up straight cuz it hurts too much. Could my pain now be from the spinal tap I had when I was just a baby?

Hello, you posted a year ago so I hope things are better.

I have had a similar experience, terrible pain after LP done because of encephalitis. The pain in my lower back and mostly right hip gets worse all of the time. Nobody has an answer. I thought early on that it was coming from the tap area and I was told no, it wasn't in thae place I was pointing to. 3 years on and pain getting much worse, my phsio showed me ehere they do LP - right in the spot where the pain began - why did my Doc try to steer me away from this idea. I was sure it had something to do with it.

I have difficulty walking 2 blocks. My muscles in my upper butt tighten up so bad and my upper thighs , pinching nerves and my lower spine hurts.

If anyone has begun any legal proceedings i would like to know how that has gone.

I had a Spinal Tap Sept. 1, 2012. I didn't want to have them do this, but because I had gone into the E.R. with a severe headache, the doctor insisted. (I had just been in the hospital for 4 days due to a severe urinary tract infection. No sooner did I get home when my arm swelled up and got red and blistery, where the I.V. had been and bandaid was now.) I also suddenly got THE WORST HEADACHE OF MY LIFE!!! I took a cab back to the hospital and the doctor gave me a Spinal which by the way revealed nothing. After the procedure, I asked if I had to curtail my physical activities in any way, and the nurses, one of which was totally rude and abusive, kept saying, "No, no". They also didn't give me any water or liquids to drink and I told them I was going to be taking 2 trains and a bus home (by myself)  and they said it was fine. Well, now 2 and a half weeks later, I'm getting SEVERE HEADACHES, neck stiffness and pain,  bad pain in my hips, (they said that's not from the Spinal, severe nausea, bad neck and shoulder pain, and swelling of the right side of my face and right eye,and EXTREME DIZZY SPELLS and have nearly PASSED OUT SEVERAL TIMES WHEN RIDING THE BUS. Right after the Spinal water started pouring out of my EYE LIKE A FAUCET! My eye and side of nose also started TWITCHING and became so painful I couldn't even put my glasses on! My MEMORY AND THINKING PROCESSES WERE SO CONFUSED FOR THE FIRST 2 DAYS I literally could not remember why I had been in the hospital to begin with very, very scary! I went back to the hospital today and they wanted to give me a "Blood Patch", but I wanted to know more about it, (I read about them online and heard they involved many dangerous side effects) and they got so angry when I asked if there were any alternatives, they just discharged me! I'm back home very nauseous, hips hurting and right leg weakness. Does anybody have any thoughts or suggestions? (Also, if I do decide to get the "Blood Patch", is there any chance the "CLOT" could dislodge and go to a different part of your body? Thanks, Oliva

Angie wrote:

spider wrote:

I had a failed L.P. procedure... over 13 failed attempts in one sitting, I even asked her to take a break half way through but she said she couldn't (I know, I should have just said STOP!!). I have had extreme hip pain and mid lower back pain since then - it's been over 3 months now. I've also had constant tingling in my hands, feet and over my face since then. I am hoping that these symptoms will fade over time... but it's coming up on 4 months - does anyone else think something is up here?! or do I just have to wait for things to calm down?

The stress of the situation also triggered a rather nasty case of IBS - I noticed someone else suffered from bowel problems following their procedure and wondered if they may be suffering the same... for me, it was the stress of the situation plus the fact that my back and the muscles around that area were constantly in spasms from the pain that was caused, which meant my gut and intestinal area was also spasming so I couldn't digest food properly.

L.P. is a rather nasty and dangerous procedure - I don't think patients are made aware of all the dangers... you can actually die from this procedure - unless you're sure that you REALLY need the procedure I would definitely think thrice before having it. I'm very angry that they wouldn''t let me postpone the procedure to when my husband could be with me, but they seemed to think it was 'urgent' and yet I've been dropped like a red-hot-poker since then, with no explanation. Even though there was no sample taken. If things go wrong, they don't apologise, they just walk away... quickly! I'm more angry with myself for ignoring my own worries... I really didn't want to go through with it, seems I was right to be terrified! For the time being I can no longer work properly (I'm a musician/dancer/performing artist) and even walking to the shops and back is agony. I'm just thankful that I'm still alive and that I've not been left with more serious problems.

Hello, you posted a year ago so I hope things are better.
I have had a similar experience, terrible pain after LP done because of encephalitis. The pain in my lower back and mostly right hip gets worse all of the time. Nobody has an answer. I thought early on that it was coming from the tap area and I was told no, it wasn't in thae place I was pointing to. 3 years on and pain getting much worse, my phsio showed me ehere they do LP - right in the spot where the pain began - why did my Doc try to steer me away from this idea. I was sure it had something to do with it.
I have difficulty walking 2 blocks. My muscles in my upper butt tighten up so bad and my upper thighs , pinching nerves and my lower spine hurts.
If anyone has begun any legal proceedings i would like to know how that has gone.

I too still have the hip pain and weakness, one Dr has said that this sometimes happens but they don't know why, or how to remedy it! great.. they really should add this to the warnings before starting a LP. Whilst I am coping better, I still have problems caused by the LP... but I have faith that the body is an amazing thing and it will heal... but as for the general medical world - I'm steering well clear of it!! This isn't the first time they've screwed things up, and I don't want the next time to be even worse! I hope that you find some relief soon.

Hello all-

 

**NOTE**

I am not a doctor and I am not giving medical advice I am simply sharing my experience with this issue

 

My younger brother had an LP done about a month ago for viral meningits. When it comes to the headaches if hes at home he lies down with his butt higher than his head for a few minutes and the headache goes away. If he's in school he drinks two advils and hes fine. For some people the advils wont work so I guess hes lucky in that area. As for the lower back pain I was able to help him with the little I know about Physical Therapy and Exercise so I had him do some core strengthening exercises and stretches to keep the muscles relaxed. I found that the LP did cause a muscle imbalance and most of the pain was being caused by tight muscles working extra hard to keep him upright. I also sent him to see a chiropractor three times a week to adjust any misalignments and bad posture that comes from the body adjusting to deal with the pain. The pain was nearly gone completely until he hurt himself in school doing a workout with the baseball team. The good news is that the pain did not go back to OUCH! its just discomfort for now. Hopefully with rest and the exercises I been having him do he will continue on his road to recovery. I've read most of the posts on this thread and I'm so sorry to hear all these terrible stories. 

I had 5 LP's and now have seriously painful left hip lower back and sometimes from of my hip - groin. really hurts to apply any pressure and even to sleep. doctors tomorrow hopefully learn some exersises or something to help ease the pain.!

 

I had my procedure done halloween night back in 2008  thats 4 years ago and i still suffer from the tingling og body parts and the hip and back pain, the pain in my back is extremely severe it honestly feels like im still having the procedure done every time it flares up with is atleast 3 times a week

Hiya! I know exactly how you feel, i had to have a LP done to check the levels of hypocretin in my spinal fluid, then a few hours later i had to have a second LP down with fluoroscopy because there was en error with the lab results. It hurts a lot at first but don't worry the pain will disperse over time. i had to hobble around like a 50 year old for a week after that and i'm just 14.

hi all. im reading these stories and its breaking my heart. heres my story..... i am a professional dancer on broadway. i had a spinal tap done about 2 and a half months ago in the er. about 2 weeks later i had very bad lower mid back pain. then it moved to my left hip/groin too. ive seen 2 doctors, im in physiscal therapy now. i missed a bunch of shows. i went back to work in awful pain. my back is just hurting constantly. strange numbness comes and goes, i get a heavy weighted feeling right where the needle went in sometimes, and jolting sharp pains here and there. overall just CONSTANT PAIN. i am scared for my career. i am a respected dancer in the community and am freaking out that i will never dance the same. my back has always been healthy and extremely flexible. i pray for all you people out there that are struggling with this like i am and appreciate ANY ADVICE

I posted over a month ago. i saw m gp who tried telling me the pain i have is pulled muscle. altho iv ben bed bound since august. haha. 5 lp's and lower back poain is worse. and is now always in my hip back and leg with numbness and pins/needles. sleeping is agony sitting is agony the only thing that takes the pain away is a slow walk but still with a bad limp. hoping for physio. or maybe some keyhole as im sure its nerve damage. reading all these stories makes me feel less alone.

@db - I totally get that , btw i am also almost bed-ridden since Feb, yes february, even i have the same issue as yours, btw what are u doing currently? any physio is helping? did you manage to know the reason for the pain?

oh really wow, thats a long time. mines been since august. i saw another GP today gave me a better understanding just stating that lp's can be very damaging which i already knew. and basically nerve damage. can get better with physio and regular exercise. we shall see. start my pysio soon. and got some new painkillers so hopefully i might get some sleep... the reason i think is nerve damage.

@db - Pls let me know whether physio really helps? btw docs dont confirm whether the nerve damage is permanent? what did you gp say about the nerve damage can it recover from physio?

yeah i have physio in the morning...
i know they said we will have to see how it goes. he said the more physio it should get back to normal.. but it also might not help at all he said. but exercise is best. i will say how it all goes!