Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Spinal Puncture?

Has anyone had the procedure, and what would someone who will have one expect?

Are you talking about spinal injections for pain? Which is a steroid shot or shots.

If so, I have had 3. Had last one 2 weeks ago.

Clyde

No, the spinal tap that draws spinal fluid for diagnostics...

Ouch.

Can't help on that one.


Checking for menengitis? If so, hope all turns out well.



Clyde

I did, but it was decades ago. THE absolute most important thing is that you MUST stay flat on your back for several days afterwards, or the fluid around your brain will drain down into the space created when they pulled fluid from your spine. And then your brain will not be supported in your skull, causing EXTREME pain. Trust me on this. You have to stay flat until your body can replace those fluids.

If this info is outdated now, you are very very lucky. But if it's till true, heed it well.

I had meningitis in early 80’s in Dallas, sick as a dog, first spinal tap I was so sick didn’t really feel to much pain, nurse had huge tits, made me stick my face between them while she held me still, talking to me about staying perfectly still, the second one days later was horrible, I missed my big tata nurse for sure, wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, good luck.

Thanks, I guess...lol

It's not for meningitis.

I was told I had to stay flat on my stomach or back for two hours afterward. I have a 1 1/4 hour trip back home after it and was told to recline the seat as much as possible, then stay on my back at home as much as I can for a day.

They were supposed to keep me flat for three days afterwards, but some idiot sent me home the next day. The pain hit me while I was on the plane and I was in excruciating agony for a week thereafter. We're talking blinding, searing headache, and vertigo. Unless the human body has changed, a day or two is not enough time for it to replace the spinal fluid.

I've had 5 of them, as I had meningitis twice - the first time they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me and I stayed in the UNC research hospital (mid-80's) for a week. None of them were particularly painful and I only had to lay on my back for a few hours afterwards. I would probably liken the pain and sensation to getting a cortisone shot in a knee or shoulder - relatively insignificant, in my opinion.

Edit: back when I had them they were called a "lumbar puncture".

I sure hope all goes well. Getting older can be "challenging".

A few years ago I had to travel a few hours to a hospital that did imaging using a dye injected inside the spinal column. I was afraid I'd twitch during the procedure and make matters worse.

I had asked about a Valium to help me chill out for the procedure. The nurse that came in to have me sign a release before I got any drugs was maybe 25 and astonishingly beautiful. She was also very Southern sweet. I started to feel a bit self conscious about asking for a tranquilizer. I asked her what % of people want one? She reached out and touched my shoulder and said, "Oh honey all the men do.".

If your talking about a Myelogram https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/4892-myelogram.

Yeah I had it done mid 90’s. Mine didn’t go well. After they injected the dye and turned me upside down the dye didn’t make it into the area they wanted to image, because of swelling/ruptured disc So they turned me upside down the second time. Left me in that position to long and some of the dye migrated in the my head. Headache so bad thought I was going to die. I made it through that mess swore I’d live with back pain. My back got better over time.

Then hurt it again on a moose hunt in 1997. I had to sure enough have surgery which even went worse. They nicked my spinal column during surgery. Doctor patched it with foam gel and he said he thought it stopped leaking. I had to lay strapped flat in bed and could raise my head for 24 hours. When they raised me up I seemed ok. I asked the doctor how they could tell, he said I would have felt the pain in my head from no brain fluid and may even have passed out. I asked when they would have done if my spinal column was still leaking. He said they were prepared to life flight me to Methodist Hospital and attempt to do a skin graft on my spinal column. I said where would skin come from. He said a cadaver.

Even though I made it through a train wreck surgery it got worse. I caught a really bad virus/flu while in the hospital. They couldn’t tell if the headaches were from my surgery or what. I made them run a blood test and it showed I had a virus. I went in the hospital at 238 pounds, 3 weeks later I weighed 213. Whatever virus I caught I couldn’t make myself eat. Sickest I’d ever been in my life, actually thought I was going to die my head hurt so bad. Took me weeks to get over the virus. My back surgery came out ok.

So yeah I had it.

Nope

This is to draw fluid and analyze it.

Sounds like I'll need to borrow a Teddy Bear and fuzzy blanket for a day.

Geeez, this sounds absolutely horrible.

Rocky is painting quite a miserable picture.

It was, but mostly because they screwed up and put me on an airplane the day after the procedure. It was a lumbar tap and it looked like they drew off maybe two ounces of fluid for analysis. Ironically, they were trying to find out why I was having headaches and vertigo. What I experienced after the procedure made the previous issues seem like a holiday.

I have not had it but I’ve had enough back surgeries and issues that I wish you all the best my friend. I’ll be keeping you in my prayers. Living with serious chronic pain is not fun.

Dayom. Sorry to hear that.

I had a nerve block tap once for sx. No problem.

Had a tap into a busted vertebrae for glue after breaking my back trying to lift a big Muley into the truck bed.
No problem with the spine sx.

I had it done in 1983 for a broken back at the Mayo Clinic. They told me I should lay on my back for I don’t remember how long. After about an hour I had to urinate so I got up did my business and then got back into bed. Never had an issue at all (I was 21 at the time). Friend of my dad’s had headaches for months after his so they sent him to a shrink and as far as I remember it fixed it. Good luck.

Three times - first at age 19 after a head to head collision playing soccer - bad concussion and they were looking for worse.

Second a while back for diagnosis/measuring extent of a serious spinal infection.

Third in 2022 chasing the cause of transverse myelitis.

None were any fun - for a short while maybe worse than the illness. But, their technique and pain amelioration is a lot better these days than in 1957, and you should be fine with an experienced practitioner.

It’s a minor procedure and usually not a long one.. It’s usually done to take a sample of spinal fluid for testing, or for reading it’s pressure.. Conversely, it could be spinal injection of local anesthetic and a steroid. Typically, these are done lower in the back.

Technically it’s just roughly a 4” 25 ga to 18 ga 4” needle to get through the skin and the ligaments. And with experience they are not very painful.

While I worked, I probably did 4-8k of these in my career