I’m having my Lumber Puncture next week for then hopefully some answers!! Should I be concerned or will it be ok?! I had a back operation last year bug my surgeon said the LP won’t affect it so I’m happy to go ahead. Any answers r welcomed Thank u Claire xx
Lumbar punctures are much better these days. They use a thinner needle so the “headache from hell” is a bit of a rarity now, but some people do still get it. Time, lying down, drinking caffeine-rich drinks (avoid if they set off migraine though!) and water, taking paracetamol and resting usually get rid of it, but if you get it and it persists, then you should see your GP - you might need a “patch” (a simple procedure that closes up the hole left by the needle that hasn’t closed by itself).
Hopefully it will go absolutely fine. Most people have absolutely no side effects at all 
Karen x
Hi Claire I had my lp about 10hours ago followed by a dose of iv steroids . No headache to speak of yet and a little sore in back but that’s to be expected. You will be fine the whole procedure was over in 10 minutes…let us know how you get on x Andrea xx
Hi Claire,
It’s natural that you’re concerned but a Lumbar Puncture really is ok.
All I had to do was lie still for approx 10-15 mins, I didn’t feel anything and the nurse was friendly. She made me a lovely cuppa afterwards & told me to take it easy for the day. I didn’t get a headache at all and I was absolutely fine, I went to work the next day.
Wishing you best of luck
Hi Claire Ditto the above. I had no problems at all and mine was done by a trainee doctor, albeit under supervision. A little scratch when the anaesthetic went in but other than that, all fine. No back pain, no headache, nothing. Good luck. Xx
Thanx Guys sooooo much for the support xx
Mrs H… Have u had a back op 2??? Thanx Claire xx
No, sorry. But I’d had a really awful experience in the same site, previously. Xx
Thank u for your support xxxxxxxx
You are very welcome. This forum has been invaluable to me in the last three months, since diagnosis. Xx
Hi Claire Just wanted to let you know that my LP was a very positive experience. Just a sharp scratch for the local anesthetic and some pressure from the needle. Otherwise no problems at all. I lay flat for an hour and then went home. No headache from hell afterwards! Teresa xx
I think the stats are 1 in 100 get the horrible headche. I had the lp it was fine, seems to take forever but only about 10 mins if that. I did get the headache and i never felt pain like it before, it was horrible. But i was extremly unlucky, a guy in the ward had one at the same time as me and he was fine. Even with the headache, if i had to do it again i would.
Guys, Thank u all so much, the support is amazing in this limbo land 
x
when i had mine the dr nicked the nerve in my spine wich made my leg twitch rarther vilontly but even then it was more a weird fealing rarther than pain. I was in a bit of pain the day after and i found sitting on the floor with pillows behind my back was prefurable to sitting in a chair and as others have said i just took paracetamol to make it stop hurting. As for the whole head ache bit they say if you stay laid down for an hour or so after it shouldnt be a problem. 1 tip tho if you have an mp3 player take it to listen to while they do it just to help block it all out a bit more. James
Hi Clare,
I bet you will be absolutely FINE with your LP. I really do mean that, because most ppe truly have no problem with it at all. The reality of it is FAR less horrible than the dread pple feel beforehand.
However - WARNING - horror story to follow! Don’t read if you are nervous!!
My daughter’s experience was a total nightmare and she ended up in hospital for 2 weeks afterwards because she was vomiting so much and eventually delerious. BUT - she was only 14 and I wonder if that made a difference? Also, I had read that pple are supposed to lie down after an LP but when I said that to the doctor, she said “Oh, we don’t do that any more.” E walked back to her bed and then watched tv, propped up on pillows. She then started vomiting - so they sent her home! She got worse and worse and the next day was back in hospital, still vomiting. It was a very frightening time. THen at about midnight one night the duty doctor came in and said he’d been googling and found an article that said pple should lie down after a LP. He removed her pillow - and she stopped vomiting and began to feel better. But the hospital LOST the LP results! So all that suffering for nothing!!!
(What made me laugh was that she told me just the other day that the girls at school thought she was dying, as they thought the LP was actually a lung puncture!)
Moral of this story - lie down after a LP!!
Thanks … Love it cheers guys - Claire xx
One thing I would just add is because you have a pre existing condition with your back insist in an experienced doctor to perform the LP!