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Blood patch/LP

Posted , 3 users are following.

nate_86332
nate_86332

So a week ago I had a Lumbar puncture done to test for meningitis which came back negative thankfully. But about 24 hours after that I developed what appeared to be a spinal headache, super intense pain when I would stand or sit(8 out of 10), but it would almost completely go away when I laid down. So I was in bed for about 5 days to see if it would heal on its own which it didn’t. So my physician recommended I go in for an epidural blood patch which I did yesterday and it seemed to have gone successfully. However, when I stand or sit I still get the feeling that these headaches are going to return and they almost feel like they are coming back on. I stood for 30 minutes today and I wasn’t able to trigger one but I feel like if I stayed standing for another 10 minutes then I would have gotten a headache. My question is, is this blood patch something that is supposed to help decrease the headaches over time(like a few days)? Or should I be headache free by now? Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • chris04435
    chris04435 nate_86332

    Posted

    I went through the same.. lp then bloodpatch. For me, it took about 14 days for me to stand. I tried every few days and got the same symptoms until one day I didn’t get the feeling.  It’s been almost 3 years and I still get headaches but mostly from tension that I think the lp caused.  
    • nate_86332
      nate_86332 chris04435

      Posted

      Ok thanks for the reply, did you end up going in for a second blood patch? Doing some research on the Internet it seems like doctors will have you go in for a second one, but I’d really rather not do that if I don’t have to
    • chris04435
      chris04435 nate_86332

      Posted

      No infact the doc that did mine didn’t even want to do the first. He said the risk of infection is very high.  I wouldn’t go through it again. I’d just wait. They said being a male, their isn’t enough fat in that area to reseal it so it takes longer.
  • Tree49
    Tree49 nate_86332

    Posted

    I had to have a blood patch two years ago in fact I had two. The first one didn’t take after about 5 days. But the pressure should go away right away unless you have something called high pressure and that can take a couple of weeks to adjust. I would suggest not lifting anything for at least a week. I think that is why the first one didn’t take for me. 
    • nate_86332
      nate_86332 Tree49

      Posted

      So are these patches something that take a couple of days to work? I haven’t been noticing any huge changes so I’m starting to think it maybe didn’t work. Also, I hear a lot of people say it will heal on its own eventually, and then I hear some people saying that you should get it fixed otherwise it can cause brain issues. 
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