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Can anyone advise me whether to have a Lumbar Puncture?

Posted , 4 users are following.

vicky84916
vicky84916

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice. In December 2013 I had a terrible bug and was unable to eat properly for nearly a month. I thought at the time I had got food poisoning. A few months later I lost partial vision in one eye and was diagnosed at the hospital as having optic neuritis. I had three days of IV steroids and most of my sight returned although I still have a little blurred vision. I had both CT

scans and MRI and they showed two small lesions in my brain near the site of my ON. The doctors and optician asked me if I had MS originally to which I said no and they said the only way to make 100% sure was to have a Lumber Puncture. In the meantime I had pins and needles in my hands and feet and was so exhausted I would sit in the bath of a morning trying to get some energy but just wanted to cry. When I had more bloods it showed my liver count was extremely high near the point of Jaundice and I was also diagnosed as having an under active thyroid gland. The doctors have said they think I may have had a virus which caused all of my symptoms but the talk of MS although not diagnosed still sits in the background. I am due to have a Lumber Puncture in a few weeks but feel fine at the moment and have heard it's extremely painful and can leave you with a bad back which I already suffer from. Is it best to leave well alone incase it was all nothing? Sorry for the long story but would love some advice.

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • adrian02282
    adrian02282 vicky84916

    Posted

    Hi Vicky. I had a lumbar puncture about 18 months ago, I wa also told that it would be painful with possible headaches for a couple of days. When I went to the hospital the young lady doctor explained exactly what she was going to do and as she was doing the procedure kept chatting to me to keep me at my ease.

    I personally felt no pain while having the lumbar puncture and didn't even suffer the predicted headaches afterwards.

    I don't know if I was lucky but in a strange way i'm glad I had it done because it was one step closer to getting an answer to problem. Take care and I hope this as helped in some way.

  • virginia1950s
    virginia1950s vicky84916

    Posted

    I have MS with many lesions and had a lumbar puncture in the intial diagnosis stage a decade ago. The test result was negative, so it is not always a perfect diagnostic test. I had a history of back issues and also heard the test was painful, but in my case it was not, especially if you follow the doctor's instructions immediately after. You have to make your own decision whether to have the test, but it doesn't always help with diagnosis and it's not always painful. Good luck.
  • PaineFury
    PaineFury vicky84916

    Posted

    A Lumbar Puncture is given as an indication to MS. They'll be looking for proteins and oligoclonal bands in the spinal fluid, and these will be an indication.

    However, do bear in mind up to 25% of Lumbar Punctures can be negative and yet the person still has MS. Differential Diagnosis can be wonderfully random that way.

    I had both, so I completed the whole brain lesionss/O bands/proteins from the get go. Lucky me.... I guess......

    • vicky84916
      vicky84916 PaineFury

      Posted

      Thanks for replying. Just thought it would be completely accurate but not looking that way!
  • patricia48825
    patricia48825 vicky84916

    Posted

    I had a lumbar puncture to check for oligoclonal banding (positive).  Other things can also be checked for at the same time but I am unsure what they are.  I can tell you that it is not painful and I am needle phobic.  Of course it must depend on the person doing the test but the area of the needle entry is numbed firstly.  I was told to lie still for an hour following the test to prevent a headache so of course I did this and had no problems.

    I must admit that when the consultant wanted the test repeated the following day I did decline.  It was not so much pain during the test but my legs did go into spasm and the doctor had to re-insert the needle in a different area of my spine.

    I would advise you to have the test:  request the area is numbed first and make sure you lie absolutely flat and still for an hour following the test and lastly to drink a pint of water over the course of the day.

    Hope this is helpful.

  • wendy80842
    wendy80842 vicky84916

    Posted

    hi, i also have ms, i had MRI's and lumbar puncture (LP) in 2003. while neither test is 100% conclusive, given the wild variations in ms, they are the accepted diagnostic tools for ms. if you choose to NOT have a LP test done, which you can do, might you not find that a question hangs over your diagnosis?!

    i'm a complete wuss when it comes to needles, but i'm glad that i had a LP done, apparently they've really improved the headache to LP ratio using a different kind of extraction compared to how it was even when i had one done.

    it categorically does NOT cause back problems!

    follow instructions re; laying flat and drinking water though, i got the dreaded headache for 2 days, but it was a very small price to pay for peace of mind.

    take care x

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