Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) ruined my life! Someone please tell me it gets better!!!

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I just had a lumbar puncture done on Friday and I am freaking out. I have very high anxiety and it is getting the best of me. For the first three days I could not sit up without extreme headache and extreme pain in my neck I would have to lay back down for it to go away. That pain has gone away but now I am very dizzy, lightheaded, I am nauseous and I have a continuous mild headache. I also have light ringing in my ears. and blurry vision. It has been six days now and I feel like I am going crazy because I feel like I will never go back to normal. I am laying in bed all day and it feels debilitating. I do not want to do a blood patch because I am so against anybody going into my back again after all these symptoms from the initial lumbar puncture. How long did it take you to get back to normal and be functionable? I have a three year old and it is killing me that I cannot do my normal activities with him anymore. It’s so heartbreaking . Somebody please give me good news that this does get better!

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  • Posted

    hang in there. it's been 8 weeks for me. it gets slightly better every week. the improvements aren't linear but little by little every week it gets better. I got the initial headache immediately but then 5 days later I got like a sinus type headache. thinking positively and controlling anxiety helps. it's easier said then done but hang in there.

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