Lumbar puncture
I had a lumbar puncture in June and suffered so badly after with pressure headaches I had 2 weeks off work. I am still suffering especially when I cough or sneeze. Is it just me?? I have had gabbapentine and anatriptline. Nothing works.
Hi,
! First, I am so sorry you are still experiencing potential reactions to your procedure. Has your doctor had any helpful input for you? It's not unusual to experience issues following the procedure, especially headaches. However, it's not as usual to be experiencing symptoms months later. It *can* happen, but it's definitely not the norm or the desired outcome.
Frankly, I didn't find much along the lines of helpful tips for you. The main recommendation was to report continuing issues to your doctor, which it sounds like you may have done. I know. That's not the kind of input you were looking for here and I'm sorry about that. Many medical sites recommend contacting the neuroradiology team that performed the procedure, so if you haven't done that, you might try that.
So, you're not alone in this! You're in a smaller group that experiences lingering issues following a lumbar puncture, but you're not the only one.
Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.I have been in contact with my GP and neurologist but they just prescribe pills which do not seem to work. The root cause needs to be addressed rather than just trying,and failing, to mask the pain. , I agree! Just treating the pain is not enough, especially if you're able to get to what is causing the pain and fix it. But, as you know, things are rarely so easy when it comes to MS. I do hope you keep pushing for answers (although you shouldn't have to) and I think Alene's suggestion is a good one! I do hope you get some lasting relief very soon.
Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.
I'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with these symptoms so long after the lumbar puncture. I don't know if this is of interest to you, but I've had a lot of great relief from all kinds of odd pains and discomforts with cranial sacral therapy. I've had it done at a physical therapy practice before so it was covered under insurance. There are also some private practices that offer it but they aren't always covered through insurance. I just figured I would toss this out there in case it's of interest. It's helpful to have some options.
- Alene, moderator
