When I was booked for my lumbar puncture the neurologist’s nurse said “Drink a lot of coke during the day before your lumbar puncture, as well as on the day you have your lumbar puncture, in the morning before you actually have it”. She continued, “The more coke you drink the better it will be afterwards.” She also told me not sit up for several days afterwards and to have someone drive me home after the lumbar puncture was performed. I was to stay as flat as possible, for as long as necessary.
I kept thinking that ‘Lumbar Puncture’ sounded so ominous. I knew that lumbar meant the spinal cord and that puncture meant hole. I wondered who would knowingly want to have someone create a hole in any area of their spinal cord. Then I suddenly realized that I was one of those crazy people, I wanted that hole, I wanted that diagnosis.
More of my story will follow after the following explanation.
What a Spinal Tap or Lumbar Puncture is:
A long, thin, hollow needle is inserted between two vertebrae in the lower spine and into the space where the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) circulates. CSF is obtained by doing a lumbar puncture or “spinal tap.” One to two tablespoonfuls of the fluid are then withdrawn.
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) is a clear, colorless liquid which bathes the central nervous system. Primarily, CSF cushions the brain within the skull and serves as a shock absorber for the central nervous system. CSF also circulates nutrients and chemicals filtered from the blood and removes waste products from the brain. Examining CSF can be useful in diagnosing MS and many other diseases of the nervous system.
A lumbar puncture is performed to check for special proteins in the CSF called immunoglobulins. These proteins are produced by something called ‘B lymphocytes’. B lymphocytes are overactive in the central nervous system of a person with Multiple Sclerosis; therefore a high level of immunoglobulins in the spinal fluid is an indicator of MS.
Some people are understandably reluctant to undergo this test because it involves discomfort. In addition, people sometime have headaches for a few days afterward. However, the information obtained can be extremely helpful in sorting out cases where the MRI results are inconclusive. I was one of those people who was reluctant to undergo this test, in truth, I was very reluctant.
The information was compiled paraphrased from as well as other sources:
Multiple Sclerosis
The Facts You Need
By: Dr. Paul O’Connor
Compliments of:
Shared Solutions
1-800-263-0034
www.sharedsolutions.ca
My Story Continued:
From here on in I will refer to the procedure as a spinal tap.
My husband stayed home from work to be on hand to drive me to the hospital for the spinal tap and home again. We placed blankets and pillows in the back seat of the car the evening before, so that I could lay down all the way home, which was about an hour away. We also stocked up on plenty of coke to see me through this very scary procedure.
I had heard horror stories from people who had had spinal taps and from people who knew people who had had spinal taps. Not one of these accounts was pleasant. I was quite frankly very shaky going into this situation.
I will continue this spinal tap story tomorrow.
Bye, for now,
Bonnie