@Lozza 

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Lozza

Lumbar puncture

Morning all! Just wondering about the honest experience of having a lumbar puncture as have to have one in 3 months time and although I’m a nurse, I have never liked the idea of this😕 any thoughts are very welcome🙏
@DominicS

@lozza - as you are a nurse there is no real way to sugarcoat this. I have had several and none of them was a barrel of laughs. - The single strongest piece of advice I'd give is become as good as you can at zen type keeping your mind focussed. - Whilst it is happening it takes a pretty strong force of will to control breathing, not move and just focus on something else. It is the classic was of getting through something less than pleasant. - Providing they don't screw up the results then if it is really bugging you then you might as well chill out pharmaceutically, on the government. Hell, they are tested, pure and dose controlled. That is the way I like my opiates. - It is not painful, just quite uncomfortable., weird feeling and you need to stay as stock still as you can. - There are no medals for suffering so really if it freaks you out too much then make it clear well in advance that you want to be fully stoned cometh the hour. - Have someone to drive you home and be prepared for one or two blinding headaches in the nest few days. Thewy remove a bit of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and it is essentially the drop in CSF levels that the body will rectify over time. I was a tit and went to work the next day. Living in Oxford I had to pull thye car into a laybay near Northampton, wait for the plain to subside, drive some more, pull in etc. It was less fun and totally self-inflicted. lie down for sevgferal days if poss. - Good luck. It'll be fine.

@Highlander

@lozza The doctor at Kings Hospital who done mine was fantastic and it was the first time on her own.... It felt a little weirded but no where near as bad as going to the dentist. Take a couple of paracetamol after and drink some redbull as was recommended to me by the nurse. Worked for me.... Wish you luck.