5 ms·

Pretty rare, versus pretty hard to diagnose though? I'd be more surprised if everyone wasn't leaking a little and a lot of people are leaking enough that it wou

Pretty rare, versus pretty hard to diagnose though? I'd be more surprised if everyone wasn't leaking a little and a lot of people are leaking enough that it would be noticeable if they knew to recognize it. Re: your question I think the needle goes to different places. > One large difference between a spinal tap and an epidural is the area that the needle is inserted. With an epidural the needle does not go into the spinal cord, but the epidural space just around the spinal cord. Spinal taps however, require the needle to be inserted all the way into and through your spinal cord. [1] which at least matches my experience of needing a lumbar puncture for them to extract spinal fluid for testing. I've had them before, twice, never an epidural though. One leaked, and they didn't waste a moment doing a blood patch in urgent care (America). This entire post is a horror story, I would never have known to ask. This person lost ten years of life and the rest of it irrevocably changed because some idiot didn't know something this basic. I'm just stunned, despite my intimate familiarity (lost the last three years frankly), it's just literally on the wiki for spinal tap headache treatments that you need to take action if they last more than 24 hours! [2] If they hadn't thought to do a blood patch when I went to urgent care (which I had the privilege to do!) I'd literally be sitting here with probably the same leak now 13 years later. Malpractice, sorry, this is horrifying. It's one thing when it's hard to guess, I had a slipping rib that's apparently super hard to identify for sure and took those three years to be sure enough that just doing some PT wouldn't cut it. Three years. I'm not getting younger... I hope I at least get to be close to as in shape as I was three years ago. This piece hit hard. I also spend days in bed just... tolerating... sometimes. Learning to be present and accept things that I cannot do anything about. I really hope they're able to go on walks in the park again. [1] https://healthresearchfunding.org/spinal-tap-vs-epidural/ https://healthresearchfunding.org/spinal-tap-vs-epidural/ [2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-headaches/symptoms-causes/syc-20377913 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-headac...

bookofjoe 3y ago
I am a retired neurosurgical anesthesiologist (38 years) and performed 500-1,000 spinal taps. >Spinal taps however, require the needle to be inserted all the way into and through your spinal cord. NO! Through the dura and into the subarachnoid space but NEVER into or through the spinal cord, which would likely result in permanent motor/sensory deficits and possibly paraplegia.
- neltnerb 3y ago
  Thanks, the source seemed questionable. I'm afraid I can't edit it, but thanks for correcting.
kelnos 3y ago
> This person lost ten years of life Her lumbar puncture was in 2017, so not quite. But the leak came back in late 2018, and it seems like she's been living with it since then, which is incredibly awful. Based on her other issues (MCAS and EDS), diagnosed since the first leak, it does seem like she'll be living with this (and possibly worse) for the rest of her life. At any rate, wherever you are on your healing journey, best wishes for further recovery!
- neltnerb 3y ago
  Thanks, I missed that it was 10 years of being a nomad first and then this stuff. It said it so many times I lost track of time timeline! I can very much relate to the meditation aspects. Sometimes I know that if I go to the Urgent Care the best they'll do is have me lay down for some hours until I'm okay to leave. I can do that at home, the hard part is letting myself believe everything is fine and that the best that can be done is to be present.

bookofjoe 3y ago

I am a retired neurosurgical anesthesiologist (38 years) and performed 500-1,000 spinal taps. >Spinal taps however, require the needle to be inserted all the way into and through your spinal cord. NO! Through the dura and into the subarachnoid space but NEVER into or through the spinal cord, which would likely result in permanent motor/sensory deficits and possibly paraplegia.

neltnerb 3y ago
Thanks, the source seemed questionable. I'm afraid I can't edit it, but thanks for correcting.

kelnos 3y ago

> This person lost ten years of life Her lumbar puncture was in 2017, so not quite. But the leak came back in late 2018, and it seems like she's been living with it since then, which is incredibly awful. Based on her other issues (MCAS and EDS), diagnosed since the first leak, it does seem like she'll be living with this (and possibly worse) for the rest of her life. At any rate, wherever you are on your healing journey, best wishes for further recovery!

neltnerb 3y ago
Thanks, I missed that it was 10 years of being a nomad first and then this stuff. It said it so many times I lost track of time timeline! I can very much relate to the meditation aspects. Sometimes I know that if I go to the Urgent Care the best they'll do is have me lay down for some hours until I'm okay to leave. I can do that at home, the hard part is letting myself believe everything is fine and that the best that can be done is to be present.