I was so relieved when the doctor finally finished the procedure on Wednesday, that I didn’t stop to think & ask…
“What should I be doing for the next 24 hours?”
I mean, after all, the man did drain who-knows-how-much spinal fluid out of me.
But ironically, he was probably so relieved as well that he didn’t stop to think to tell me either.
So lo & behold when Sandra, a nurse practitioner, commented earlier today – telling me I should’ve been on my back for the first 24 hours to avoid a monster headache – the monster headache I’ve been having suddenly made sense.
Here’s a fun tip: When you have ‘some-ting in yoor brain’ and your head starts hurting really bad, it would be nice to know to expect a massive headache after a lumbar puncture so that you don’t spend your morning freaked out that things are spiralling out of control & tell your already worried husband that ‘something’s wrong’.
Oh well…
…at least Libby was on her back.
I’m off to find some chocolate.
27°F
I wonder if doctors really realize what a powerful medicine chocolate really is. I bet they would be amazed at how many pints of some form of chocolate ice cream have been eaten to heal a broken heart. And I would put money on the fact that there is probably not a husband on this side of the grave that would not testify to the benefits of a good chocolate bar at least during some time frame each month!! (Can I hear an AMEN from the brothers??) It seems to have the amazing ability to calm the most raging storms in our life. (Let’s take a moment to thank the Lord for his great creation of the cocoa bean and for those who have done great things with it!)
Now, that I’ve chased that rabbit, back to the real subject. Do you still have the headache??? Did they not give you guys some form of instructions in writing?? That is just crazy, but I bet you are right in that he was so frustrated by the day’s events that he was just relieved that you weren’t going to have to come back for a second round of “Can you feel this??” I’m glad that part is over.
Chocolate’s good as Teri has noted. It’s a cure for sadness and also has some caffeine in it. Also, take some Excedrin. It also has a dose of caffeine in with the pain reliever and is good for migraines. Caffeine has the ability to dialate the blood vessels of the brain and thus increases the blood flow. Also, increase your intake of salt a little. You have to be cautious here because of your hypertension. Don’t be surprised if your stomach is upset too or you are nauseated. Eat lightly and drink plenty of liquids including coffee. I want your to be a couch potato. This is VERY important!
If your headache doesn’t go away after two to three days, you need to ask about a “blood patch”. Cerebral spinal fluid can continue to leak around the site and the headache continues. To cure that they take a little of your blood and introduce it back into your puncture site and your blood acts as a ‘stop-leak’ and the headache stops. Therefore, my injunction to rest, stay reclining as much as possible so as to promote clotting of the puncture site so you won’t have to do this. But if you do have to, it is better than suffering the migraine which can continue on for days. You might want to do a search on “spinal taps and migraines” to learn more.
I can’t believe someone didn’t give you that one vital piece of information to stay flat on your back for at least 24 hours. I hope your headache is gone by now.