Spinal tap/spinal headaches?
as I type this my head is tilted to the side, to avoid a head ach as I cant stand to live life lying down any more. I had a spinal tap one wk ago tomorrow. These things are the devil, if I knew about these head achs I would never have done the tap. I went back into the hospital the other day and was readmited for the same reasons as you, only I was throwing up and couldn't even sit without getting an instant headach that was the worse ever!! The minute I would lay down it would go away though. Weird. There is a blood patch they can do that is suppose to take away this night mare but there is a catch. A new doctor told me he didnt want to do it unless I absolutly had to because they cause extreme, like very very extreme back and neck paion. Its taking blood from like my arm and injecting it into my spin, where it doenst really belong but it patches up where they went in, chances are we have air in that hole now and is why we have these headachs. Like you, they had to go in more then once because they couldnt get fluid. Nice, huh? When I was readmitted they gave me another IV and hooked me up to these bags that had water and caffine in them. Then gave me mountain dew, it has the most caffine. Now I am home and given the mountain dew prescription, the caffine is supoose to help the headachs and do something with helping the whole process along. I'm slowly but surly getting better. Try doing this. Avoid the blood patch the best you can. The doctor told me its like trading one pain for another, blood patch being the worse pain. E-mail me if you just need to "complain" to someone, I know the need to :) it just helps sometimes and most dont really understand. Feel better friend, I'm sorry we are traveling in the same boat. Its a nightmare.
After your epidural (months later) do you still have back pain?
I had my baby three months ago. I had a beautiful and pain free delivery due to my epidural. I am now experiencing pretty bad back pain starting at the injection site. I am just wondering if other women are going through the same thing or should I be concerned. I feel as if my spine is badly bruised.
How long does a SPINAL TAP HEADACHE LAST!?
You are supposed to lie down for a few hours after a spinal tap. If you DON'T.....THAT is when you get the big headache and I'm not sure how long it lasts. You should be taking it easy and rising slowly. You didn't say when you had it but if it's within the past few hours then you are in a dusey of one for a while.
Did caffeine help your epidural headache?
Ok, here's the thing...an epidural headache can take 5 days to heal. My doctor wants me to wait it out before engaging in more surgery, as minor as it is, it still carries risks. Think about it. They don't like the idea of blood clots floating around in our bodies. When one is in the spine of all places.....IF I still have the headache on Monday, I'm to call the hospital and arrange for a blood patch. The caffeine helped, but I got sick from the caffeine because I'm not a caffeine drinker.
Question for anyone who had failed attempts of an epidural?
Well, I had my baby 12 days ago, and whilst in labor had 5 or 6 failed attempts of getting an epidural set up. Whenever he put the needle thing in I'd get tingling down my legs which apparently isn't meant to happen, but on the last attempt, when he was just putting the local in to numb the area, I think he must have really hit a nerve! It made me scream out in pain and it made me cry because it hurt so bad, I done my whole labor on gas & air in the end, and that injection was the most pain I felt through the whole thing! After the birth I didn't have any other pain except from in my back, it was agony! Although I didn't tear I had a couple of grazes which needed stitches, so you'd expect that to be a bit sore at the least, but my only complaint was my back. Now though, I keep getting intense shooting pains down my legs a few times a day, and frequent headaches, too. I think this is related to how I was butchered with th attempted epidural. Has anyone else experienced something similar? I have mentioned it to the midwife but she doesn't seem too concerned.. I am though! I'm unsure whether this is normal after the proceedur, so don't know whether to visit the doctors, or even take them to court as I didn't even sign a consent form. The chap who done it, when he made me scream out, also looked over at my mum and boyfriend as if though he really messed up and looked very worried. Definately suspicious I think?
37 weeks pregnant...does a epidural hurt?
Well, it doesn't tickle, that's for sure. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but for me, a few seconds of a little pain beat the hell out of all those awful contractions I was having. Honestly, it didn't hurt that bad. It did itch a little after it got taken out, but it wasn't anything major.