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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> Spinal tap?
        
(Message started by: kimmiedawn81 on Jun 14^th, 2004, 3:57pm)

Title: Spinal tap?
Post by kimmiedawn81 on Jun 14^th, 2004, 3:57pm

Has anyone had a spinal tap? Has the spinal tap helped?
My friend just called and said that her friend had headaches really bad (probably not CH), and they did a spinal tap on her, and found that too much fluid was building up around her brain, so somehow they rerouted the fluid and it has made a huge difference and she has greatly benefitted from this.
Let me know your thoughts.
Kim

Title: Re: Spinal tap?
Post by thomas on Jun 14^th, 2004, 4:04pm

I would try what John, (Giovanni) recommended, first.

Title: Re: Spinal tap?
Post by echo on Jun 14^th, 2004, 4:21pm

I had a tap for other reasons. Didn't do anything for CH. Will say that I had one hell of an overall headache for days.

Title: Re: Spinal tap?
Post by Giovanni on Jun 14^th, 2004, 4:52pm

If you want an additional headache besides CH go for the spinal tap. A team a mules could not DRAG me in for another.

I had a headache for a week straight, could not get out of bed.....had to crawl to the bath room. I finally had to go back into the hospital and have an epidural (sp?)
blood patch to stop the leak from the tap.

If you have CH the tap will not help anyway--my opinion.

John

Title: Re: Spinal tap?
Post by floridian on Jun 14^th, 2004, 5:09pm

Unless there is a suspicion of meningitis or some other problem, I wouldn't go that route. There are significant risks (including headache, nerve damage, and infection). The the pain in CH is not caused by an increased pressure of csf fluid, so draining some of it won't help like it does with a few other kinds of headaches.

This is Spinal Tap:

Quote:

"The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board. Eleven, eleven, eleven."
"Oh, I see, and mostly, the amps go up to ten?"
"Exactly."
"Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?"
"Well, it's one louder, isn't it?"

Title: Re: Spinal tap?
Post by thomas on Jun 14^th, 2004, 5:15pm

on 06/14/04 at 17:09:00, floridian wrote:

This is Spinal Tap:

Smell The Glove. LMMFAO!!!!! [smiley=laugh.gif]

Title: Re: Spinal tap?
Post by vig on Jun 14^th, 2004, 10:12pm

my sole trip to the ER for these headaches resulted in a spinal tap. As far as I know, it's a test for meningitis, it's not used to fix anything. I started peeing blood about an hour later. I think they messed it up. Sorry to get gross on y'all. One of my more memorable, miserable CH experiences...
thanks for the laugh Floridian!

Title: Re: Spinal tap?
Post by Lizzie2 on Jun 14^th, 2004, 10:21pm

I don't think a spinal tap would help CH either. In addition to its use for diagnosis meningitis, it can be used to treat intracranial hypertension headache (pseudotumor cerebri), but if you have a definitive diagnosis of ch, probably of no use. Take care!

Lizz