I went for a lumbar puncture and it didnt go as planned!!? -

When i went in for the lumbar puncture they went though what would happen and it all seemed to go wrong. First they couldnt draw the fluid because they could not find it even though they were moving this needle around in me a lot, which was very painfull i told them to stop, Is this common not being able to get the fluid and also during the procedure i had a shoting pain down my left leg which made me yell out and 1 day later the pain is still there any ideas,They are planning to do it again and sedate me next time . The reason for having this procedure is i suffer with benign intercranial hypertension.

I am so sorry, any procedure involving the spine is a delicate one, main nerves come through it and the fluid needed is in the centre of this delicate structure. It isn t always easy to get a specimen, The pain down your leg is through the nerve going down there has been disturbed. With sedation you will be more relaxed, tension makes any procedure more difficult as muscles tense up, become more dense and less easy to penetrate.

this is a very painfully procedure, i have had a few of them an they had real trouble getting the fluid. being sedated is the way to go! i however never was. i ended up with an anesthetist doing it rather than a doctor at the hospital and it was much better. and yes it was sore for a few days after. good luck and dont worry

when my daughter was first diagnosed with leukaemia she had to have lumbar punctures every month but they knocked her out for it so i know how pain full they must be as she was in great pain wen she came around. i hope you get better real soon.