This Is Spinal Tap

I'm gettig a lumbar puncture on Thursday morning and I'm really nervous. I'm terified needles and I heard very painful. Long story short, it's supposed to help migraines and headaches. But I heard that they can cause headaches. I just want an honest answer from someone who has gone though this or knows about it. Thank you very much!

A lumbar puncture is a procedure performed when a doctor must examine the cerebrospinal fluid (also known as cerebrospinal fluid). Spinal Tap is also called a lumbar puncture or LP.

Most lumbar punctures can be completed in 5-10 minutes.

You are invited to lie on her side with legs bent and the hips (bending) to the chest and neck bent forward slightly. This position is often called the fetal position. (Some doctors put you in a sitting position, you lean forward and rest your arm on a shelf or a chair back. It is a position acceptable alternative.)
The doctor always wears sterile gloves and sometimes wear a mask and gown.
Lumbar puncture is performed using a sterile technique, which means that everything is sterilized used to minimize any risk of infection.
The physician identifies the next marker on your body. Often the doctor does this by feeling the top of the pelvis (side). This zone corresponds to the fourth and fifth lumbar area where the needle is inserted.
A numbing medication (lidocaine) is injected into your skin first, then in the deep tissues of the lower back to numb the area completely. This injection causes some minor discomfort, which is usually brief and was described as a burning sensation.
You must inform the doctor at any time if you feel pain when the procedure is underway.
The needle is then inserted into the lower back, usually the third and fourth lumbar fourth and fifth lumbar level. The needle passes between the vertebrae 2 to enter the space where the fluid is contained. placing you in the fetal position allows the spinal spaces open more widely to needle passage easier.
Sometimes the doctor can measure the pressure in the fluid container. This does not change the procedure or results.
The fluid is then collected in a series of 3 or 4 bottles that are then sent to the laboratory for evaluation.
The fluid accumulates passively, which means it is allowed to flow into each bottle at its own pace. This step may take several minutes for a full withdrawal.

After the liquid is collected, the needle is removed and a bandage or small dressing is placed over the area.

After the procedure, you may be asked flat on his back for some time after the lumbar puncture. This reduces the possibility of headache. Drinking, including products such as caffeine in tea, coffee, cola and may also help reduce headaches.
Your puncture site can be painful for 1-2 days.
As with any procedure where the skin is pierced, the area should be monitored for signs of infection. Redness, swelling, pus in the region, or tenderness should prompt immediate attention of a doctor.

If you have a headache of raised intracranial pressure, lumbar puncture can solve this problem (by dropping the pressure of the brain).

Some people with high normal brain receiving a lumbar puncture, may end up with a low pressure headache. This does not apply in your case.

What to Expect:

They will make you sleep curled up on the side really well to open the bottom of your spine.

Then they paint your back with antiseptic.
It's cold!

They cover you over with sterile drapes.

It is very important to keep forever.

You will not see the needles, they will be behind you.

One is a small needle that uses anesthetic (LO.