Spinal Tap

[ettebette]

Hi.  Has anyone had a spinal tap for chronic headaches/migraines?  If so, what was the purpose of you having this done, and what were the findings.  I know of a specific medication used if a condition called Idiopathic Intracranial Hlypertension is detected.  I'm wondering if anyone has had it for their headaches, and what was detected, if anything.  Please relate the treatment you are on, and if it has been effective for your headaches/migraines.  I have had chronic headaches for years, but for the past year, I have them 24/7, with eye pain (particularly the right eye, and lots of neck pain).  I also have Fibromyalgia, and other medical conditions.

Thanks so much!

Ellen

[LivingInHope]

I had a spinal tap once when I went to the ER with a migraine.  I believe they wanted to rule out spinal meningitis, which they did.

[Liora]

My husband had a spinal tap to test incoming and outgoing pressures. It was done on an outpatient basis at our local hospital. They were looking for inter-cranial hypertension. He suffers from Chronic Daily Migraine, ice pick headaches and cluster headaches. It's 24/7 pain and has been going on for a couple years now. No end in sight for relief yet.

Just like every other test they've tried, it came back normal.

[dame_wilbur]

be VERY careful with yoga. I'm glad that you chose a course that will ease you into it. I tried just jumping in to some simple exercises and it made my migraines astronomically worse. Same with Tia Chi. :(  So if you start feeling an increase in pain, be aware that it could be the yoga, and talk to your instructor about possibly modifying the movements.

I totally understand typos, no worries.

~Dame

[ettebette]

I meant to write "I wish you the best of luck in managing your headache pain."  Sorry for the typo!  :)

Ellen

[ettebette]

Thank you so much for responding to my post.  Living with headache pain 24/7 is a life-affecting alteration, to say the least.  I'm going to be taking "an ease into yoga" class.  I hope this will help in some way with my chronic headaches, Fibromyalgia, and a plethera of other medical maladies.

I will you the best of luck in managing your headache pains.

Ellen

[dame_wilbur]

I know that I had a spinal tap when I was in the hospital for 4 weeks. That was YEARS ago. I know it came back normal. They were testing to see if there was something funky in my spinal fluid pressure as I was randomly passing out up to 10x a day. It turned out that I had a autonomic disorder that wasn't diagnosed for several more years.

I can't pretend to be an expert, but I can tell you I found the pain worth it in the end.

Hope that helps,'

~Dame