Lumbar Puncture is a pain in the... Back! haha

I bet you thought I was going to say something else! I almost let it slip after the first attempt though!!! I am very grateful that the resident doing my lumbar puncture #1: did it under fluoroscopy so she could see everything!!! #2: listened to me very well about how EDS causes anesthetics like lidocaine to be not as effective! So, she double dosed the first time around, but was oh so slightly surprised to see that when she got a little deeper that there was no numbness and I almost came off the table. After a few more much deeper injections of lidocaine she got the second attempt in just the right place and with much less pain than the first attempt. While she was collecting fluids I did get a chance to talk to her about minimal chiari's from EDS and cranial settling and retroflexed odontoid, and I think I peaked her interest to do a little more studying than just what she was taught in school!

Unfortunately I am still feeling the affects of the first attempt, as she did say she was trying to work past some bone, in which I think she hit... Bone pain is very recognizable... I had a spinal headache up until a little while ago. My hunny gave me lots of caffeine and I have been laying down flat since.. But I needed a break from the flat position, so I figured I would blog about it... Sitting has been very difficult. I make it about 10 minutes and then the bones where she was really hurt some kind of terrible... And no, meds haven't even touched it. Laying flat helps... hahaha

She was able to tell me that the opening pressure of the CSF was normal at the time. I really wish some more docs would publish studies on retroflexed odontoids and the differences in upright versus supine (laying down). Although the Chiari Institute did publish one, it really only focused on the chiari of the patients extending from cranial settling and didn't discuss RO and brain stem compression at all. It is sad how little evidence there is and as you know, all docs will go on is what there is evidence for... That in and of itself is sad. If the doctor who transplanted the first heart only went on the research there would have never been heart transplants...

Oh well, such is life. I am getting labs done this week to recheck the parathyroid hormone, just to make sure it is a true culprit and hoping it is not to late to fix it because my insurance runs out at the end of this month. Happy Birthday to me, that's right, it runs out the day after my birthday... =P