Lumbar Puncture

[Toast101]

Hello,

I’m looking for some advice on whether a lumbar puncture I have been referred for is really necessary. I am petrified of the pain and after effects especially when my symptoms are nearly nonexistent.
Was referred to neuro in 2019 with numbness on skin in left arm left side of mouth and left shin. Did MRI and found extremely small lesion on spine. Symptoms went away. No further contact with them until I hurt my back 3 years ago and surgery asked neuro for MRIs. Back was unrelated to lesion. Neuro then scanned spine only quite a few times and found no changes until a year ago where they thought another had occurred just above the one I already had. Only weird symptom I had in this time was all over twitching that I thought was related to recovering from back injury. That symptom
has also stopped now. Now they want to do a lumbar puncture- asked why and assistant doctor said maybe MS. If it is MS why haven’t they scanned by brain since the first time in 2019? If there are two lesions and they suspect Ms can they not diagnose without a lumbar puncture. To be honest I’m not sure the assistant doctor really knew why I was being referred. Any help very much appreciated, very anxious about it all.

I have a close relative with MS and they had both, MRI of brain and a lumbar puncture before they would make a diagnosis.

It sounds like it really would be in your best interests to have this done, but I do appreciate that’s it’s a very invasive procedure and anxiety inducing, but my relative coped well with the procedure and said the hardest part was having to lie flat for hours and the headache that followed.

You must make your own informed decision of course OP, but FWIW I had an investigative lumbar puncture a few years and it left me so ill for nearly a month that I felt like dying. This response is called Severe Lumbar Puncture Syndrome and doctors say it is very rare, but as well as I having it myself I know someone else who suffered the same and was bedbound and unable to raise her head from the pillow for even longer. I'm not scare mongering, but you did ask so I'm making you aware that this is a risk.
In my case, they told me the results were 'inconclusive' so they would need to do it again! I said no.