So update… I had it done yesterday and I coped…
I would be happy never to have another one but it wasn’t as horrible as I feared. I told the doctor how nervous I was and he did offer sedation but I said I’d try without if we could chat and try to distract me enough to take the edge off the worst anxiety. He also said that he would tell me everything that he was doing.
I didn’t feel pain as such really though there were moments where there was heavy pressure, some of which caught me a bit unawares.
The worst thing about it was that it took absolutely ages for him to find the right spot. A loooong time! He did say that as ever people’s bodies vary and that for some it can be awkward if they have smaller spaces to get the needle in. (I am also pretty overweight which may have made a difference, although he didn’t mention that). Apparently my puncture was definitely on the awkward side of average!!
Once he actually found the right spot then it was quick. If he’d managed to do that much earlier then it wouldn’t have been at all bad, really not a huge deal. I was just getting worried he wouldn’t be able to do it at all (he did warn me about failed procedure) and I’d have to go through it again under X-ray.
My pressure was NORMAL!! Which means a suspected diagnosis can be ruled out.
I lay flat afterwards for nearly 1 + 3/4 hours drinking coke, tea and most of a couple of bottles of water (apart from spillage). The only bad thing about that was desperately needing the loo and not being sure if I could get up to go!!
So far no headache but my back is tender though I haven’t felt like digging out the painkillers so it’s manageable.
Maybe this will provide some reassurance to others in the same position who like me are/were terrified.
Thanks for all your comments, lovely people.