Easy Fatigue after Spinal Tap?

MattB · Post by **MattB** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:43 am

I'm a 20 year old guy who is(was?) also an athlete. Recently after a bout with optic neuritis after MRIs and such I was given a spinal tap, the results of which came out fine. After a week being layed up with the positional headache I started to out and try to do my thing, which is running. I noticed I couldn't go as far or as fast as before my tap but I wrote it off as a loss of being in shape for being stationary for a little more than a week. Since then my running has gotten no better, I feel worse. Has anyone had any similar experience? Could it be from the tap or what?

REDHAIRANDTEMPER · Post by **REDHAIRANDTEMPER** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:50 am

hmm i have had a tap done twice and have had other things done and i was only down for three days...not sure if you being down for a week would cause that but everyone is different on how their body deals with stuff.i am sure there are other people on here with better information...i know for me i didnt have to many problems..hope you feel better..

chris

MattB · Post by **MattB** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:56 am

I guess I should mention I had my tap done July 30th.

Post by **jimmylegs** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:05 am

hiya, i had a shitty tap and would've had to go for a blood patch if i hadn't really confined myself to couch at the end. but i was only down for a week. i don't personally think the tap itself would still be affecting you. i'll read a bit more and get back on here if i come up with anything useful.

TwistedHelix · Post by **TwistedHelix** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:35 am

Hi Matt,
There are a couple of complications that I know can happen with lumbar puncture, although they are quite rare: one is that the puncture can fail to heal and remain open, although I'm not sure what the effects of this would be; the other is that there is a small risk the spinal cord or the nerve roots themselves could be damaged, resulting in weakness. I hope you notice some improvement soon,

Post by **jimmylegs** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 9:15 am

hey TH sounds like matt already has dealt with the failure to heal part, the positional headache for a week - is that what you're talking about? and if it doesn't resolve they go in again and do a blood patch? do you mean that for some even the blood patch doesn't fix it? that would suuuuuuck - the leaky spinal cord headache is no joke!

TwistedHelix · Post by **TwistedHelix** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 10:19 am

Sorry, J-legs, I didn't make myself very clear: I was just mentioning a couple of problems that can arise with a spinal tap. I've never heard of a blood patch failing to work ,

MattB · Post by **MattB** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:29 pm

I talked to my neurologist today about the stuff and he seemed to think it may be a sign of developing MS(MS patients complain of being fatigued.) But I felt great right up until the tap. I got through the positional headache thing, a little more than a week, but haven't felt quite the same since so I still don't think there could be that BIG of a coincidence that I'd get a tap and then BOOM get other signs of MS. I'm going to go to a different neurologist to completely rule out lyme disease.

Post by **jimmylegs** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 3:48 pm

ya really matt, that's pretty handy eh. nice and circular.

MattB · Post by **MattB** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 8:19 pm

What do you mean?

Post by **jimmylegs** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 4:53 am

sorry, i meant handy for them to say it's probably ms progressing, esp if they're the ones who made it progress. i thought it sounded like a circular reference.

MattB · Post by **MattB** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 5:38 pm

I have some swelling around the area where the tap was done and went to the family doctor, as suggested by my neurologist, and the doctor didn't seem to think it was an infection. He is going to do another set of bloodwork to check for lyme again and for infection so I guess we'll see. With the second neurologist I'm going to be seeing I'm just going to give them the MRI films and the results of the spinal and let them interpret their own results.

DM · Post by DM » Tue Oct 09, 2007 4:10 pm

I had a spinal tap back in January to determine whether I have MS, which apparently, I do. The neorusurgeon did the ST, only to be unable to draw any fluid. They sent me down to XRAY, and another technician, or doctor, froze me again, and successfully drew the fluid.

I had no symptoms whatsover. For approx two days, when I coughed, either due to the cold weather, or smoking, I guess the latter, I felt a second of pain in my head, and then disappered rather quickly.

Other than that, nothing. No MS symptoms either.