KelBel Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Ah-ha Carl, you have just reminded me of the torture I went through when they done a lumbar puncture on me at the first hospital I was at... After they had done the CT scan and then another CT scan with dye - they then attempted a lumbar puncture... 'attempted' being the operative word... I was quite nervous but the DR assured me it would take no longer than 10mins and he had done hundreds of them... One hour and 4 injections of local anaesthetic later he had phial of a miniscule amount of spinal fluid... I found it so uncomfortable... and he just kept telling me to curl myself up on one side on the bed, but I didn't have the energy to do it. I ended up sat on the edge of the bed and hanging myself over the bedside table, sweating profusely and wailing with pain... I told him to get away from me and never come near me again!! what a memory... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snootybutnice Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 (edited) Hi Karl and Kel-Bel It seems that it's not so easy to do a lumbar puncture. They took 2 attempts to do it in Southampton and 3 attempts in Basingstoke. The first two attempts in Basingstoke I had to curl up in a foetal position and they kept getting my nerves which would spasm my left leg completely (well... the spasm was more like a severe cramp or what I think the Americans call a Charlie Horse?!) which made me cry out . The third time I had to sit up in bed and then lean over a tray with a chair propping up my legs - then arch over like a cat and suck my stomach in. Once the needle was in I had to gently lower myself onto my side, so that they could start taking pressure readings (the pressure changes if you are sitting up - and they can't measure it accurately while you're sitting up...if they draw off too much fluid by accident they can end up causing further trauma to the brain as the pressure starts to suck part of the brain down the spinal cord). Shudder to think about that!! I got the nurse to photograph me (using a special app on my mobile phone which turns normal photos into what looks like sketches - as below). I used this app a lot to take hospital photos because it allowed people anonymity while at the same time getting a real feel for what it was like there - all part of my entertainment to relieve the boredom of being in hospital. I have lots of other hospital photos in my photo album!! Nic x Edited March 1, 2012 by snootybutnice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Thanks for the pictures Nic They bring back such fond memories . LOL That is one experience I do not wish to have again. I think the thing that annoys me the most...... The pain I had from the SAH I had no control over, but I actually let the doctors do the lumbar puncture to me. And I wasn't smart enough to say no, even after the 5th time LOL. If I could invent one thing in life that would make me feel like a hero, it would be a way to see blood in spinal fluid without the spinal tap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyB Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Hi all - compared to most in this thread I think I got lucky. Am I the only one finding it impossible to identify medical staff these days? When first admitted to the assessment unit in Portsmouth it was a case of who the heck works here?? I mistook the first consultant doc for an employee of Snow and Rock. Either that or he was sponsored by "The North Face" judging by his outfit. He looked like he had just completed Ben Nevis and was calling in for lunch. Not that I have a problem with uniforms or anything, but it would be handy to know who the docs are v who the patients are. What happened to shirts, ties and stethoscopes?? Anyway, he was great. His fellow doc completed a lumbar puncture first time which seems to be a record on this thread. OK - he did fire the sciatic nerve in the process (yikes) but thats the least of it really as no harm done. After formal admission to hospital the staff were indeed wearing uniforms and it was nice to know I wasn't being treated by someone elses visitor. So thats good. I never did understand the theory of casual dress for docs. Is it so as not to frighten children?? So, I'm now in the Wessex. I'll say right now that I didn't have many of the complications that some of you unfortunately experienced so I was an easy customer to please. To this day I think they were brilliant. I found the nurses top notch and to me they sort of radiated healing. Nothing at all like the people I usually interact with on a working basis where its pressure, pressure, pressure all the time just to get the job done on time and to cost. So I'm giving the Wessex the thumbs up. But I can guess how hard their jobs can sometimes be. Keep well Bye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnamarie Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 My first hospital was coleraine and other than the doctor telling me i could go home if i wanted at the start (stayed as i was in so much pain)i have nothing bad to say about it . When i was moved to the Royal Victoria I have to say the level of care i got was great !!! maybe a bit scarey at times because they moved so quick (not complaining). The worse part for me was trying to get home My consultant dicharged me but the nurses wouldnt let me go ( im such a loveable person ) They told my dad and husband that i was pretending not to be in pain just to get home and they were to worried to let me go donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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