# Horrible spinal headache from epidural-Anyone else?



## SolaSola (Mar 4, 2009)

Has anyone else had a spinal headache from an epidural? How did you cope? How long did it lasts? Please share your experience.

I was prescribed narcotic "Norco" and if I don't take it, the pain is so intense I want to vomit. But it is making my baby so sedated as I am breastfeeding. I am at wits end.


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## Wittyone (May 11, 2005)

Contact your provider asap and ask about a blood patch. A spinal HA is the result spinal fluid leaking out of your spine - this fluid cushions your brain and when it is decreased you get the headache. An anesthesiologist can go back in and create a small blood clot, or patch, in the area of the leak and give your body a chance to replenish the lost fluid and decrease your HAs. Off the top of my head I don't know how far out from the epidural this can be done, but seems it would be worth asking about!


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## Lily's_Mom (Feb 11, 2008)

My sister ended up with a horrible spinal headache from her epidural in August. She got a blood-patch, and it fixed her right up!

You really need to advocate for yourself. She had the baby sunday night, and on monday when we went to visit she mentioned she had a terrible headache. I told her it was from her epidural. The staff had just been giving her tylenol! Only when she rang the call button and said she thought she had a spinal headache did they say, 'Oh yeah, that can happen from the epidural" and started talking about the blood patch.

They tried the first blood patch monday night, and it didn't help. The next day an OB came in and started saying, "I don't think this is a spinal headache." Like he knew, he wasn't even her doctor! She came home on tues, and on wed took an ambulance back to the hospital (she couldn't drive) and the second try was successful. She was 100x better within hours.

My mw said the anesthesiologist can tell right away if they've punctured your dura when they go to place the epidural (the spinal fluid will flow out into whatever they're trying to place in). You'd think they could write a little note on the mother's chart, "Watch patient for spinal headache." I wasn't very happy with the way my sister was treated.









I hope you can get your headache fixed.


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## kiara7 (Feb 14, 2008)

I had a spinal headache from a spinal tap. Not fun. Drink plenty of fluids it will help replenish the fluid and keep the pressure down. I drank a lot of caffeine, but you are nursing, so that's out. You have to lay flat. All the time, except for a bathroom break I guess, if you're standing up/sitting up there is too much pressure/not enough fluid. I think it takes 4-5 days to clear up, the doc told me if after 6-7 days the headache is still there then they can do a patch. Call ur doc and ask about it though.


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## AahRee (Jan 23, 2003)

How long has it been going on? Not to scare you, but a friend of mine had her 3rd baby a few months ago and almost died a few days afterwards with a headache like that. She had a horrible headache that was apparently related to her epidural at first, and resulted in basically a mini-stroke. She went blind one morning and her hubby took her to the ER. They told her that if she'd waited a few hours longer, she'd have died. She is still (2 months later) working on recovering her eyesight. Her eye function is 20/20 but the signal doesn't communicate correctly to her brain, so her vision is still really bad.







It's scary stuff and NOT something to mess around with. Please call your doctor and get it checked out!


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

I tried letting myself take it and three days after birth I went back into L&D and demanded an epidural blood patch. I went back on New-Year's Eve. What fun









Anyways, they basically reinsert a needle into your spinal column, draw blood from your arm, and shoot the blood into your back. It clots the hole, and no more CSF leaks, so no more pain.

My pain seriously went away immediatley! And I'm shocked that they're letting you BF on Norco- isn't that narcotic?


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## guestmama9967 (Oct 20, 2009)

I hate to tell you this, but I had those spinal headaches for almost two years after my son was born. They got less frequent but not any less painful. The only thing that ever helped was to lay COMPLETELY FLAT, no pillow or anything. even elevate your body above your head if possible. The ironic thing is that I was terrified of side effects and trauma and wanted a general for my emergency c-section. My doctor and anesthesiologist talked me out of it. My doctor was horrible, i knew it then and I shouldn't have trusted her. My current doctor told me that it is standard practice to mandate that a patient lay completely flat for 12-24 hours after a spinal to allow any holes to seal. My doctor had me up after only 6 hours. No one ever mentioned a blood patch, i have since learned that I should have had one before even leaving the hospital as the headache started within 24 hours, breaking throught the morphine.







Good Luck!!


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## SolaSola (Mar 4, 2009)

Thank you all for your wisdom. I went to the ER yesterday and had a blood patch. I am 50% better, don't need pain killers but still have the headache but it is manageable. I hope that the fluid leak will heal on its own, I don't want to keep on messing with my spinal column.


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

Glad everything is doing better, keep us posted!


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## annekh23 (Nov 1, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WindyCityMom* 
My pain seriously went away immediatley! And I'm shocked that they're letting you BF on Norco- isn't that narcotic?

Do you think they prevent c-section mums from nursing? Norco contains hydrocodone, most c-section mums are on something more potent than that, particularly the first 24 hours.


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