- spinal tap

[Guest guest]

Hi -

Just wondering if your mom was awake when this procedure

was done and where in the spine is the fluid drawn from?

I have always wondered what the procedure entailed yet

as I mentioned to Jan, opted not having it done for my dad.

Thank you for your input.

Sandie

Des Moines, IA

-- Re: Another Question About Visual

Hallucinations/April

My mother had the spinal tap done back in November 2005. At the time

the neurologist wanted it done to rule out any abnormalities or

infections or inflamation. Mom was in the hospital at the time (this

was when we took her into emergecy b/c I thought she had a stroke).

When mom's neurologist originally brought up having a spinal tap back

in October, we made the appointment for November. Then she had went

into the other hospital for observation & testing and those doctors

didn't understand why this neurologist wanted it to be done. Those

doctors refused to have it done with them. They felt it was too much.

After inquiring again with the neurologist why he wanted it done -

his response was b/c mom's " diagnosis " at the time was vascular

dementia - mom's rapid decompensation was unusual for vascular

dementia. And the spinal tap would be able to find if mom had

inflamations or infections instead. (Looking back it's comical b/c

again none of these doctors even mentioned the words LBD until little

ole me suggested it, but not until December/January after all my

research)

So when mom was in the hospital after I found her in the ALF looking

like she had a stroke we went ahead and gave permission to have the

spinal tap. We waited and waited and then found out that they didn't

take enough fluid... The test they did with the spinal fluid was for

AD - noone mentioned that the fluid could be used to determine what

type of dementia - just AD or no AD. And it was inconclusive b/c they

didn't take enough fluid... But the neurologist already ruled out AD

so he wasn't concerned. What the spinal tap did determine was that

mom had no abnormalities, no infections...

; loving daughter of Maureen of Boston, MA; finally diagnosed

with LBD on 2/06 after also being diagnosed with everything from AD

to Vascular Dementia caused by mini strokes to Binswengers...; was

victim to rapid progression from Risperidone (or combination of

Risperidone with other drugs OR possibly received another " bad drug "

when she was observed/tested in a hospital in 10/05); in a NH since

11/05.