This is Spinal Tap

If you have seen the movie Spinal Tap, it is hilarious.

If you have had a spinal tap, not so much. I get to have the procedure. Lucky me.

Apparently the medical community likes to call them lumbar punctures these days. Doesn't it sound more user friendly? It's still a needle in your back. It still hurts. I still don't want to have it done.

My mother tried to make me feel better by reminding me that I am a grown up and sick little kids have to have them done all the time, and they get through it. Didn't help so much. I know I will get through it. I just don't want to do it!

So why am I having my lumbar region punctured? Well, it goes like this. Apparently I am Vitamin B12 deficient. I had blood drawn last Friday to run a methylmalonic acid test to determine if I am dietarily deficient or if my body is just not absorbing the B12 I am ingesting. Chances are I am not absorbing it because it doesn't take much to get enough B12 in your diet. For example, a McDonald's Cheeseburger has 40% of your RDA. B12 is only found in animal products (meat, eggs, cheese and milk) of which I get plenty every day.

B12 deficiency can mimic MS symptoms, and in extreme long-term deficiency, can cause demylination and lesions in the brain. The acceptable levels of B12 in blood serum are 160-680. Mine came in at 110. Treatment for B12 deficiency is easy. They usually start out with injections to bring the levels up quickly, and then switch to oral or sublingual for long term treatment.

Which brings us to stabbing my back. My neuro wants to do the LP because a handful of my symptoms are typical of MS and atypical of B12. There is a protein in the spinal fluid that is SOMETIMES (about 60%) present in people with MS. If the test is positive, it would be a definitive diagnosis of MS. If it is negative, we treat the B12 problem and take a wait and see approach on the MS treatment.

I would be THRILLED if after all this drama and heartache that this was merely a vitamin deficiency. However, since the LP is not a definitive test and we get a negative result, I feel like we are still on the fence about what is going on in my nervous system.

For right now, I just want to get this LP behind me. I am having it next Tuesday AM and one of my "moms" is going with me to hold my hand and pray over me while I get stabbed.

I have a great family! In the physical, emotional, and spiritual sense.