MRF-Logo2019-Horizontal-RGB
Melanoma of Spinal Fluid
REGISTER
The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content within the patient forum is user-generated and has not been reviewed by medical professionals. Other sections of the Melanoma Research Foundation website include information that has been reviewed by medical professionals as appropriate. All medical decisions should be made in consultation with your doctor or other qualified medical professional.

Melanoma of Spinal Fluid

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Melanoma of Spinal Fluid

  • Post
    • October 26, 2011 at 11:56 am
    nickmac56
    Participant

      My wife's arm/shoulder/neck pain is being managed with steroids and gabapentin for now. She had a nerve conduction test with the neurologist on Monday and they didn't identify any tumors outside the spinal column. Now he wants to do a spinal tap to determine presence of cancer cells in the spinal fluid. Apparently cancer cells swimming in the fluid can affect the nerve roots and cause the pain. Given that she has already had brain tumors and cancer of the lower spinal column (epidural) this would not be a surprise. We meet with our doc to discuss next steps tomorrow.

      My wife's arm/shoulder/neck pain is being managed with steroids and gabapentin for now. She had a nerve conduction test with the neurologist on Monday and they didn't identify any tumors outside the spinal column. Now he wants to do a spinal tap to determine presence of cancer cells in the spinal fluid. Apparently cancer cells swimming in the fluid can affect the nerve roots and cause the pain. Given that she has already had brain tumors and cancer of the lower spinal column (epidural) this would not be a surprise. We meet with our doc to discuss next steps tomorrow. Given that she is already on chemo he may say it doesn't make sense to have the spinal tap because that would be the treatment anyway. She also has a brain MRI Friday, so he might want to wait to decide until we get those results (same day). 

      Is a spinal tap as painful as legend says? My wife is getting very weary of pain. Anybody else had experience with cancer showing up in the spinal fluid and can tell me what to expect as it progresses?

      Nick

    Viewing 5 reply threads
    • Replies
        • October 26, 2011 at 3:32 pm
        sharmon
        Participant
          I don’t know about what to expect,but I wanted you to know I am saying a prayer for you both.
          • October 26, 2011 at 3:32 pm
          sharmon
          Participant
            I don’t know about what to expect,but I wanted you to know I am saying a prayer for you both.
            • October 26, 2011 at 3:32 pm
            sharmon
            Participant
              I don’t know about what to expect,but I wanted you to know I am saying a prayer for you both.
              • October 26, 2011 at 3:47 pm
              MichaelFL
              Participant

                I had a spinal tap some years ago, it in itself was not really a issue. The problem was the headache afterwards as the spinal fluid needs to rebalance and replenish itself. I had a bad headache for about three weeks afterwards, especially when I bent over. That made it worse.

              •  
              • People respond differently, but for me the headaches were much worse when sitting or standing, and were much better when I was laying in bed.

                • You can check some of Amy's posts, she had one too.

                Good luck.

            • October 26, 2011 at 3:47 pm
            MichaelFL
            Participant

              I had a spinal tap some years ago, it in itself was not really a issue. The problem was the headache afterwards as the spinal fluid needs to rebalance and replenish itself. I had a bad headache for about three weeks afterwards, especially when I bent over. That made it worse.

            •  
            • People respond differently, but for me the headaches were much worse when sitting or standing, and were much better when I was laying in bed.

              • You can check some of Amy's posts, she had one too.

              Good luck.

              • October 26, 2011 at 3:47 pm
              MichaelFL
              Participant

                I had a spinal tap some years ago, it in itself was not really a issue. The problem was the headache afterwards as the spinal fluid needs to rebalance and replenish itself. I had a bad headache for about three weeks afterwards, especially when I bent over. That made it worse.

              •  
              • People respond differently, but for me the headaches were much worse when sitting or standing, and were much better when I was laying in bed.

                • You can check some of Amy's posts, she had one too.

                Good luck.

                Viewing 5 reply threads
                Log In
                About the MRF Patient Forum

                The MRF Patient Forum is the oldest and largest online community of people affected by melanoma. It is designed to provide peer support and information to caregivers, patients, family and friends. There is no better place to discuss different parts of your journey with this cancer and find the friends and support resources to make that journey more bearable.

                The information on the forum is open and accessible to everyone. To add a new topic or to post a reply, you must be a registered user. Please note that you will be able to post both topics and replies anonymously even though you are logged in. All posts must abide by MRF posting policies.