Cake

Spinal tap: check.

It was a piece of cake, compared to the bone marrow biopsy, and even getting a picc line or the ultrasound. Maybe it has something to do with the "happy drugs" they gave me (one nurse even called it the "bravery drug"). At any rate, I didn't feel a thing. I just had to lay on my back for four hours after to seal the puncture.

FYI1: if the wound doesn't seal, the lack of pressure will cause major headaches. Do you know how they make the wound seal? They take some of my own blood and cover the puncture area, and my blood will make a glue and it will automatically seal. Cool, huh? Not that I hope we get to that.

FYI2: the spinal tap (or lumbar puncture) is to check the spinal fluid for any negative side effects from my first round of chemo, and to check for leukemia in the brain stem, a secondary place besides the bone marrow where the cancer can spread easily. The results should come in a couple of days. They also administer one of my new chemo drugs for this regime into the spine.

Many thanks to dear Emily, who sat with me the whole prep time and the whole four hours after while I lay flat on my back. She even fed me chicken strips and french fries. It's a good thing that baby Claire gives her good practice to feed people! And to Lee Ann for bringing yummy dinner. I've been sleeping and laying on my back all day ever since.

Here's to four more spinal taps over the next two years!