Lumber punctures

As part of my treatment, I was to have a total of 8 lumber punctures. I would then get vials of chemicals injected into me.

The procedure was thus. On Wednesday or Friday afternoon, I was taken either to a room off the daycase area or in Fletcher ward, which was on the floor above me. I would then be bent double, with my back facing away from bed I would use as a head rest. The registrar/doc would feel my spine seemingly for a gap between the vertebrae. I would then feel a globule of cleaning gel rubbed onto the area around the target. I would then get a measure of local anaesthetic, the get that spread around a bit, followed by another measure of local, deeper into the skin.

Obviously being told the phrase lumber puncture sounds pretty nasty, but I'm told they only injected into the fluids around the spinal cord.

A few samples would be drawn from my spinal cord, apparently to check for infection or evidence of contamination by my cancer. This would be sent off to various labs, I'm told.

After the samples were drawn, It was time for the injection. It's part of the procedure that I visually check the packaging before it being used. Info I had to confirm was that it was the right drug, right date, and it had my name on it. All this is apparently legal requirements. It was another legal requirement that, regardless of however many procedures had to be done that day, the process for the individual had to start before 4pm that day. Legally this process started at the picking up of the vial of gunk from Pharmacy.

After confirming details of the package, the needle was readied, and I resumed the position, if I'd moved much. The injection would be delivered. Two measures of methotrexate, and 6 of I think it was called Cytarabin ended up in the old back. I would then get a small plaster over the hole.

After the dose was delivered, I was told to lie flat on my back in the room, for around an hour. I would then return to my room.