Headache after lumbar puncture

I know there are loads of posts on lumbar punctures, but half of them are really old with no answers or don't give the information I want.

The main thing I want to ask about is the "spinal headache" that you have after a lumbar puncture.
I've had a really bad one for the last few days where I've not been able to sit or stand for more than half an hour, so I've spent a lot of time in bed. However, today I had an hour where I was stood up before the pain started, then 3 hours sat down before the really bad pains started. Does this mean it might be starting to ease off? Would like to know about other peoples experiences!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
A headache that worsens on standing up and improves or disappears on lying flat is a spinal headache. This happens when the CSF pressure in the brain falls. This usually happens after spinal anesthesia, spinal taps, or spinal injuries. However in some people this happens without a cause. This is known as spontaneous intracranial hypotension.
A procedure called an epidural blood patch, if is successful, even temporarily, it generally means the patient does indeed have a spinal headache. A small amount of the patient’s own blood is injected into the space between the dura and the bony spine known as the epidural space. If this causes temporary or permanent cure of headache, the diagnosis of spontaneous intracranial hypotension is confirmed.
Other tests are a spinal tap and measuring the pressure. Although spinal fluid pressure is usually low in patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension, it can be occasionally normal due to variations in the spinal fluid pressure.
A dye can be injected into the spinal fluid and entire spine’s CT scan is taken to locate the leak.
Please discuss this with a neurologist. This may help you cure your headaches. Of course a confirmed diagnosis cannot be given on net, but there is no harm in discussing this with a neurologist. Take care!