Hoping someone can help me out here...
My wife (diagnosed with AS at 33) had a spinal tap for no discernible reason in 2008. Her mother refuses to tell her why this test was performed, refuses to speak to her at all about it, and the doctor who performed it is far in the rear view mirror (I'm not even sure if the records would still exist anywhere).
To this day, she blames a lot of issues on a spinal tap. She thinks the fluid has yet to regenerate (my research confirms that it likely regenerated within a day or so of the procedure, 16 years ago). She thinks that she has issues with thinking because of it (which I blame more on constant fight or flight mode due to having a traumatic childhood, a narcissistic mother who she finally cut ties with this month, and a conspiracy theorist father who, when mixed with an AS mind, can cause a LOT of delusional thinking).
Last night, she started wondering if things were going to her brain because of the spinal tap...namely food. She said that it felt like a piece of lettuce wound up on her brain and that other substances like milk, juice, chocolate chips, etc go there as well. I tried to explain that the digestive system isn't even connected to the spinal column but she insists that she's somehow "altered" or "modified" because of this procedure.
FYI she has never taken an anatomy class; I feel taking one would be really beneficial (and she does like taking classes at community college for a hobby, but isn't much of a science person...as if you can't tell).
Does anyone have a resource for helping to educate her in a way that would make sense and not cause her to question it? We basically need to confirm that no food is traveling up and down the spinal column (which most people know but she somehow doesn't get). She doesn't trust online research most of the time since she doesn't trust the medical profession (she's been the victim of malpractice more than once and her family doesn't help, as they will always defend the doctor and then fail to say why). We also can't get a doctor to just explain it because, well, her trust in doctors is a negative number...
Also, just out of curiosity, what if her spinal fluid is indeed low? I doubt it would be; I would think an issue would already have come up. She doesn't get headaches and I think the whole thing is in her head. I know I have heard yoga is supposed to help the spinal column so I'm thinking maybe getting her a yoga DVD at the library will help her mindset? I might head there later today and pick a few up.
13 Sep 2024, 12:41 pm
