I had a csf leak after my LP and went to the ER twice for the post LP headache. It wasn't until my 2nd visit that they placed the blood patch. I hadn't eaten in over a day because I was so nauseated from the head pain. They did ask me when I last ate so I would not eat 8 hours beforehand just in case.
For placing the blood patch, they hooked me up to an IV line 1. because i was super dehydrated because I couldnt keep anything down and 2. they will use that IV line to draw out blood. For mine they took out 30cc's of blood.
They had be sitting up with my feet resting on a chair off the side of the bed and hunched over a table with pillows on it (they placed mine in the pre-op area of the OR since I was going in from the ER)
They will go in over the area where they did the LP (after numbing you up with lidocain) and place the epidural needle. They then stick the syringe with your blood in it and slowly inject it into the space.
When they were almost done I started getting a ton of pressure in my bottom/thighs. My guess is because they blood is thicker than the normal csf fluid.
RIght after they placed it the doctor placed in into a sitting postion of about 45 degrees and my headache was 100% gone!!! Some doctors believe in having you lay flat right afterwards but not this doctor and it worked just fine, He said he doesn't believe it makes a big difference.
They moved me back down the to ER and had me wait 2 hours before I went hom.
I had severe back pain from the blood patch. A lot of my friends who had kids said their backs hurt really bad after their epidurals so I don't know if it was just from the epidural needle of from the pressure of the blood but I would take that back pain over that spinal headache any day! It took a couple days before the back pain was mild and then about a week for it to feel completely normal.

Good luck, let me know how it goes for you! Oh and yes you are awake during it and it doesn't take very long for the procedure.

I had a csf leak after my LP shunt was removed. You will ne awake, it is like getting a lumbar puncture only they use an epidural needle to reinsert blood to clot the hole. When they insert the blood it feels like massive pressure. The guy said it was going to be a little pressure but it really hurt. I had to ask him to do it more slowly with breaks in-between. Everyone is different, just like everyone who has a lumbar puncture is different. It's over with in 30 minutes or so on average. Mine took more like 40-50 because he had to go slower. If it hurts just tell them you need them to stop or slow down and then resume again.
Make sure to lie down for two hours at least! Sometimes people have to have multiple ones if it diesnt take so the longer you lie down the better. Mine took the first time and WOW I felt so much better :)
Hugs to you Jazzy :)
Mallory

My lowers back, butt, thighs and calves were the things that really hurt, mainly my butt and thighs though like Krislen.

i had the same experience as the others. headache gone right away... but severe back pain after. unfortunately my back pain lasted almost 6 weeks after... gradually decreased as time went on. traded one pain for another i guess!

Have you had the procedure? How'd it go?