Tethered cord surgery and csf leakage

[CoachMichelle]

I have Spinal Bifida Occulta and have had 3 surgeries to remove the fatty lipoma in my spine and to release my tethered cord.  My last surgery to release the tethered spinal cord was in November and I had csf leakage that caused me to have another surgery to use the blood patch to stop the leak.  That did not work and had to have a spinal drain put in to allow the csf to leak.  After 10 days laying flat the leak finally stopped. What are the long term complications of spinal leakage after tethered cord release? I have been experiencing short term memory loss and loss of balance.  Will this eventually go away or will I just have to live with this?

[selmaS]

  Hi , u can continue to post here if u wish...u may find more in common with those on the chiari forum as the conditions r related and symptoms similar.

I too was born with my tethered cord....and bcuz we have it, we can have the cerebral tonsils pulled down causing us further issues.The issues r similar to chiari malformation.....I was also born with my chiari malformation so the TC is not the cause of my herniation, but, it did not help me ne.

"selma"

[adventurer53]

thanks for the link to Chiari. I don't have it, and had never heard of it until I found it on this site. There sure are a lot of similar symptoms. Sometimes  it's hard to know where to post things - neurology, back pain, chronic pain, Chiari.
I was born with a tethered spinal cord. I had a deep dimple in my low back with a red hemanginoma. Back then they just thought it was a cyst. Since I have a tethered cord and not Chiari, should I post on this site or where?

[selmaS]

  Hi...I wanted to invite u to the Chiari forum, where we have members with TC, like myself...I have not had the TC release yet.....but did have the surgery for chiari.
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Chiari-Malformation/show/257?camp=msc

As for a CSF leak...they r tough to deal with.....lying flat like u did is the best way to deal with it as well as staying hydrated...plenty of water and some caffeinated bevs....

I am curious, do u also have chiari?

[adventurer53]

Oh, I feel for you. I recently got out of the hospital for the same thing. Ten days just like you. Only now I'm leaking from the drain site and we tried a blood patch at that site but it didn't help. Now we will look at other options. I have had four CSF leaks in the last three years and each time I have found that my mind had a hard time recalling things. I call it a foggy brain. But when the leak stopped, it didn't take very long for the brain to rebound and then I didn't have problems. I too have a tethered spinal cord, and they have been in the cord twice, once to take a tumor out and once to untether it, and other medical things as a result of pain, etc.
I didn't have the balance issue, so I can't speak to that. Hope your symptoms go away quickly. I often tell my friends that surgery and recovery are hard, but a leak just ***** the life right out of you. Every day is an adventure from God, just not the ones I would choose!!