A little relief

[chiaribabe]

I visited the NS today. He was confused about the pressure in my head and said that it couldn't be a CSF leak or PTC since it's mainly on one side of my head. He thought it might just be a "trigger point" caused during the surgery. He gave me a nerve block and sent me home with Vicodin and more steroids. The nerve block helped some of the sharp, shooting pains in the back of my head but did absolutely nothing for the horrible pressure.

If, in 6 days, there isn't any change I'm supposed to go back again.

[chiaribabe]

I believe you are absolutely right. My NS said that I should be completely recovered in 2 weeks and that I didn't have any restrictions. What I think is happening in a lot of cases is that the patients live so far from their NS that when they do experience problems post-op they are going to their local ERs or PCPs, or NLs to seek treatment so their original NS may really not know what's going on. I know that I have gone to my PCP for my pain, nausea, and vomiting problems post-op. I've had a lot of surgeries in the past and it feels like once they have done the surgery, their part is over. (It is to a certain extent.) I would LOVE to see a Chiari center that sees patients throughout the year, whether they have surgery or not. The center would have a rheumatologist, neurologist, surgeon, and pain management specialist to help treat and monitor patients pre-op, post-op, and no op at all.

[selmaS]

  What a lot of patients do, if they have pain, and the Dr does not seem to listen, they go to a diff NS post op for help...which does not allow the Dr to know just how his patients r doing......

  Just my theory on it....lol...

[chiaribabe]

No prob. I am surprised that he has never encountered pressure pain post-op before, though, because I belong to a lot of chiari groups and it's not that uncommon. Ad he does a lot of decompressions. Maybe his patients just aren't complaining about it to him. :-)

[selmaS]

Oh ok...I am clear on this now....he never saw this type of pain from this surgery b4....gottcha....wheew

Sorry, sometimes I do not fully understand and y I re ask the question,.

We all handle pain diff, so he has to account for that.....

[selmaS]

  Then what did he mean by he never saw this type of surgery b4? I am confused.....

[chiaribabe]

He said he had never seen this kind of pain with a surgery like this before, not that he had never seen this kind of surgery before.

[chiaribabe]

Yes, it was a Chiari NS. This was Dr. John Tew of the Chiari Center at the Mayfield Clinic.

[selmaS]

  So this was not a chiari NS u saw?...u may want to, just to rule out a leak if this one never saw a surgery like this b4......

  This is very interesting and do keep us posted on this.

[irislita]

I think with trigger point he might think that frim moving muscles and nerves she has a point that iritates her nerves??!! I have trigger pounts on my first vertebras too.keep us updated.

[chiaribabe]

No, that's all he said. He did tell the nurse that he had "never seen this with this kind of surgery before." I think the whole pressure thing just really threw him off. He was confused since it's not on both sides of my head so the trigger point idea seemed to be the best he could come up with. I have never had trigger points there before. He was very courteous and helpful and seemed to want to be sympathetic for me but we're still concerned about an internal leak and fluid. He's not.

[selmaS]

   Thanks for sharing this update, I have never heard of a "trigger point" cause from surgery....Did he say nething more to explain it?

I hope u feel better and do not have to wait 6 days : )