- High/low pressure revisited

[Guest guest]

I have a couple of questions that I should know the answers to. I've had

decompression surgery (6/02), and did quite a bit of research. Maybe somehow I

missed something.

I'm trying to figure out why I'm having headaches now. My head feels exactly

like it did before surgery-I can't laugh or cough without getting a

skullcracker. Bending over, straining, etc. cause terrible head pain. Lying down

helps.

Dazed and confused,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

,

I have had three decompressions, and am awaiting #4 if my insurance would decide

to help me! None of my previous surgeons will touch me...one at Barrow

Neurological Institute said " Weve been in there three times already---it isn't

worth the risk. " Another said " I no longer do that part of the spine/brain. " And

the last, well, I will never see Dr. Walters again unless it means my life.

Anyway, I do remember the " Chiari " headaches...before that surgery, anything I

did that moved my head caused pain from behind my eyes to the whole back of my

head. Also, my gait was terrible, and my feet hurt so bad I would say, " my feet

are dying! " --it literally felt like they had to come off. After that surgery,

the pain eased up on my feet, to be replaced with numbness on the bottoms.

Well, for at least one whole year after the Foramen/Magnum decompression, every

time I bent down (to pick up one of my three toddlers, pull weeds from the

ground, scrub a tub, etc.) the pain was unbearable. And I ate extra applesauce

EVERY DAY because constipation was enemy No. 1!

Over the years, the pain has gradually faded. It came back before I had my third

Decompression in 1998, (which was on C-4 through 6, not the Chiari problem) and

it has been back again for months...As I understand my neurologist, any time

there is a compression, the sensitive places (like places that had been worked

on previously) can have pain.

I hope you are simply healing slowly like I did, and not having the same pain

because of an unsuccessful decompression!

BTW, my first decompression was on 2-18-91; my second 10-21-91, and the last was

9-14-98. I have had a working shunt for TWELVE years now…YEAH! (I just

celebrated 12 years on the 18th of February.) Interestingly, each time I would

present with “same-old†or new problems, an MRI has been ordered to check

the shunt’s operation…It seems that all of my problems after the shunting

have stemmed from syrinx damage done previously, or because of the stenosis and

degenerative disc disease.

Meg in AZ

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