intracranial hypotension

[mom of 4]

I have been injured and repaired 3 times. That adds up for me to 1 microdiscectomy followed by a 1 level fusion 2 levels up, followed a few years later and most recently by having 2 nerve roots freed from a perineural cyst. Unfortunately I guess I'm an enigma. As part of the treatment for L5S1 pain prior to the cyst removal, I had a 5 series run of epiderals, the last being a transforaminal injection at the site of the microdiscectomy. After that one I began having a very strange symptom, after sitting I would stand have a pain in my left calf followed by muffled hearing as if I was in a tunnel that would last about a minute like a wave and then go back to normal. Long story short, first guess was intracranial hypotension from spinal fluid leak. Had two blood patches that helped for a very short time. Then when the perineural cyst was removed 6 months ago, it stopped happening and I noticed a wonderful decrease in headaches I had attributed to migraine. Well...guess what, the muffled hearing is coming and going again, I have leg pain again, and feel a bit frustrated. The surgeon truly believes there is no mechanical way that spinal fluid would be effected like this and was never able to visualize a leak when working on L4-5 for the cyst. The neurologist feels that I am still having IH but not sure of the site of a leak or if one exists, but wants to wait and see what happens since I am still sort of post-op. He believes that this is unrelated to a recently diagnosed pituitary tumor being well controlled with medecine. Ya know I am really tired of this. I am lucky to be quite functional, working full time etc. But this is wearing me down. The neurologist suggested that I have a sitting MRI, thoracic and cervical even though problems have all been lumbar if the hearing thing doesn't resolve. I'm very tired of MRIs. Does anyone out there have any idea what could be a cause could be? Ever heard of this? Thanks for reading all the way through this..It's really a condensed version of about 6 years of adventure. Mof4

[Mike Weins]

Hi mom of 4 and welcome to BrainTalk

I unfortunately have no idea as to what may be causing your muffled hearing and calf pain I suppose it could be 2 related or even unrelated things?

Others will be by to read your post and maybe some of them have ideas

[pab]

try the spinal disorders forum and the arnold chiari forum.......make sure you are always well hydrated....good luck

[mom of 4]

Thanks for some direction, I'll copy to that forum. Appreciate the help.