My husband had decompression surgery 10/13/15. We really do feel he had a csf leak the PA even thought so right before being discharged but because he had no swelling or infection they said it was not. We are 6 weeks out of surgery and the symptoms from a CSF leak come and go. We saw the PA and NS each since surgery but because of so many other medical issues and them originally telling us he did not have a leak we have not brought it up until last night. My husband was very sick and had so many symptoms. I did research last night on CSF leak and I do believe we are dealing with that now. Have a call in to the NS/PA although this is bad timing with the holidays. NS is out of town PA is only working a few hrs this morning in clinic. PA is suppose to call back. The PA can get us in Monday which I went ahead and made an appt. However in the mean time I am a desperate wife here reaching out to ya, are there anything I can do in the meantime to help with the symptoms. Last night he had sharp headaches, metallic taste in mouth, ears hurting, gait very unsteady, numbness to shoulder blade and both arms with tingling. The headaches were bad when upright but better when laying flat.
Hello Bowler, somthing you may have already done is use the search facility in the top right hand corner of the screen to search for 'csf leak' and then look back through previous discussions for tips and ideas. I had a quick look and the first discussion was someones positive experience with a can of pepsi cola and some comments on caffeine. This makes sense to me for headaches and migraines and, in fact, I keep a can of Red Bull in my 'migraine' treatment box for just this reason. Hope your husband gets some relief soon and if you/he are concerned over the holidays about ongoing complications then you may need to visit the ER. Happy thanksgiving. Jules
Jules G, Thank you so much for asking! He had a few rough week but he is better. We do have an appointment with the NS on Thursday 12/3 to evaluate if a leak. We spoke to the DR and PA over the holidays and they do not feel he has a leak because of him being out 7 weeks but told us to make an appointment. I know I am not a dr but I have done a lot of research. The PA told me to stop looking online. I just know my husband has had some real pain. I am glad for the appointment. I am very grateful for the online support we have both learned a lot and gotten much support.