What was the best/worst result of your Decompression Surgery?
Hi...
Great question...I really do not know how to put this....I had decompression a little over 4 yrs ago...I consider my surgery a success.
So, therefore , there are no real 'worst result' from my surgery..only positive...meaning that I did not get any infections after surgery, no spinal fluid leaks.
Before the operation I had many Sx's as so many of us do...My head aches are much improved, lessened...neck pain better, rapid heart rate that came out of nowhere gone...leg weakness better..however not gone...but better...arm weakness, as well better...still have burning feet,numbness and tinling in all extremities...but that was there b4 the operation...so, in other words, I did not get worse due to the decompression.
For me, it took a long time to really see/feel the positive results...the body is so weird!!LOL
Not one doc has an answer for this one: B4 surgery..for yrs..I would get bronchitis /pnemonea(sp) at LEAST 3x a yr..AT LEAST...I am a smoker (ciggs) and the docs and I thought that it was the smoking that made me get this all the time.
WELL....I have not had one bout of respitory issues like stated above , since my decompression! My thought is ...since one of the functions of CSF is to cleanse...is it possible that the diminished flow of CSF contributed???? Or is it purely coincidence?? I find it hard to believe it is coincidence..do not get me wrong...smoking is horrible! Trust me, I have tried to quit many times...awful addiction.
Are you having surgery???
Hi Lori,
Thanks for sharing. I am planning on having surgery in the next few weeks at the University of Pennsylvania. I am fortunate because I don't have a syrinx or any of the complications (that i know of) that come with Chiari. My main symptoms are headache, head pressure, brain fog and ringing in my ear. They all get much worse after lifting and bending.
lori said:
Hi...
Great question...I really do not know how to put this....I had decompression a little over 4 yrs ago...I consider my surgery a success.
So, therefore , there are no real 'worst result' from my surgery..only positive...meaning that I did not get any infections after surgery, no spinal fluid leaks.
Before the operation I had many Sx's as so many of us do...My head aches are much improved, lessened...neck pain better, rapid heart rate that came out of nowhere gone...leg weakness better..however not gone...but better...arm weakness, as well better...still have burning feet,numbness and tinling in all extremities...but that was there b4 the operation...so, in other words, I did not get worse due to the decompression.
For me, it took a long time to really see/feel the positive results...the body is so weird!!LOL
Not one doc has an answer for this one: B4 surgery..for yrs..I would get bronchitis /pnemonea(sp) at LEAST 3x a yr..AT LEAST...I am a smoker (ciggs) and the docs and I thought that it was the smoking that made me get this all the time.
WELL....I have not had one bout of respitory issues like stated above , since my decompression! My thought is ...since one of the functions of CSF is to cleanse...is it possible that the diminished flow of CSF contributed???? Or is it purely coincidence?? I find it hard to believe it is coincidence..do not get me wrong...smoking is horrible! Trust me, I have tried to quit many times...awful addiction.
Are you having surgery???
The worst thing, for me, is that I didn't get my hearing back. There were obviously no guarantees, but I was hoping.
I wish I had my ACM diagnosed much earlier so I would have not had hearing loss. Other than that, it was win-win. It took the headaches totally away for a solid three years. It was wonderful, I felt like a human being again lol.
I am 3.5 years out and I am having some headache and swallowing issues, but I won't know if it is Chiari related or herniated discs (or GI issues) until the 26th when I see my doctor (I will be having spine/brain MRI and barium swallow test on the 20th to see what is causing my symptoms)
Happy to hear that, Wendy. Thanks for sharing.
-Norm
Wendy said:
The worst thing, for me, is that I didn't get my hearing back. There were obviously no guarantees, but I was hoping.
I wish I had my ACM diagnosed much earlier so I would have not had hearing loss. Other than that, it was win-win. It took the headaches totally away for a solid three years. It was wonderful, I felt like a human being again lol.
I am 3.5 years out and I am having some headache and swallowing issues, but I won't know if it is Chiari related or herniated discs (or GI issues) until the 26th when I see my doctor (I will be having spine/brain MRI and barium swallow test on the 20th to see what is causing my symptoms)
Good luck with your surgery Normcor, let us know how you are doing!
I will. Thanks again.
-Norm
Wendy said:
Good luck with your surgery Normcor, let us know how you are doing!