Hello to everyone. I am new to this forum and found it just by chance online trying to do some research on this awful disorder. I was diagnosed with Arachnoiditis in early 2015 and was simply told there is no cure just pain management. Unfortunately I am at my wits end with the pain and discomfort not to mention how it has turned my life as well as my family’s life upside down. Not only was I diagnosed with this disorder I was also diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis which is just as rare. I am desperate to find a doctor that not only can treat or help me but that is actually familiar with both of these disorders. I was a registered paralegal and have been unable to work in over 3 years due to the pain. Most dsys I cannot even get out of bed. I am tired of dealing with all the issues of taking pain meds with no relief in site. I was an extremely active person, abid boater and scuba diver. Nowadays I can barely even walk. This is a condition that you have to have to know how intense the pain is. Please if anyone can point me in the right direction I will be forever grateful!

Are you a part of any of the support groups thru Facebook?
I know and understand what you are dealing with as I too have been dealing with this for just a little over a year. The feeling of despair tends to rule my day more than anything other than the pain. I understand and hope you look into the groups, I'm not much help right now because I don't know how I keep going to bed and waking up, but there's a ton of support. Arachnoiditis and Arachnoiditis Everyday are in the search on Facebook. I have been told there is no fixing, just learning to manage.

I am so desperate too! Everyday i deal with this pain! I just can't believe that there's no cure or relief for arachoiditis! Any help is desperately needed!

I live in Central Florida and have been looking for a Dr/neuroradiologist as well. I actually posted for a recommendation yesterday on one of the Arachnoiditis fb groups that I am in. I saw a pain doctor in March 2015 who, very matter of factly, scheduled a series of spinal epidural injections for me without any prior testing done. After the first injection I had numbness that lasted longer than it should have but was assured that happens sometimes. Before the second injection I was asked my pain level which was a 6/7. As soon as I woke from anesthesia I said something was very wrong. My pain was a 9/10 and I could tell there was something different. When it didn’t get better after steroids I insisted on an mri which was done at the local imaging center. The results listed “no Arachnoiditis found” which I found odd since I had never heard that word before. I had posted my experience on fb and a friend said I probably did have Arc from the injection and the imaging center was probably owned by the same doctors as the pain center. She suggested I send my disc to Dr Aldrete in North Florida. I sent my disc to him as well as a neurologist, Dr Sauborm, in California. Both doctors responded with detailed reports showing specific images with evidence of the early stages of Adhesive Arachnoiditis. The mri was just weeks after the second injection. I took both reports to my primary doctor who was friends with the local radiologist. He called him while I was there and went over the reports explaining everything the specialists found. The local radiologist refused to change his report. Shortly after I received a certified letter from the pain doctor saying that I was no longer welcome as a patient. That was almost 5 years ago now and my health has been steadily declining as my pain levels have been increasing. I am still fighting for disability because of the local radiologist’s reports of no Arachnoiditis and the fact that I “paid for outside reviews”. I am now fighting at the federal, and final level for disability. I have learned a lot in the past few years about the disorder, especially that I need to have a follow up mri to see how far the disorder has advanced but if I go to another doctor or another radiologist that is not familiar with Arc and does not know how to diagnose it and ends up misreading a new mri, no matter how evident the Arachnoiditis may be, he/she can destroy my chance of getting effective treatment in the future. I continually hear that I don’t qualify for this or can’t receive that because “I do not have a definitive diagnosis that would warrant it”. I use aids in my everyday use (cane, walker and wheelchair) my husband has to help me shower/dress and so many days I can’t get out of bed at all. Finding the right doctor with the knowledge of diagnosing and treating is such an important step. One I have been praying for and working so hard to find for almost 5 years now so if anyone knows of one please share!

Unfortunately, Dr. Tennant has retired.

Yes, indeed, the Burton Report (found online) is excellent.....There are several Facebook groups but I don´t deal with Facebook...takes too much time. There are also several blogs, but after a while I was getting a little depressed reading. Mayo Connect is different. I do believe totally in water therapy as the best way to keep leg muscles supple and working hard, but in a true Therapy Pool of around 94 degree water. The one I´ve used and loved is with Sarasota Memorial Hospital...can´t manage it right now because of the distance from home. PT can be risky, they don´t always know what to do about Arachnoiditis needs....most of the times they are amazed to hear about this condition...depending on their level of interest, I do bring them reading material to get started on learning about it. Did the same with my GP, and she now has included AA in my Patient Portal records, after several years of bringing her Dr. TEnnant´s materials. So am very grateful to her for being receptive to his protocols. While Dr. Tennant is officially retired (no more patients), his Foundation continues to update several websites for newest research protocols and if I email him he does reply and is very kind to do so. Latest protocol just came out a month ago. Has loads of practical information on line. Everyone should go online and look at his recommendations.... Most physicians who "see" ARC are actually radiologists or even anesthesiologists. Have a good weekend and week......my best! Joan

I lost touch with members who have this disease.

Hello Theodore, I also suggest contacting Forest Tennant, Calif. He started the Arachnoiditis Foundation. I hear you!! I understand!! I have Adhesive Arachnoiditis. I live in NJ. Wish I could help you. Only my experience, majority of P.M. have never heard of it or pretend don't know about it. I have a Pain Pump with 3 medications in it. It helps. Try and get all you information together so if you call Tennant and he asks you for it you will have it ready. My dr. put me on LDN not an opiate. LDN is hard to explain so if you look it up will explain in detail. Good luck to you and please let us know how you are doing.

When you go in to see a new doctor explain your entire situation including exactly what you've written above along with how it has affected you. Tell them that you are looking for a doctor that is willing to work with you because you are desperate for help. I have made appts. with several doctors at the same time (after my deductible was met) and told them I was going to see a few other doctors and was basically interviewing them. I explained that I no longer want to be strung along or looked down upon and then asked if they were willing to help me. I know it's hard to take on any more stress on top of just trying to survive the symptoms every day but remember, you are your best advocate. You will never get anywhere in the medical world unless you push.

I have never sued anyone in my life but I think you have a few really good lawsuits on your hands. You may want to talk to a malpractice lawyer. Also, if I were you I would also contact the Commissioner of Insurance in your state and file a few complaints against the doctors. I'm considering doing the same things. You may want to contact Nicolas Argy I mentioned in the last response. He is a radiologist and a medical malpractice lawyer. He has a few other titles under his belt at well. He may be able to steer you in the right direction or at least a little advice. Google patient advocate in your area as well. You have to pay them but they really dig into your records, make phone calls, and get things done for you.

In 2016 one spine surgeon said I "probably" had arachnoiditis, but he sort of slid the comment in at the end of the office visit. I didn't know what questions to ask, but based on my previous appointments with him, he wouldn't have said very much, except to clarify that there was nothing he could do for me. Since then I have been told (after I asked if they could see it on the imaging) by three other neurosurgeons that I have arachnoiditis, and that I have cauda equina syndrome by one neurosurgeon, but they didn't mention this in the records, nor did the radiologist put it on the report. One radiologist said the diagnosis codes that the doctor put on the order would determine what information he would include in the impression. I took this to mean that unless the doctor gave the radiologist the O.K. nothing about certain things, such as iatrogenic conditions, would be on the report. The nurse practitioner ordered another sacral MRI, at my last pain management appointment, after we specifically discussed the fact that the previous imaging had severe artifacts from surgical hardware and a pain pump, and that no one had ever ordered imaging of the sacral nerve roots before. I explained that a neurosurgeon had told me, the previous week, that he could see arachnoiditis on the lumbar MRI that I took to the appointment. The nurse practitioner even asked the name of the doctor and typed it on his computer. I proceeded to tell him what the radiologist said and asked him to put arachnoiditis and cauda equina syndrome on the order. He indicated that he would do this, however, I was contacted by the person that was scheduling the MRI, who said he had put cauda equina syndrome, but not arachnoiditis, on the order. If I have the test and the radiologist doesn't see cauda equina syndrome, where will this leave me? I seriously doubt that he will say I have arachnoiditis, since none of the other ones have. Every radiologist in my area knows that surgery caused my problems. I could hear the nurses talking about this when I was lying in the MRI machine during the last test. I was approved for disability for a cervical spine problem, but I would like to find a pain management doctor that knows more about arachnoiditis. Did your doctor order MRI's for you, and if so did he put arachnoiditis on the order?