Perineural or Tarlov cysts

Hi Jennifer,
Apologies for the delayed response to your post. It sounds like you've gathered a fair bit of information about Tarlov cysts. Here is the info sheet from NORD (National Organization for Rare Diseases) https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/tarlov-cysts/ It's one of my go-to websites for rare conditions.
Have any other treatment options been considered besides surgery?

I'm tagging a few members to bring them into this discussion. @ashleykingsley talked about Tarlov cysts quite a few years ago on Connect. I'm hoping she still receives notifications and will return to the discussion to share with you.

@pkindron, you mention a sheath tumor on the nerve root on your spine. Does your experience some similar to Jennifer's?

Jennifer, My name is Maxine, I have lived in chronic pain for many years so it is a day to day thing. But then I read your letter about the cysts and all the trauma involved and once again I should never complain again. I am going to pray for you as soon as I disconnect. keep up your good attitude; also do you have pain and if so is it kept under control? I am a retired nurse and this is all new to me. Please reply if you would like!

Thank you for your reply I really appreciate it. First the question you asked about other treatments, yes my pain management doctor is going to try just an epidural in that area on Tuesday. I think it's for relief of the pain but it's also diagnostic to see if for sure that's what's causing my problem. I could go on doing that for a certain period of time but I don't think it's in definite. I think you have to look at surgery if it keeps coming back because from what I've read the bones will start to deteriorate, I don't know.

As it is a cyst that starts from the spinal nerve root. Mine is on my S1-2S. I'm not sure if it means that both of them are involved, or I have two one on each vertebrae. I don't believe there's a disk that far down, so I don't know if the cyst can be between them both. Sure about any of this I'm a little confused although I've talked to a lot of people it is a rare condition. From my understanding there's just the one doctor in Texas who is the expert on the cysts.

Colleen thank you for the reply. There are other options besides surgery, one of them is an epidural in that area which I'm going to try on Tuesday. If it relieves the pain then we know that that's the problem. And if the pain returns after the epidural wears off there's only two options surgery, or they have a treatment where they inject some type of fibrous glue into the cyst to plug the hole that goes into the spinal column so you don't develop a spinal fluid leak. None of them sound very fun to me. So were starting with the least invasive maybe it will hold me over for a while. I have also read that the bones will deteriorate in that area if you don't take care of the problem. I really don't know what time means.

Thank you for the websites I will definitely look into them. I appreciate any information I can find on what I'm dealing with. Thank you Jennifer

Thank you so much for the reply and your prayers. I think we all feel like the other peoples problems are worse than our own, I don't think that's true. Whatever you're dealing with is your burden and you have to deal with it the best way you can. I feel worse for my family than for me, they don't have the wife and mother they are used to have. But I keep looking for answers and I hope someday God delivers those answers. Thank you so much for your reply it means a lot. It gets a little lonely sitting here doing nothing but watching TV and crocheting. I do try to stay positive but it's not always possible. Sometimes it really gets to me, but not today.
Thank you, Jennifer

Maxine I didn't answer your last question sorry. Yes I'm in a lot of pain, it's hard to walk and I am laying down most of the time. I'm on a lot of pain medication and it does help but I think as most people on this list know, it never takes it all away, you just have to learn to live with what's left. It seems since this cyst it is filled with spinal fluid, it causes an in balance in the pressure and it makes my pre-existing migraines worse.
Most of the time things are tolerable I just can't run around and do things. If I'm laying down I'm happy chatting with my family and crocheting or watching television. Once in a while the headaches get so bad I have to go to urgent care but otherwise I can tolerate it. Again thank you for askIng.
Jen

I too have this issue and i took pain meds for 7 years but had to fight to get an mri which was finally done in jan of 2016 but due to the pain med epidemic going on i choose to stop taking the meds and winged off in oct of 2017 and im here to say my life is a living hell. I do try everyday i go to the gym but i can only do so much and when im using machines i can feel my spine move its so weird. Now as we all know some days are better than others and i never have a full day of ok its a hit and miss. Some times i stand up and fall over cause my legs dont wanna work it sucks so bad. I use to drive a truck locally hauling grain and my legs would hurt so bad that i could barely move,if im on my feet to long standing up my back will hurt so bad i fall down and cry loudly its sad when your wife and kids look at who use to be their superman is crying on the floor with doctors acting like they dont care cause i lost my insurance and now get treated like garbage. My head is even messed up i dont know if its all related but i would love to know cause i cant think straight i fumble my words i lose track of what im saying in the middle talking,i fall into walls alot but other times i feel ok its so weird. I use to be full of energy busy all day long and now just a trip to walmart can wipe me out for the day. I spend most of my time in my bed as the recliner hurts most times,i cant lay on my stomach as it kills my back in ways i cant describe. So much i wanna say but im not a good at typing and its hard to focus. I need answers i need to be a father and husband again so if you have any info on where to look im all ears. My doc is a great doc he is new to me but without good insurance im not being taking seriously. I have my mri images and report and still get no where its sad and im lost as to what to do.

Hello everyone. I know some of these posts are a year or more old. But I thought I would post with some resources that I've found helpful over the last 6 weeks since my teenage daughter's MRI showed a Tarlov cyst at her S2, which seems to be causing nagging pain only at this point. Please ask to join a private Facebook group called the Tarlov Cyst Society of America. There are others, but this one in my humble opinion, is the most helpful. Don't delay. Join and start reading. The moderators are active in updating their files. There are articles. But most importantly, there are people who are living with this condition who have tried many things, some successfully and some not. I hope you find it as helpful as I do. You will find a list of physicians by state on this site as well.

Hello @ftrice, welcome to Connect. Thank you for sharing some additional information with the members of this discussion. Would you mind sharing with the group what brought you to Connect and what sort of resources you have been able to share with your daughter to help in her diagnosis?

Hi. I was recently diagnosed with two small to moderate Tarlov cysts. My question is specific. So far I have been asymptomatic. A scan in 2014 showed no TCs. If now, 4 years later, I have two, does this mean that I may be one of lucky ones to remain symptom free? I don't know exactly when the cyst began, or how fast it has grown. I just know that my cysts developed some time in the last 2-4 years. I'm interested in understanding more about how fast they grow and when/if symptoms present most often. I don't have any idea where on the spectrum I fall, so I'm looking for context. Thank you kindly. Linda