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Anyone been diagnosed with arachnoiditis after spine surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Sep 27, 2023 | Replies (174)Comment receiving replies
December 2020 I had one small arachnoid cycst removed at t8. Three months later I had dozens of cycst up and down my spine. The worst was at T4. I went from numbness to total paraplegic from the chest down. In March of 2021. I had surgery to stop the progression in April 2021 and so far I still have use of my arms but paraplegic just under the armpits down. My dr calls it malignant adhesive arachnoiditis and cannot explain the rapid growth of the cycst. Just weeks after the April surgery my MRI showed more cycst (multiple) and adhesions all the way up into the cervical area. In July I had a VP shunt inserted in my brain to control the pressure buildup from my spine. Today I have extreme spaciity in my lower back. Total los ls of bowel and bladder control and no core support. Dr has no explanation and I currently have no treatment. My wife is my caretaker 24x7. Btw I am 71 years old and a Viet Nam vet with agent Orange issues.
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Hi Raymond,
First, thank you for your service. I”m 67 , was a senior in high school when the war was ended. Ny older brother recently passed away was a Viet Nam vet stationed at An San. I can sympathize with your back issues. I have something wrong at every level of vertebrae , have had three fusion surgeries and have AA with cauda equiina inflammatory disorder. , DDD, stenosis, scoliosis, etc. just saw my latest neurologist and he says it’s MS. I was wondering if you’ve heard of the Tennant Foundation. ? If not I’d suggest googling them to gain access to their site. They have been immensely helpful for me to the point where I’m directing the neurologist to at least look into them. I’ve got multiple MRIs that show AA in many areas. My biggest complaint thus far as long as I remain sufficiently medicated is burning feet. Sounds like you’re progressing faster / further. If you email the Tennant foundation give it some time to reply. They do eventually reply. There are a few low priced paperbacks on Amazon, written by Dr. Tennant that provide insights on fighting off the disease and slowing its progression.
Best regards,
Bob M.