Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS)

Have you considered surgery?

Yes. I also have a hard time eating in a seated position. My job is sedentary and often I don’t eat until the afternoon. When I go home I lay down which helps tremendously. The down side is I have no life.

Long time no see... Dr. Hsu refused to do my surgery because of the injury that caused the issue. I've tried everything but the log story is I need this surgery in order to restore functionality of my muscles in my back. Being unable to bend or twist without aggravating the nerve center is causing a lot of other problems.

I need a surgeon list and the types of decompression they do. Does anyone have that info? I've requested access to mals pals but no response yet.

@tutogrl Yes!! I cannot wear belts, I eat laying down sometimes... I often when sitting have my knees up to my chest. I wear low rise pants because I cannot handle anything on my tummy!

YES!!!! I could only eat standing up, or sitting with my knees folded up, like on a chair across from me, and can not wear anything at all tight, or I'd be in extreme agony!

I have been diagnosed with MALS.
Has anyone found that a sitting position and abdominal pressure from belts or tight pants exacerbate the pain of MALS?

Not all vascular doctors are familiar with mals. On Facebook there’s a mals group with lots of info.

Hi @jpol catching up on posts... not everyone with MALS loses weight, however, I do wonder if it has to with the degree of stenosis and stress on other arteries that contributes to weight loss. You may also want to consult with a vascular doctor.

Welcome, @dwp60, You are going through a challenging time medically, you have a lot of diagnosis happening at once. Take this one moment at a time. It sounds like you are on the right track and your physicians are on top of things. Eating is a challenge with MALS and put on top of that PEs, aneurysm and heart irregularities I can understand your feeling of hopelessness. Out of curiosity have you had any past medical history, connective tissue wise? I do wonder if all these are related or not.

I had my tests done at a hospital in Toledo. Twenty pounds is a significant amount to lose in such a short time! What is the hold up with the referral to Cleveland Clinic? How much weight do you have to lose before they do something? I’m not a pushy person by nature but, when it comes to my health, I’ve had to learn to be. By the way, Cleveland Clinic has a service where they will review your case for a fee of about $550. You have to get your records, tests, imaging studies, etc., to them and they give you their opinion. Be persistent and don’t give up.