aseptic meningitis 10 days post op

[The_beat_goes_on]

I think I used to have a different ID here, but for the life of me, I cannot remember it.  I'll try to find it.  Quick recap, I was diagnosed with chiari malformation type 1 in 2010 at the age of 25.  I've had headaches and various other neurological symptoms since the age of 13, which were always dismissed as emotional, stress-related, depression, etc ... I literally didn't go to a doctor about my head from the age of 13 to 25 because I couldn't handle being told it was all in my head. So I get the diagnosis and my herniation is 11mm on the left, and 9mm on the right.  Find a chiari specialist and he wants to operate ASAP, but does a routine oximeter (pulse / oxygen sat) finger test and my heart rate is 196.  I had no idea my heart was beating so fast.  He will not touch me surgically until I see a cardiologist.  There is a two year period of cardiac ablations and a pacemaker /ICD ends up in my chest.  Okay, heart is fixed.  Back to the neurosurgeon.  I had my decompression surgery on the 16th of December.  Dura was opened and the patch is my own tissue.  I'm released from the hospital four days later.  10 days later, December 26th, I land in the ER because my head is absolutely killing me when I stand up, or bend over, or move my head the wrong way.  ER does a CT scan and finds 3 cm of "fluid collection in the soft tissues at the operative site" ... the ER treats me like a drug-seeker so I leave, still in horrible pain, literally bawling my eyes out and having a hard time WALKING because it hurts so bad.  Neurosurgeon gets my CT scan the next day and calls to say I have aseptic meningitis and prescribes steroids and doubles up my pain medication.  I have had HORRIBLE headaches since the age of 13, and none of those headaches have come close to the pain I've been having.  The pain literally stops me in my tracks, and I feel like a bobble-head, trying to position my head in a way where it will relieve some of the pain.  

I don't see the neurosurgeon until the 31st to remove my stitches.  I guess my question is, what is this fluid collection?  a leak??? has anyone experienced this before?  how did he diagnose aseptic meningitis from a CT scan? is it common?  

[selmaS]

   BTW- I do remember ur old sign on name melephant.....contact the MODS at teh bottom of this screen and they will be able to get u into ur old account.

[The_beat_goes_on]

that's what I thought .... yes, he is a chiari specialist ...

http://neuro.memorialhermann.org/chiari/

[selmaS]

  No, surgery does not resolve Chiari...Chiari is the Malformation of the skull, surgery is done to create more room to allow CSF flow and slow progression.

Was this Dr a true Chiari specialist?

The obstruction may be resolved.....and if u did not rule out ALL related conditions u could  still have issues/symptoms.

[The_beat_goes_on]

I haven't heard of Dr. Parrish but I'm extremely disappointed with the memorial hermann hospital in the Texas medical center .... How are you recovering?  We had surgery across the street from each other basically, and pretty close together, time wise!

[The_beat_goes_on]

My old ID was melephant.  I tried to reset my password but haven't received the email. I first posted back in 2010 (when I was first diagnosed) ... since then I've had a whirlwind of heart procedures (ablations / devices implanted / devices moved) and this chiari decompression was going to be the end of my medical problems. This surgery was just a lot harder than I expected.

I forgot to mention that the CT Scan did find AIR in my head on that CT scan (after my head was dropped -- I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it).  They put me on 100% oxygen and it resolved itself, but the fluid collection is I guess called a pseudomeningocele ... my doctor was contacted the night I was in the ER (or someone on call with the same group ...) and they prescribed steroids for the aseptic meningitis.  They way he explained it at my appointment was, the inflammation (aseptic meningitis) is what caused the constant, intolerable pain that landed me in the ER.  This pain is no longer constant, because of the steroids -- he warned me that once I come off of them it can return, and he will re-evaluate me and maybe give me another round of them if I can't handle the pain.

something that bothered me about my post op appointment are -- 1) he said my chiari is completely resolved.  does it go away with surgery?  

I also have a new symptom ... but I want to post a new thread so it's more easily search-able in case other people experience it .....

[tlw1970]

Sorry to hear about your issues. I can't believe the nurses dropped your head once much less twice. Ouch. You Should make a formal report with the nursing director. I am outside of Houston and almost used dr Kim myself but chose a Methodist hospital dr instead there at med center and am 17 days postop. Dr Parrish did a great job so far. Hitting your head like that seems like it could have caused a leak but I am no dr. Just makes sense to me.

[selmaS]

  Oh.....ok that makes sense,.,....but again I never heard it being done till now, but understand y.

I have heard of that Dr b4,but not enuff ....

What has ur Dr said in regards to ur ER visit?

[The_beat_goes_on]

Hi Semla,

They were having a really hard time getting my pain under control in neuro ICU and it seemed to actually get worse so a CT was ordered.  I was TOTALLY out of it, I don't remember very much, except my head being dropped.  My doctor is Dr **** Kim in Houston, Texas, and I was at Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center.

[selmaS]

  Hi an welcome back...so sorry u r having these issues post op.

The collection could be a leak....and that could be y u had meningitis....

  I have never heard of a mobile CT while in ICU....??? I know all Drs and hospitals do things differently....may I ask who ur Dr is and which hospital u r in?

  

[The_beat_goes_on]

I forgot to mention that in Neuro ICU, they brought in a mobile CT scanner and the lady running the thing lifted my head to position it, and dropped my head TWICE (right on my incision) on the hard board of the scanner.  I mentioned it to nurses, and even my Neurosurgeon but ... could that have caused a fluid collection at my surgical site?