After having a consultation with my neurosurgeon regarding all the aspects of my headaches, he felt there were 2 possibilities. One was a CSF leaf, the other chemical meningitis which can be caused by dyes (from MRI), irrigation during surgery, use of artificial bone/glue/other surgical material. He referred me to a pain management specialist, where I had another consultation. The doctor felt that according to my symptoms and the fact that I had 3 lumbar punctures in the hospital after surgery, that I had a CSF leak. But he said that because the headaches had become chronic (I am 6 mos post op), the blood patch procedure only had a 60-65% success rate as opposed to a 90-95% sucess rate if I had been treated at an earlier date. He said I may need 2 blood patche procedures or perhaps investigate other options if the headaches remained. I had the blood patch procedure on Monday. Alittle painful, but not terrible. The worst was a sore back for 2 days but today it's fine. The really horrible headaches have definitely gotten better. They now seem to be milder and not my entire head (like a helmut) like before, but more like a crown type headache, mostly dull, lingering pain. I spoke to the pain management doctor last night and told him how I was feeling. He wants me to keep a headache diary for 2 weeks and then come in to see him. It may be (as I think), that my headaches have 2 different sources. We will discuss it in two weeks, unless the headaches become worse, in which case he will see me sooner. By doing the blood patch and getting positive results, that proves the CSF leak theory. If there was no change in headaches after procedure, than a CSF leak is not the cause. I also had alot of stuff going down my throat when I had the really bad headaches. So talk with your dr. and ask for a referral to pain management. I wish you luck. I'll let you know how my headaches go from here. Good luck!
