I do not have a CSF leak, it appears.
The doctor said there is absolutely no reason to think it's CSF and every reason to think it's a classic upper respiratory thing. He said CSF would be more "acute," not lasting for three weeks and manifesting only as coughing and post-nasal drip.
Since it has lingered so long, he prescribed an antibiotic. He actually said my lungs sounded good, which surprised me because my upper chest feels so wheezy and congested. He did say there's fluid behind my left ear, so that may explain the extra fullness I've had, and he recommended a decongestent also. I suppose there still may be some fluid in there from the surgery, too, so if there are bacteria swarming around from whatever this is, better to kill them off!
Cheryl: I remember hearing that by 10 days, when they let you fly home after surgery, the odds of CSF leak are 1-in-1,000. So I assume that once you get into weeks and months, the odds are very, very, very minimal!
(Of course, having a geniculate hemangioma has MUCH higher odds than CSF leak to begin with, so high odds don't reassure me all that much anymore in and of themselves. Hee-hee.)
Hopefully the antibiotic just knocks this out! I've had enough for one year! (For 10 or 50 years, actually!)
