Surgically recovered from a Spinal CSF Leak

Greetings - I am coming up on 2 years since a laminectomy to repair an anterior leak at T 9-10. It has been quite the process to get to this point. I am not 100% but I am living my best life. What I have been able to do is shift from a thought process of - getting back to normal - to a contentment with a new reality. In this new reality I could spend a bunch of time focusing on what I can no longer do, but that is simply counterproductive. So I work every day to be satisfied with what I can do. I can write! I can share my story of recovery. I can direct people to look to the Spinalcsfleak.org for excellent information and printable information to take with them to their appointments. I can walk, and swim and I just started doing Tai chi which I am loving.

My past life was busy. Always moving. I come from an athletic family and being active was never questioned. A spontaneous leak in 2009, caused much disruption. Eventually healed and returned to an active life, a car accident in 2017 caused a chronic leak. Misdiagnosed by a prominent Neuro Surgeon in Minneapolis, I finally found my way to Mayo and a great team of Docs. They are not the only ones out there, but the work to get to Mayo and the diagnosis was harder than it could be. 3 targeted blood patches that gave very short results brought me to surgery. I am one of the lucky ones. Post surgery saw three months of recovery and a clean bill of health. While I still experience some small symptoms on and off I consider myself healed.

I think through the entire process as I look back, the worst part of all of it was the mental drain. This condition causes mental issues beyond what I think any of us know or understand. It's not just the anguish of trying to get the diagnosis. I believe it is actually the chemical changes that happen in our bodies that cause some really difficult thinking. Mental stress is one thing, Mental stress on top of chronic illness is beyond incomprehensible. I see it in people who are still suffering and I am so very sorry for anyone still going through this. Please, if you are feeling extreme mental fatigue or heartache, reach out to a mental health professional. Especially in this time of Covid19 and our inability to interact with anyone. Ask your medical professional if there are online resources you can take advantage of.

I have not spent a great deal of time on this site because once healed, my focus was so much on living my life again. I apologize for not checking in. I want to give hope that healing is possible. I cannot imagine the struggle that many of you go through. I only have a small glimpse. I hope that you all can find a contentment in wherever you are at in your journey.

Sending positive energy for healing.