MRI recently noticed spinal Csf collection

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Hey there my name is Fazel and about a year and half ago I was in a car accident as a passenger with one of my co workers we were hit in the back as the accident occurred four pieces of small glass shot threw and got stuck in my back hitting me in several places I was rushed to hospital and didn't have surgery but was examined and treated. My doctors said there was some spinal fluid leakage but no nerve damage so generally my Right leg was much weaker than my Left and I learned to get the strength back after several months in my right leg but over the year I have had a weird tingling and burning weird feeling in my left leg and it feels as if my left leg is always numb like 24/7 I have no hot or cold feeling in it which is so weird when I step into the shower n it's cold I feel that it's water but not a reaction of it being cold if that makes sense...I recently went into a doctor to get a MRI and about a week ago I got the results which were as stated "A Recent MRI of the Thoracic spine revealed an area of increased signal intensity in the Right lateral aspect of the Thoracic spinal Cord consistent with an area of Gliosis and likely a penetrating injury in this location. There was a small CSF Collection in the Epidural space anterior to the thecal Sac from C7 to T6 most consistent with a Dural Tear." I DONT know what any of that means please if anyone can help me with any suggestions or clarification I have not used a forum before and this matter is stopping me from performing my day to day activities in all reality I feel as if I honestly have One leg because have the time my leg feels weak and numb and so weird I skateboard and I am sponsored and this matter has stopped me from going on trips and performing to the best of my ability I'm honestly heartbroken Today my doctor prescribed me 100mg of Apo Gabapentin and he said to try this and see if the problem goes away I took one tablet earlier as its 9pm here I live in Winnipeg Canada if anyone has some info or help for me I would be so grateful thank u for reading my dilemma God bless!

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Fazel,

    I am very sorry to hear about your car accident, and welcome to Patient Info.

    Because you posted your MRI Scan results online, it is fairly easy to find people that will give you the information you require, or know where to go to find it.

    Have you been prescribed Gabapentin for a certain period, or is it longer? Gabapentin is a drug, similar to Tramadol but is nowhere near as potent, but like all medications it is still a drug that can become addictive, over periods of long use. It is prescribed mainly for nerve or muscle pain, but it cannot fix the issue your MRI scan is showing.

    The main area of your MRI which is noted in your post is the build up of Glosis, this is what should have been pointed out to you, I am assuming the report was drawn up by a Consultant Neurologist, it would have been easier for you, if he explained it on a patient level.

    What I have done is included details from the Medical Doctors website, (if I post the address in this message, it will cause this post to go in to moderation which I do not want). Anyway, this explains everything in easy to understand terms.

    http://mddk.com/gliosis.html

    If you need anything else just let us know.

    Regards,

    Les.

     

    • Posted

      Hi Les,

      I have replaced the copy/paste of the article with a link. Please do not paste whole articles in posts. Links will be approved if they are to reputable sites. If you do not want to wait for moderation then you can send the link via Private Message.

      Regards,

      Alan

    • Posted

      Hey les thank u so much for replying to my post and I was prescribed Apo Gabapentin which are the 100mg pills I got enough for 25 days my family doctor prescribed them but my neurologist didn't even explain to me anything initially they said that it didn't show any sign of anything being wrong then 2 days Later my family doctor said this I have a weird feeling of numbness in my left leg and when I crunch my toes it sends a really sharp pain up my left leg and stops after my buttox it is affecting me so bad that when every I do day to day activities it seems as if I can't accomplish much because it feels like I have one leg since my left leg also feels numb 24/7 the Gliosis means what exactly? I would just love if someone put what my MRI results say in terms I can understand or what I can do to be normal again sometimes when I dwell on my situation I honestly cry I was on a skateboarding team and was able to travel the world and everything got destroyed and opportunities lost because I feel as I have 1 leg I pray I can find the answers I so desperately am seeking thanks Les! I appreciate ur insight
    • Posted

      Hi Fazel,

      I know more than most regarding problems or disorders regarding the nervous system, because I have been through enough tests and numerous Neurologists and even Professors in Neurology. When you mentioned Gabapentin, I knew what is was used for because I have been on them in the past.

      The trauma from your injury, has caused your immune system to form a scar formation which has led to your nerve system to your left leg. Going by the report the Glosis is between your C7 to T6 of your spinal cord - going by this your injury was between the Thoracic and Cervical areas (near the top of the spine). In your statement report it states the Thoracic part of the spine (C7-T6) is the exact area, basically they are saying the injury is at the top of thoracic and just below the cervical part of your spine.

      Glosis is the clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, however if you have a injury or trauma that affects any area of the spine then Glosis will build up around that area to protect it from further injury. To put Glosis in a better perspective, you have probably heard of a "Lumbar Puncture"? This is where a doctor can place a needle in to the spine and draw some of the Glosis off for doing tests on. I have had it done myself numerous times.

      What I do not understand is why they did not pick up on this injury iniitially. Glosis takes 5-7 days to form in the spine around the damaged area. You have to go further than this to see the symptoms you are experiencing which I would assume, is in the sensory cortex and motor cortex and has caused increased signal intensity, more specifically to your left leg. Numbness and tingling would be your sensory cortex is slightly damaged, and weakness points to your motor cortex - indicating both cortex are damaged.

      I do not know the chances of having an operation to repair this back to a state which you can tolerate more easily, or whether it is a injury that will leave you on medication.

      I had a choice with a back injury, but more dangerous and it involved Deep Brain Surgery, when I asked about the chances of success I was informed of just 5%. To me, gathering from research I did prior to me being asked - the Deep Brain Surgery was too much of a chance of becoming much worse. It was at this point I went for medication for life, I did not have many options back then, but even now I don't regret not having the surgery, I have met many people that have had it done and the outcome in so many cases put me off.

      Okay, these days I'm on over 30 tablets a day, plus 6 injections in my neck every 10 weeks. My accident happened over 30 years ago, but it left me with a rare nerve disorder that, has cause my left leg to drag behind me, and twisted my foot inwards, I get numbness in my legs, cramps in both legs and swelling in both legs. Because my condition is progressive I am now in a wheelchair and unable to control my arms properly due to the nerve condition.

      I used to work 16 hour shifts a day and think nothing of it, apart from being on good money. Now, it takes me and my wife about 45-60 minutes to get out of bed and dressed. But I have many problems which are all linked back to my main injury, with me it was like I hit a brick wall in my early 20's with no return. But as they say life still goes on, that probably sounds stupid coming from me....

      I hope that explains it a bit better for you. If my doctor said something to me that I did not understand I would ask them to rephrase in terms that I would understand.

      All the best,

      Regards,

      Les.

    • Posted

      Hey Les u a remarkable person and I truly wish the best for u and recovering or at least having a better way of life I feel as if the medication will be something I have to deal with and I'm glad I have coverage but it's the numbness and weakness that's causing me to not participate in activities I once normally did the numbness is in the left leg as I stated but it's stronger than my right so I feel as if I'm constantly just using my left leg to support me more when I'm walking like for example when u sit on one hand and it gets numb I feel like that all the time in my left leg also u mentioned a lumbar puncture would that be a process I need to under go because u said it removes some of the built up fluid during my initial injury I went to the hospital and they didn't do no surgery but one thing they stated as they were bandaging me up was that one of the glass pieces that was near my spine up top so the thoracic part in guessing it's called had some spinal fluid leakage so would u think that maybe that's what could have caused it? Would there be a way to reproduce that? Also I have been taking Apo Gabapentin but it has only been 5 days today and I see no change but I'm guessing it may be a longer period of time until it kicks in I read online that it is used for brain seizures and such so that worried me on why the doctor prescribed me that...they said Initially when the injury took place I had no nerve damage and the injury was February 2014 and recently when I had this MRI no nerve damage so if the nerve isn't damaged then I don't know...sorry to be so random and all over the place I honestly truly thank u replying I have learned more and got a better insight from just this post from you than my doctors have told me all year thank u Les!

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