General Music Chat

Jace is 3. He has an arachnoid cyst on the back of his brain. They put a shunt in to ease the pressure on his brain, to improve his overall development. He;s had no dental work.

He's had lots of MRI's, x-rays & CT Scans.

They say that the cyst can cause seizures & migraines. He never had the headaches until after the shunt was put in.

You'd all be well advised to stay well away from me...LOL

I think everyone I know is sick or injured, save for a cpl lucky souls.

They just found a nodule on the lung of my mother in law.

My father in law is almost blind from type II diabetes, & is trying to wean himself off insulin w/out a Dr's care. (Sounds like something I'd do!)

My wife's pinched nerve in her neck is getting worse, & she's losing the feeling in her left arm & hand, & hasn't moved from the couch all day long, saying it hurts too much.

Her best friend just had another car accident, which will affect her lawsuit from being rear-ended this time last year. She was rear-ended again. She also has RA to the point that she can barely move.

Both of my ears just flared up in painful infections again today, prolly from the combo of the trip with the lack of sleep. My skin's peeling in sheets, too, which would be kinda cool if I werent' in agony from my ears.

Phillby very sorry to hear man. Yesterday I was feeling sorry for myself, for very trivial reasons in comparison. I hope it’s the darkest part of the tunnel for you, with brighter better days just ahead. My prayers go with you man, stay strong.

wow Phil ... I hope that things turn around for you .... for the better.

Geez.

I guess I'd better stop whining about my little problems.

Phil.
Hang in there pal. I've been through a lot of stuff this last 7 or more years too. It's sad, when there is so much sadness around you, but you just have to hang in there and do what you can. The most important thing at these times, is to keep yourself in good shape my friend.

You are the Anchor, the life saver belt and much more. Without you, others will drown. Look after yourself Bro. I know you can do it.
Best.
Me.

Ah heck, folks! It ain't ALL bad. I just saved a buncha money by switching to homegrown.



Seriously, life thus far is still beating the hell outta the alternative.

I am starting to feel a lil bummed, though. There's nothing good on tv, & I'm sick of this chicken salad I made. At least there's some yard tea in the fridge.

If I ever get outta this, I'm gonna laugh my ass off. Is it time to go fishing yet?

I'm about this close >< to running away from home like a lil kid. Let somebody else be the frikken anchor for awhile. Ain't it someone else's turn yet? I need some boxing gloves & a good scapegoat.

I can't hear for sh*t, but at least the pain stopped for awhile. I think there's locusts in my head.

Hmmmm....maybe pork chops...dammit I gained 6 lbs last week from that damned awful food in Charlottesville. Next time I'm packing a picnic basket. (It wasn't the town...I only ate in the hospital...EW! Too many starches, but I wasn't about to try hospital vegies!)

I was gonna go fishing, but between the burn & the ears, I opted out of that. It's prolly best to just sit in this damned house & whine for a day. Thanks for letting me share.

Sorry about that...I'll try to takl about something else for awhile. I really hate a whiner!

Well Phil, I'm glad that things are 'mostly' ok.
Everyone survived the trip and the ordeal.

There is no reason why it cant be a combination of things that are hurting the boy.
If I were in your shoes I would go to a ear nose and throat person, and get some bloodwork/allergy testing done.

Maybe he has a certain level of pressure in his brain from the cyst, but that pressure increases through sinus problems or other causes and thats when he gets the headaches. (Just thinking out loud.)

You should make a log, if you havent already, about what he was doing, what he was eating (or ate last), what the weather/enironment was like etc.
Also keep track of the time and date of past episodes.

A shunt seems like a crappy solution.

This is from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/arac ... _cysts.htm

Code: Select allIs there any treatment?

There has been active debate about how to treat arachnoid cysts.  The need for treatment depends mostly upon the location and size of the cyst.  If the cyst is small, not disturbing surrounding tissue, and not causing symptoms, some doctors will refrain from treatment.  In the past, doctors placed shunts in the cyst to drain its fluid.  Now with microneurosurgical techniques and endoscopic tools that allow for minimally invasive surgery, more doctors are opting to surgically remove the membranes of the cyst or open the cyst so its fluid can drain into the cerebrospinal fluid and be absorbed.   


What is the prognosis?

Untreated, arachnoid cysts may cause permanent severe neurological damage when progressive expansion of the cyst(s) or hemorrhage injures the brain or spinal cord.  Symptoms usually resolve or improve with treatment. 


What research is being done?

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) conducts research related to brain abnormalities and disorders of the nervous system such as arachnoid cysts in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and supports additional research through grants to major medical institutions across the country.  Much of this research focuses on finding better ways to prevent, treat, and ultimately cure neurological disorders such as arachnoid cysts.   


I dont remeber where I got this,but heres more info/opinion

Code: Select all The optimal surgical treatment for symptomatic temporal arachnoid cysts is controversial. Therapeutic options include cyst shunting, endoscopic fenestration, and craniotomy for fenestration. Transcortical endoscopic fenestration has been shown an effective mode of treatment for symptomatic arachnoid cysts and it also avoid the development of significant postoperative extra-axial collections, while promoting flow into the basal cisterns. A microsurgical keyhole approach to arachnoid cyst fenestration is also described as a safe effective method for treating middle fossa cysts. In this approach a minicraniotomy helps in better control of hemostasis without much increase in operative time and length of hospital stay.

Yeah, we did a lot of reading on the subject, Zip. In Jace's case, though, the cyst was putting a lot of pressure on his brain stem, actually bending it forward at an alarming 45 degree angle! This particular cyst was also putting pressure on the area at the back of the brain, thus causing his difficulties with his fine motor skills - speech, balance, using spoons & forks, finger mobility - all were being affected, so the doc went with the shunt to immediately relieve the pressure, & to keep his head from getting larger as a result of the pressures.

Now, upon doing some migraine research, I find that there are about a gazillion foods that can trigger them, from peanuts to chick peas to chicken livers to cheese to processed foods & canned meats. he does seem to have some of the signs; for example, he hates ice cream. Odd, that, in a child, if you ask me.

It's possible they're all right, but I want it PROVEN before we start treating, ya know? Everyone seems to want to treat the problem before it;s been adequately diagnosed, & that bugs the ever-living hell outta me.

Yesterday was the 36th anniversary of my mom's death. It always bums me out...I shoulda had a 7 & 7 to honor her memory...

Just got a call from the wife - it's 90% sure that it's cancer that her mom has. She also has a tumor on her thyroid. They made it sound like the procedure's almost as common as a haircut. They'll be removing the top lobe of her lung. I dunno what they're gonna do about the thyroid, although they say that chemo won't be needed.

So the wife is an emotional wreck, which will get her cringing, which will exacerbate her pinched nerve, like it does every time she gets uptight.

I think I'm gonna get a lil tipsy tonight. Maybe it'll dry out my ears.

I get to kick in carpet tomorrow. Man I sure love that kinda work. (NOT!) I'm gettin' too old for that kinda sh*t.

Anybody got some really good drugs?

If it wasn't so frikken hot, I'd dig myself a little hole in the yard about now...

I settled my issue last night with 10mg of Valium.
Better than stooping to booze to me.

Yes, I know... I'm not perfect, I'm weak, etc..., yada yada yada

It will cool off a little when the sun goes own Phil.

Hang in there brother. My favorite saying ( besides I love my job ) is

This too shall pass.

Valium's the best man-made drug, as long as you don't abuse it, Zip. No worries. We all need a little of "Mother's Little Helper" occasionally.

OH NO !!

Not this boy. Downers like Valium make me belligerent and hateful.

Very addicting too. Seen some really bizarre behaviors related to V withdrawal.

Best anti depressant ( other than sex and rockin roll ) is probably just a good old fashioned tight-roll.

No reason other than just plain stupidity for it to be illegal.

Phil, brother, I'm so sorry to hear about the news. What did they say the odds were of getting it all?

YES, anti-anxiety meds are bad...especially Clonazepam(Klonopin). Cold turkey on those cause seizures. They're harder to get off than heroin. If you're careful, and don't take them everyday, then you'll be alright.