In October 2014 I started getting cough headaches (produced by Valsalva maneuvers), some ear issues (feeling of fullness - needing to "pop"), and slight facial tingling/numbness. I saw my general doc and had an MRI which showed a large (bit smaller than a golf ball), benign, likely congenital, anachroid cyst in the middle fossa area. The MRI showed no signs of a CFS leak. I was referred to a neurosurgeon.
The neurosurgeon said there's a strong likelihood my cough headache is caused by the cyst and that draining the cyst (endoscopic fenestration) would likely solve the cough headache.
I saw a 2nd neurosurgeon for an opinion. He thought the cyst had nothing to do with the cough headache. He thought perhaps I had a cranial venous issue and suggested more MRIs.
The two conflicting opinions left me in limbo and I have done nothing. I still have a cough headache as well as pretty severe head pain now when I move my head a certain way (e.g. while nodding "yes" or "no" or shaking a can of spray paint, or hitting a bump on my bicycle etc.). My ears still have a feeling of fullness (needing to be "popped").
I am 60 yrs. old, healthy, physically active, tall and lanky, take no medications and have no other health issues. A lot of my symptoms match those of a spontaneous CSF leak. I would hate to have an endoscopic cyst fenestration done only to still have headaches.
Would a blood patch help rule out or rule in anything? A blood patch sure seems less invasive then having a scope inserted to the brain and draining a cyst.
NOTE: Most cysts, like the one I have, rarely cause problems and are almost always discovered incidentally.
I know folks are told not to offer advise here but I am looking perhaps for any shared experiences.
Thanks in advance!
The neurosurgeon said there's a strong likelihood my cough headache is caused by the cyst and that draining the cyst (endoscopic fenestration) would likely solve the cough headache.
I saw a 2nd neurosurgeon for an opinion. He thought the cyst had nothing to do with the cough headache. He thought perhaps I had a cranial venous issue and suggested more MRIs.
The two conflicting opinions left me in limbo and I have done nothing. I still have a cough headache as well as pretty severe head pain now when I move my head a certain way (e.g. while nodding "yes" or "no" or shaking a can of spray paint, or hitting a bump on my bicycle etc.). My ears still have a feeling of fullness (needing to be "popped").
I am 60 yrs. old, healthy, physically active, tall and lanky, take no medications and have no other health issues. A lot of my symptoms match those of a spontaneous CSF leak. I would hate to have an endoscopic cyst fenestration done only to still have headaches.
Would a blood patch help rule out or rule in anything? A blood patch sure seems less invasive then having a scope inserted to the brain and draining a cyst.
NOTE: Most cysts, like the one I have, rarely cause problems and are almost always discovered incidentally.
I know folks are told not to offer advise here but I am looking perhaps for any shared experiences.
Thanks in advance!