arachnoid cyst

[spidercystman]

Hi im 21 and a few months ago i was diagnosed with a arachnoid cyst in the posterior fossa messuring 3.1 x 3.3 cm. ive gone to three doctors who all say the same thing, that its not causing any promblems. so instead of removing it they have done repeative tests on me trying to figure out the cause of my problems. i have been put on 5 different drugs in the past 6 months with very little help. there wasnt much positive effects to the drugs. they have had my on pain relivers, muscle relaxers, blood pressure meds to try to relive the headaches, and two types of anti-depressants. i have done countless web searches and all i find in controversy among the medical feild. most doctors will say dont worry about it most people have "lived" with these things all their lives. but most of the research ive done shows common sympotoms and strange unexpalinable ones too. i fortunalty dont have seizures but i have all the other symptoms. it is really hard to explain to the doctors the way i feel and the things i have noticed over the past years concerning my own well being and mental health. my question is if this thing doesnt cause problems then why are so many people with arachnoid cyst complaining about these symptoms? why isnt it noticed? if this has been with me since life isnt shouldnt there be some kind of study concerning the behavior of the childhood instead of focusing on the what is happening right now? arnt there more people out there that have noticed this and why isnt anything being done about it?i would rather risk surgury then be pumped rull of pills that do **** for me. unless someone can prove me wrong about this. thank you for your time who ever reads this please reply if you have any comment or questions.

[Unregistered]

Im 29, was diagnosed with an "11x17mm posterior fossa arachnoid cyst that is causing scalloping to the iner table" I dont have siezures but i have passed out unexplicably a few times, my eyesight is going to ****, I have headaches, troble focusing, and i lok almost the exact same as i did in high school, i feel like i am still 17 both physichally and emotionly. I was told by doctors and the mother of a son whose A.C. was bigger in size, and she said he was fine, NO ONE believes that I should be having problems and that something else must be the cause. How can someone else tell me what I am feeling or going thru? especially since there is so little information or case studies, i was told 99.9% of the people dont have symptoms (but is that because doctors dont believe us?) but even so what about the.1% is it so hard to believe that I am in this elite club, id rather not be. Im sorry I cant help you but your not alone. i want mine outta there to, you'd think if i practically begged for neurosurgery that i would be taken more serious, rational people wouldn't want brain surgery right?

[spidercystman]

hey thanks for the reply. i cant believe your cyst is that big wow mine looks tiny compared to yours. my symptoms have been getting worse. the doc's think i have migranes and depression so they put me on zolof. it has helped with the pain but i still feel like ive been getting worse each day. my eye sight also has gone to ****. cant see anything well with my right eye. i feel so confused and tired most days. thier are days were i feel like passing out just because i cant stay focused and my body feels so weak. ive started coughing real bad and threw up a little for the first time. all my doc's and my girlfriend think i should just forget about the cyst. they say its not helping any. so thats what ive kinda have done. everyone think im getting better. but i jsut feel worse. in reality i dont feel much at all. its quite sad. not being able to see smell hear or feel whats around you. the doctors call this living. i am living in a sense but why dont i feel alive my family dosent offer much support either. thanks for replying thier arnt many people i have to talk to and im sure you feel somewhat the same.

[Unregistered]

It is true that an arachnoid cyst is a "normal" thing for alot of people. My 9 yr old daughter was diagnosed with one 2 months ago. The doctors told us that unless it fills with more fluid and causes problems that they would just do an MRI once a year and monitor it for changes. If it does end up causing problems, they will not do brain surgery, they will just go in through a "burr hole" and drain the cyst. This can be done at the bedside, not in the operating room. Hope this helps!!

[spidercystman]

thank you for the reply. the problem im having though is trying to convice the doctors that im having syptoms. im telling them what is going in on but since none of thier tests are showing a problem. this is a big probelm for people with cyst. i didnt start to notice that i was having problems untill 11th grade and even then i didnt know what was going on. my syptoms have gotten worse and im not getting any better. the problem is that these doctors only see me and one point in time and if they could veiw me through my life and through the day they would notice that i am not ok. it is a good thing they are draining it for your daughter. they seem to be willing to do it and younger ages. you are very lucky to have found it so young. the problem have seen with draining cyst is they might reoccur will migh stir up problems. it is really hard for me to describe my problems because they happen in such a long range and they are constent so i adapt to them but it still dosent make it easy to live. i do wish you luck with your daughter.

[Unregistered]

Hi, hang in there your not alone. Your story is alot like mine. I was knocked out and brought to mt sinai hospital. They told me i had a concussion but through a cat scan and mri found a Arachnoid cyst. it's the size of a quarter.3cm I have alot of *** kicking headaches, weak, fatigue, sleep alot had so many tests. get one mri every year since the accident 1998. I listen to all the bull**** the doctors tell me but i know im just not right. They say mri shows no clear pressure on the brain so leave it alone. They think i'm some kind of hypo. i really do have so many symtoms. I take all the meds they give me. i have so much pressure on my brain at times i just can't function. bad neck and back pain. i hate it i'm a pill popper and i hate it so so much. My eyes are losing sight fast. I sometimes think maybe it's age or this dam cyst. I think you would agree anyone being told they have this cyst in their brain would be concerned. I live a life around pain in my head. i get up in pain I work in pain and many nights finish in pain. the nights I don't have head pain is because i took so much pills(****) I know i'm killing my other organs especially my liver. I miss family functions affairs. it's so hard to function my life is incapacitated with crazy symtoms that my docter thinks i'm a nut case and complainer. Holy **** do i need a new doctor or what. hey hang tight just stop by to let ya know your not alone . make the best of it thats what I'm trying to do. take care.

[spidercystman]

hey thanks for the support. i dont know if you've ever been there but try arachnoidcyst.net. lots of support there. i dont know how you did it for almost ten years. imseriously debating walking in to my doctors office and telling him to take it out regarless. i go to school in a couple of months and its so hard for me last couple of semesters. in middle and high school i was a almost straight A student with my occasional B or C my grade have slowly been declining and im actually paying attention more and doing more studying since i was in middle school. in my favorite subject i got a D in chemistry. whats with that come on! seriously what do i have to do to make them belive me. the scary part is that it could get to a point where i might suffer from permanent nerve damage. i would like to catch it before then. i went to a theme part this past week. i used to love roller coasters the sensation you get from them. nothing, i felt nothing and whats even worse is i totally blacked out on one of the rides just i a drop. latley my arms will go numb if i elevate them past my shoulders. doctors thought i had carpaltunnel sydrome or something. past that test with flying colors too. my girlfriend will even say it seems like im getting better. while in my head i cant even plan past the hour. i dont even get tired really anymore. it takes forever to fall asleep. and my eyes have lost almost all there vision in my right eye and my left is following its brother even quicker. i work as a auto detailer i was really good but now i just suck at it making all kinds of mistakes. tell me someone what is wrong with me i have so many symptoms and looked at all the options and i pass every test and if its all in my head then why havnt i got any better these past couple of months where i have completely dont even think about the cyst. i still try to mentally keep track of my syptoms that i do daily. WHAT IS WRONG WITH US IF THEY CANT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND WE ALL HAVE SIMILARS SYPTOMS (depending on location)

i swear if i could i would become a doctor and figure this one out. im tired of hearing the same thing from all the doctors and then hearing the same thing from all of us with syptoms. my doctors just joke with me. one had the nerve to say if he thinks real hard hes like me with my vision. and they only tell us about the ones they have done surgery one and havnt noticed an improvement but they are always the ones who dont have any real problems except maybe an occasional headache and just want the thing they found out of there head. my doctor did tell me of two people out of the 6 that hes done that did notice improvments. all of us should get together and go to one doctor or something and anoy the **** out of them untill they do something. i think the biggest problem is the lack of communications within the medical field.

thank you agian for whoever reads this sorry i wrote alot this time just caught me at a very writing mood. like always any respnses are always appretiated any at all so just write me if you want to. ill take what you say into consideration. have a good day yall

[Unregistered]

hi there i have a one year old son that has an arachnoid cyst his was found at 5 months old and only found because his head was growing too big so his doctor did an mri and it was 11cm it covered the whole left side of his brain and his whole brain was squashed in the right side of his head so with in 2 weeks he was in surgery they drained it and then the fluid started laying on his brain so 2 weeks after that they had to place a shunt then 2 weeks after the shunt surgery he started taking seizures the shunt froze up shortly after that and he had another surgery 2 months ago to fix that now they found a blood vessel compressing his chest that we aren't sure yet if they have to do surgery for that and it all started with the cyst yet they say the seizures arent from the cyst they say the cyst was actually keeping him from having the seizures and when it shrunk from the surgery it exposed the spot the seizures are comming from the doctor told us that arachnoid cysts are fairly common but not alot is known about them because they are found accidently and some people live their whole lives not even knowing they have it well anyway sorry this is so long just thought i would share my experience and let you know you are not alone good luck and i hope you can get your doctors to listen to you

[spidercystman]

Hey thanks for your support. im really sorry to hear about your son. hopefully he may grow out of that as he gets older and his brain is still growing. I dont know why but they dont ask as many questions when a child has a cyst. well i wish you the best and all the luck.

[Unregistered]

Just diagnosed by mri, I am 38 yrs old and female. I went to dr cuz of the annoying numness on right side and other symptoms, we thought jsut a pinched nerve, but w/in 3 days I was getting mri and got results back next day. see the nuerosurgeon at the end of mnth, so now what are my steps? I have been reading all of the posts and They don't do anything? I have to live w/ not being able to walk or talk or see well. These symptoms are getting worse and very annoying.. I am an active person and this is shutting me down.. uughhhh
Lost at what to do or think>>>>>