#21 ·
Hey there, I could really use some perspective here,
So, about a year ago, I had surgery on my cervical spine following a pretty nasty accident—I took a fall from a significant height—which required a microdiscectomy and vertebral fusion. Interestingly enough, back when I had an MRI of my brain a year *before* that fall, everything looked perfectly normal. Since the trauma, though, I’ve been dealing with these muscle myoclonic jerks in my right shoulder and down my right leg. On top of that, there's this constant stabbing pain in my left ear; I saw an ENT, and while they said the ear itself is fine, my tonsils are in rough shape—apparently, if the strep issues keep up, I might need them out. I’m 32. And here's the weird part: whenever I make any sudden movement—standing up too fast or walking for too long—I get this dull, throbbing ache right above my left eye. It feels like my heart is pulsing in my head, and I get these dizzy spells where my vision goes dark, flashes of light appear, or even double vision. I am also just perpetually, bone-deep exhausted; I feel like I could sleep all day long. My neurologist sent me for follow-up imaging, specifically a brain MRI and an EEG, alongside a repeat scan of my neck. The brain MRI showed a small area on the left temporal side—about 9x6mm—where the signal intensity looks like cerebrospinal fluid, which essentially means it's a cyst. As for the EEG, it showed some low-voltage beta activity, but nothing regarding asymmetry or paroxysms, though there were quite a few muscle artifacts during the recording. Because of the symptoms, my neurologist actually put me on anti-epileptic medication. To make matters more complicated, I’m currently undergoing a sleep study because the nurses at the hospital noticed I was gasping for air and struggling to breathe in my sleep. My neurosurgeon basically told me that the cyst isn't something that requires surgery and wrote off the brain MRI as "normal." But I can't help but worry—how can I be sure this cyst won't grow, especially since it seemingly appeared after the trauma? Are these headaches and the pressure above my left eye somehow linked to this cyst? Should I just take the surgeon's advice and pretend it doesn't exist, or should I be pushing for regular monitoring? Thanks.
So, about a year ago, I had surgery on my cervical spine following a pretty nasty accident—I took a fall from a significant height—which required a microdiscectomy and vertebral fusion. Interestingly enough, back when I had an MRI of my brain a year *before* that fall, everything looked perfectly normal. Since the trauma, though, I’ve been dealing with these muscle myoclonic jerks in my right shoulder and down my right leg. On top of that, there's this constant stabbing pain in my left ear; I saw an ENT, and while they said the ear itself is fine, my tonsils are in rough shape—apparently, if the strep issues keep up, I might need them out. I’m 32. And here's the weird part: whenever I make any sudden movement—standing up too fast or walking for too long—I get this dull, throbbing ache right above my left eye. It feels like my heart is pulsing in my head, and I get these dizzy spells where my vision goes dark, flashes of light appear, or even double vision. I am also just perpetually, bone-deep exhausted; I feel like I could sleep all day long. My neurologist sent me for follow-up imaging, specifically a brain MRI and an EEG, alongside a repeat scan of my neck. The brain MRI showed a small area on the left temporal side—about 9x6mm—where the signal intensity looks like cerebrospinal fluid, which essentially means it's a cyst. As for the EEG, it showed some low-voltage beta activity, but nothing regarding asymmetry or paroxysms, though there were quite a few muscle artifacts during the recording. Because of the symptoms, my neurologist actually put me on anti-epileptic medication. To make matters more complicated, I’m currently undergoing a sleep study because the nurses at the hospital noticed I was gasping for air and struggling to breathe in my sleep. My neurosurgeon basically told me that the cyst isn't something that requires surgery and wrote off the brain MRI as "normal." But I can't help but worry—how can I be sure this cyst won't grow, especially since it seemingly appeared after the trauma? Are these headaches and the pressure above my left eye somehow linked to this cyst? Should I just take the surgeon's advice and pretend it doesn't exist, or should I be pushing for regular monitoring? Thanks.