Went to the ENT Clinic this morning.
Had a tympanography and a chat with the ENT specialist.
The tympanography showed that my eardrum healed up nicely.
However, the ENT specialist also discovered that there is still some CSF fluid (brain fluid) stuck behind my eardrum in the mastoid area and that serious damage to my ear has occurred due to the craniotomy I underwent last year.
FYI: After my MVD, my ear started bleeding and then clear fluid started leaking from it, which lasted for 3 weeks. I ended up in Emergency 2 weeks after the procedure with CSF otorrhea. A sample of the fluid that was leaking from my ear was brought to the lab. It turned out to be brain fluid. CSF leak was confirmed. Yet, I was discharged from the hospital and told to treat the problem with a lot of rest, fluids and caffeine, as all of this happened in between Christmas and New Year and the hospital lacked sufficient staff and my neurosurgeon was away on holiday…
So, following this morning’s appointment, for which I had to wait several weeks, I will most likely need to undergo a mastoidectomy (i.e. reparative surgery to the mastoid area of the ear, done by an ENT surgeon), as well as CSF leak repair (simultaneously!), for which my incision will have to be reopened, allowing the neurosurgeon to pinpoint the exact area of the leak and then fix it with some cartilage and muscle (it’s rather complicated and largely depends on my NS).
The presence of the CSF leak also (partly) explains why my neurosurgeon has ordered another MRI scan of the brain and spine and why I am still struggling with some rather worrying symptoms, such as headaches, trouble walking, dizziness and crushing fatigue nearly 3 months after undergoing brain surgery. I also still have stabbing ear pain, which I have been experiencing since January last year!
The doctors are going to discuss the details first and will send me a letter with their final verdict and an ‘invitation’ for my next procedure later.
Meanwhile, I am still at a high risk of getting meningitis and have been told to take a lot of rest, keep up the fluids and avoid infections.
I will have to undergo an extensive hearing test after the surgery (hearing loss is one of the possible complications!).
Is there anyone out there who was confronted with a similar issue (i.e. CSF otorrhea/rhinorrea/brain fluid leaking from the wound) and had to go in for CSF leak reparative surgery or for a mastoidectomy?
Or am I the only one with this rare post-MVD complication?