CSF leaks...possible different places.

[californiagirl]

I was wondering, or most likely afraid, what to look for if I should develope a CSF leak. I am 4 weeks post op today and have some fluid coming out from the incision site when I press on it Also sometimes I feel like my left ear has fluid in it. However, when I check it it looks more like wax (sorry, hope that does not gross anyone out). I have no leakage from my nose, but curious if others have had a leak from other sites. My doctor has looked at the incision and said he did not think it was a csf leak.....I guess I am just a little nervous. Any comments are helpful. Thanks

[Battyp]

I didn't have a csf leak from surgery so can't really help you there.  I did have a csf leak from a procedure a few years back and had the worst headache...do they coincide with each other? 

I had a lot of drainage from my an ear after surgery..like waxy substance.

[Captain Deb]

I had my friend Marge lay my head on the table twice a day where she dropped hydrogen peroxide on my incision site with an eye dropper, blotted it with sterile cotton, and put neosporine on it.  That healed my oozy incision gook right up!

CSF usually drips from the nose, but I picked blood clots out of my schnozz for 2 weeks---EEEEWWWW!  Look up CSF leak in the AN Archives for more symptoms.

Capt Deb

[HeadCase2]

CAgirl,
  I'm glad you had the DR check it out.  A month for incision drainage sounds like a long time to me, maybe it's not.  I would worry about infection.
  One of the things I was told about detecting a possible CSF leak was that it could drain down the eustation tube to the back of the throat, and would taste metalic.
Regards,
 Rob

[Robquinn9]

My wife had surgery 3/13/06 and then a CSF leak developed 3/18/06 (the day after we got her home).  She noticed a post-nasal drip kind of feeling and if she leaned forward , head down for about 8-10 minutes could get it to drip out of her nose fairly steadliy.

I am not aware that the leak would be outside, but rather understand them to be inside.

Supposedly the fluid is not visibly different than mucous, but contains a higher level of glucose so it is only detectable in a lab test from what I understand.  It also has kind of a foul taste as I'm told.

These are correlated to headaches (low pressure), since you're losing the fluid that maintains the brain's resting pressue in your skull.

My wife's doctors seem to think that larger tumors are more likely to cause a CSF leak but I've seen no data to suggest that (in fact this group is starting some kind of study to understand this).

My wife waited 4 days in the hospital again with a lumbar drain in hopes that the leak would naturally heal since the fluid was shunted away from the sinus/nose area.  This did not work and she underwent a 90 minute fat graft procedure to patch the leak. Walked out of the hospital that afternoon.

[FlyersFan68]

My doctors told me to watch for leakage from the nostril or less commonly the ear. There were times that I had to lean forward for a short period of time. At four weeks seems like your starting to dodge that bullet. My hospital gave me a special sponge to use while bathing around the incision. I never really messed with the incision it too much. I wasn't very comfortable looking at that scar too much in the mirror. Two years later you can barely detect anything. 

[rntiggergirl]

I have an intermittant CSF Leak that was very dfficult to diagnosis because it only happened when exercising or being very active for more than 20 minutes,  the fluid comes from my nose and tastes very salty, the leak is followed by headaches/dizziness/nausea.  I was finally diagnosed by having a cysternogram (horrible test).  I will be admitted to the hospital tomorrow for a bliind closure of the EAC and a spinal drain for 3 days.  I have had 2 previous surgeries: original AN surgery by middle fossa approach w/ CSF leak 2 days after surgery in 12/03. then I had a second surgery: Labryinthectomy w/ vestubular and hearing nerve resections for balance/dizziness problems.  I think I have had an intermittant leak since my original surgery.  Well hopefully this will be my last surgery.
cheryl

[mlwitte]

Hi CA Girl

I live up in the SF Bay Area and had my surgery last summer at Standord. I had a spinal fluid leak as a result of my surgery. Either an abnormality or accident I will never know. As someone else said, worse headache ever. In any case, sinus felt full, and when I rolled over, 6 hours after surgery fluid dripped out of my ear like a leaky facet.

Long story short, 4 days later they had to go back in and repair the leak through the same entrance.

I am sure you have seen your doctor. If not, do. The inflections one can get from a leak like this are not good at all.

All the best.

Marcus - in the No CA

[wanderer]

I had a csf leak from the incision site.   It started as just some dampness,   but then I noticed it felt like something running down behind my ear.     Finally I noticed it would run down into my ear,  or down the back of my ear and down my neck.

Also you can get CSF leaks from the lumbar drain insertion site if you have had one of those.