COFWA
COFWA (Circle Of Friends With Arachnoiditis) is here for
support of those who suffer from or know someone with Adhesive
Arachnoiditis. COFWA
offers education, friendship, caring, sharing, and advocacy to all who are
in need. We are here
to assist with questions and concerns regarding Adhesive Arachnoiditis, some which
may be answered in the information provided here, within these web pages.
Adhesive Arachnoiditis is a disorder which causes
severe, chronic, intractable pain. It is the inflammation of one of the
spinal cord coverings (meninges), the middle meninges, the arachnoid and
nerve roots that causes Adhesive Arachnoiditis. This inflammation causes the
covering to become "sticky", adhering it to the spinal cord and the nerve
roots as they exit the spinal canal.
The inflammation causes the nerve roots to become adherent to each other
and to the meninges, this is what causes the pain. Adhesive Arachnoiditis can be
progressive in some cases. It can also cause loss of motor function,
numbness, tingling, loss of bladder and bowel function, the sensation of
walking on rocks or glass, burning, groin pain and can, in some rare instances,
cause paralysis. There is currently NO CURE and NO TREATMENT for Adhesive
Arachnoiditis other
than pain management.
COFWA was first founded through postings at Massachusetts General
Hospital's NeuroWeb Forum in the Fall of 1996. The publication of COFWA's
first website in early 1997, automating our mail by the use of our first
ListServe in 1998, and now of these pages as well as our On-going
activity at Yahoo!Groups where our members continue to enjoy sharing e-mail
correspondence via an automated Listserve.
Our membership continues to flourish (with well
over 1,000 active members), as the word spreads and the
awareness of Adhesive Arachnoiditis becomes known, we are here to offer all
Adhesive Arachnoiditis sufferers the means to share their experiences, to learn
from others, to realize they are not alone as we continue to combat this unrelenting disease together.
We
Are The Original, Number One, Arachnoiditis Support Group, We Care!
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