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Adhesive Arachnoiditis
is often misdiagnosed, diagnosed incorrectly or not diagnosed at all.
Many of COFWA’s members have been informed by their physicians they were
suffering from Failed Back Syndrome, Failed Back Surgery Syndrome or
Spinal Meningitis, to name a few.
According to
Charles
V. Burton, M.D., renowned authority
on spinal care, Adhesive Arachnoiditis and author of
The Burton Report®,
There exists
no area of medicine today where greater, or more cruel suffering has been produced globally in large populations
of patients than those directly related to adhesive arachnoiditis of which
the most common form is in the lumbo-sacral area. Whether due to sloth,
disinterest, indifference or self-protective behavior by the medical,
scientific and governmental communities lumbo-sacral adhesive
arachnoiditis (LSAA) continues to remain essentially unknown, unreported,
and unrecognized.
(To continue reading "Lumbo-Sacral Adhesive Arachnoiditis Introduction"
click
“here”)
Many Arachnoiditis
sufferers come to COFWA believing they are alone, living in a cruel world
of relentless pain and suffering that few understand. Most have had
multiple myelograms, epidural steroid injections, and a
myriad of failed spinal surgeries, most of which have caused
more
damage, more grief and more pain.
We do know that
the oil-based dyes used in myelography, particularly Pantopaque® or
Myodil® have been the major cause of Adhesive Arachnoiditis over the
past 50 years.
Except for the past
few years, Myelography has been
the spinal diagnostic tool of choice throughout the world for the past 50
years or so. If you had a Myelogram before the late 1980’s you most likely had
an oil-based myelogram which utilized one of the aforementioned oil based
dyes. If you had a myelogram between the middle 1980’s and the early
1990’s, there is a fair chance your myelogram used the oil-based dye.
(Excluding Sweden, these dyes were banned in Sweden in 1949).
We also know that
epidural steroid injections containing ethylene glycols,
specifically; Depo-Medrol®, Depo-Medrone®, Aristocort® and
Methylprednisolone Suspension® cause, or add to the progression of
Adhesive Arachnoiditis.
Epidural steroid
injections are commonly performed for the treatment of low back disorders.
If the steroid is inadvertently injected into the subarachnoid space
rather than the epidural space serious injury to your arachnoid membrane
may be realized and ultimately causing Adhesive Arachnoiditis.
Because Adhesive
Arachnoiditis is relatively Unknown, Unreported, and Unrecognized,
by the physicians and surgeons treating patients with Arachnoiditis, they continued
to “explore” or perform invasive procedures, which only causes the
Arachnoiditis to progress to the next level.
Most of COFWA’s
members have endured “Multiple Spinal Surgeries”. Many of
these surgeries were performed because of a “Poor Result”
realized from prior spinal surgeries.
Multiple,
repetitive spinal surgery is the underlying link that has caused
the progression of Arachnoiditis to its extreme, Adhesive
Arachnoiditis and in some cases,
calcified
Arachnoiditis.
Anyone diagnosed with
Arachnoiditis should avoid invasive procedures of all kinds. especially
spinal surgery where one is told there is a narrowing of the spinal canal,
to remove scar tissue.
This narrowing or scar tissue may be Adhesive Arachnoiditis. In many cases
Arachnoiditis has not been identified by the attending physician.
Epidural steroid
injections should be avoided unless the attending physician can guarantee
that the injection dose not contain ethylene glycols
of any kind (Depo-Medrol®, Depo-Medrone®, Aristocort® and
Methylprednisolone Suspension®). Then only if fluoroscopy is
used to guide the injection. The likelihood of further injury is
just to great in most instances.
If COFWA's membership
were asked today if they would subject themselves to an Epidural Steroid
Injection or further Spinal Surgery, they would most likely tell you;
Don't do it, say NO, these injections and surgeries have ruined my life! |
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