Hi there! My name is Victoria, and I'm 32. Last year, when I went in for an MRI of my brain to try and find out why my migraines ( I call them ice pick migraines since they come on suddenly and leave just as fast, with severe pain) were causing me to temporarily lose my vision in my right eye, the scan found a 1.2 x 1.8 arachnoid cyst sitting on top of my C1 vertebra and against the left side of my brain stem. I have seen two neurosurgeons, three neurologists, pain management, psych, and even an ear/nose/throat specialist that confirmed I have right side throat paralysis.

I have been fighting to have this thing removed from my head, but there are roadblocks in my way. The first one being, I'm allergic to general ester-type anesthesia. It causes me to have grande mal seizures. Secondly, even though I don't have the scan, I KNOW I did not have this cyst before, because I had spinal meningitis when I was in 5th grade, and it wasn't there for those MRI scans. Unfortunatly I can't get the film, due to it having been done back in 1990, in a hospital that doesn't exist anymore.

My pain management doctor is getting very upset at my other doctors, because they just tell me that since I'm allergic to the anesthesia, that I have to live with the throat paralysis, constant migraines, vertigo, blurred vision, etc. I'm no longer permitted to drive after a sudden ice pick migraine sent me off the road. (no one was hurt but my car, thankfully). I can't go out without someone with me due to the vertigo.

I don't think I'm reaching out for help, because only a foot in the *** of my neuro docs will do that. I just want people to talk to, to vent to... I don't want to be alone in this anymore.