Hello, I am new to this community and am very worried about my husband. He has been treated for low back pain since April 2008...two months with chiropractor and little relief and now three months with orthopedic doctor. Ortho doctor was treating for lumbar pain until I suggested my husband use a donut cushion to sit on. He ihas been in excrusiating pain for months which has continuously worsened that he can not sit or stand for more than a couple of minutes. Two weeks ago I suggeste ortho doctor order MRI which now we know my husband has a very large Tarlov cyst (6.7 cm long and 3.6cm in diameter) in his sacrum. The pain has intensified and now he is having spasms in his mid back whenever he tried to walk or get up from a sitting position. We have been referred to a neurosurgeon who has us on a wait list to see him in mid November. The neurosurgeon did look at my husbands MRI at our insistance and has now ordered an MRI for the lumbar spine to see if the cyst is moving upward. We are waiting for that result today. Our problem too like so many Americans is we have no insurance. Does anyone has these symptoms of back spasms and anyone know how much surgury cost for removal of the Tarlov cyst? I am sick with worry that this is not going to get better and finding help seems to be everyones problem. My husband is 63 yrs old and has always been in great health. This is causing extreme depression and worry since he is not able to work and runs his own business. I am disabled from a car accident and have not worked for years so I am not much help other than supporting him emotionally and trying to do research on Tarlov cyst. We live in Miami if anyone knows of a doctor that deals with this type of cyst. We have so many people praying for my husband and right now that is all we have to get us through. Thanks for any info you all might have!

Hi and welcome to NeuroTalk! I'm so sorry for all your hubby's health problems but so glad you came to this site. I've posted the link to the forum where Tarlov Cyst has a subforum. Hopefully someone there can reccomend a doctor in the Miami area that can help. I'll be praying for you!


http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum87.html

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum73.html

Hello and welcome to Neuro Talk, sorry why you found us, but following those links ask all the questions you want and get to know folks, they are a kindly lot, lol and really wonderful, again welcome to NT

hello concerned ... and welcome to NT ... this place is amazing and has lots of friendly and supportive people ... post your questions where you feel most comfortable ... i am sure someone will have an answer ... again ...

Hello and Welcome to Neurotalk - you will meet many great and supportive people here and hopefully get some answers that you and your husband need!

I'm so sorry to hear about everything that you and your husband have and are currently going through .

If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask - I am more than happy to help you in anyway I can!!

Take care of yourself and I look forward to seeing you around the Forum real soon!!

Alison.

Welcome to Neurotalk!!!

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Great to see you have come to be with us. Just let us know if we can be of any help.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene

I am so sorry for being late in welcoming you to NeuroTalk.

A warm welcome to you.

Hi I am really new, emailing from London, England
I have suffered for years with back spams ( I am 57)
But in my 30's they came every 6 months. Now they are two a month. They bend me over like a Marx brother. I have just been diagnosed with a tarlov. Your husband's spams appear to confirm my suspicion that the cyst has caused the spasm. i can cope with the pain - its the lack of mobility which is restricting my activities. The spasms last a week and walking in the first few days is awkward and painful as well as looking comical.
When all tests are done I will let you know what my doctor plans to do to deal with the spasms.....if anything.
regards

Hi Nigel, Thanks for your reply. I am happy to say that my husbands back spasms have stopped. In addition to the 6.7cm cyst pushing on nerves in the sacral spione he now believes the spasms were casued by the way he was laying in bed on his abdomen all the time because of the back pain. He was laying with his arms above the shoulders and when he would walk or stand with arms at side the spasms would start. He is also now taking a new medication called Lyrica CV which is for Fibromyalgia mainly but was prescribed to help with the muscle spasms and pain. He is taking it three times a day along with two other pain pills and a muscle relaxant. He is still having so much sacral pain from the cyst that he can no longer work. He mostly lays down all day or briefly sits in a chair for his meals. He has has two MRI's, a bone scan, a Cat scan and just last week a myelogram. All have confirmed it is a tarlov cyst causing the pain in sacrum. We are still looiking for a doctor to do the surgery to remove the tarlov cyst. We live in Miami and have found one doctor but he has only performed one tarlov surgery and that was twenty years ago. We have three calls to other doctors, Dr. Long, Dr. Henderson and Dr. Feigenbaum hoping to hear soon. Good luck with your condition and keep me posted.

Betty