CSF leak & Memory loss

[brihullaby.]

My mother had what she thought was a cold but she kept experiencing drainage so she went to the Doctor, they told her it was a sinus infection,gave her some antibiotics and sent her home. She was still experiencing drainage so the Dr took a sample of the fluid, turns out she had a CSF leak from her nasal cavity. After more tests they determined that the Dr who performed a sinus surgery she had a few years ago took too much bone off AND that she had a birth defect, she had "too much" brain, and the "extra" brain she had was poking out of the hole. Her brain was literally leaking out of her nose, so they did more tests to check and see if the brain that was poking out of the hole served a purpose, turns out it didnt. So they cut it off. She was in the hospital for about 4 days; they told her that at a later date she would have to have another surgery. The leak came back soon, so they decided to do the next procedure which was to close the hole. According to my Doctors this was supposed to be a simple procedure,after the surgery they told my grandmother they inserted a drain to keep spinal fluid off the wound so that it could heal properly and that she would need to stay for 5 days, on the 5th day they would take the drain out and she could go home the next day. They took the drain out on the 5th day, they kept her pretty drugged up because of the pain, but as she regained her composure we noticed she had no recollection of the last week. My grandmother asked her what kind of medication she was on and my mother responded with "snowboarding", when my Brother called her to ask what she was up to, she said she had just gotten off from work and at home resting, that wouldnt have been such a big deal if she wasnt at the hospital and hadnt been to work in 2 weeks. She hasn't shown ANY emotion. After more tests they found she didnt have any fluid around her brain. They're saying that her body will absorb the air and it'll be replaced by CFS and she'll be back to herself in 2-4 weeks. I just want to know if this is something that is common after the kind of procedure she had.

[MG (Admin)]

Has she been improving over the last few days?

[brihullaby]

She is getting better and has shown improvement. I guess my question is more about the commonality of her problem and if her normal brain function will ever return, or will she always have some sort of problem with memory and emotion.

[clinicalguru1]

Confusion in the context that you describe (around a surgical procedure in hospital) could be due to a number of different factors including the following:-


1) Drug side-effects
2) Disturbed sleep-wake cycle
3) Exposure to an unfamiliar environment
4) Temporary change in the pressure affecting the brain.

If her confusion is steadily improving then this is a very good sign, and as all the major reasons of confusion in this context are reversible, then you should expect a full recovery of her brain function.

I am not sure the age information we received was accurate...exactly how old is your mother?

[brihullaby]

She is 50, she just turned 50 in mid February.

[clinicalguru1]

At her age she should recover her function pretty quickly.

In fact, elderly individuals may experience similar episodes of confusion even following non-neurological procedures (such as orthopedic surgery on the leg).

As long as she continues to improve from day to day then there is no need to be concerned.

Hope that helps

[brihullaby]

Actually it helps a lot.
Since I'm living in New York and shes in Missouri I havent been able to afford to go see her, so the only information I've had is from my own research and whatever my family tells me is going on, and Im positive they dont tell me everything as they do not want me to worry.

Thank you VERY much.

[clinicalguru1]

How is your mother now?
Has she continued to improve?

I forgot to ask whether there are any medical malpractice issues in your mother's case.

thanks in advance