The last day of #leakweek is about hope. While there are patients who have not found a lasting repair for their spinal CSF leak, many patients do get sealed — and the field is ever-evolving. Year-over-year research is growing and advocacy is increasing. We are hopeful for the future.

For day 6 of #leakweek, we talked about post-treatment care, and how a percentage of people have rebound intracranial hypertension following a successful repair of their spinal CSF leak:

Day 5 of #leakweek is about treatment, and how there are different treatments depending on leak type and location. One size does not fit all!

For day 4 of Spinal CSF Leak Awareness Week, called #leakweek, we are talking about causes. It is a myth that the condition can 'only' be caused by trauma to the spine or a puncture or surgery. Spinal CSF leak can also occur spontaneously, a growing area of research during the prior decade:

Day 2 of #leakweek: spinal CSF leak does not get better on its own in the majority of cases, and medical intervention (be it epidural blood patching, surgery, or embolization) is needed. Early diagnosis and swift treatment are crucial to successful outcomes — though unfortunately not yet the norm.

In the centre of some bone white linen, there is a spine embroidery in thick satin stitch. Emanating from the spine are thick burgundy lines in an undulant oval shape. This oval is bisected across the middle. In the top half, there is a section outlined in burgundy filled with coiling blue lines and a similar section in the bottom half. The rest of the undulant oval is filled with fine coiling burgundy lines. The spine is very straight, the rest of the embroidery is very coiled and busy. Lia’s initials are stitched in fine thread the same colour as the cloth at the bottom right.

It’s #LeakWeek for Spinal CSF Leak Awareness. Here’s my #SciArt #embroidery sensorium (2016) featuring a spine. CSF leaks are common in the #MECFS community but often go undiagnosed. More information here: spinalcsfleak.org