I have a question about herniated cervical disks, any info is good. Torn Muscle and leakage onto brain.?

Question

My husband was in a car accident 6 years ago which left him with several herniated disks. He has headaches almost daily. He probably has 30 days a year without a headache at best.

I read an article about George Clooney how he had a neck injury. What happened was he had torn something in the neck causing fluids to hit his brain stem. What they did to fix this was put blood on the hole to clot it and stop the leaking to the brain. This story stood out because he said his headache was 100 times worse than migraine which is what my husband describes.

Why hasn't this been looked into in all the years he has been examined by several doctors in two states. No one mentioned this. How do I get him to see someone for it. He is disabled and money is really tight and we have no insurance and workers comp don't want to pay for crap. What can I possibly do to find out if this is the problem? If it is, it will be a quick fix, maybe they want to make money off him, I don't know.

Answer 1

According to the few sources online I found regarding George Clooney, it took nearly a year before a neurologist suspected a tear in the dura mater, the membrane that surrounds the spinal cord and brain (not a muscle).

A tear in the dura mater causes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to leak out. In George Clooney's case, it was CSF rhinorrhea (leaking from the nose). It can also leak from the auditory canal (ears) or an open wound. The CSF is clear and watery, and leaks especially with exertion or straining (this includes change of position, coughing and sneezing). The headaches are usually brought on by the same factors.

Diagnosis is usually made via CT scans and MRIs. Maybe the doctors did not see any evidence of a tear in the dura mater and therefore never mentioned it. Or it is possible that they have not considered it. Do some more research on CSF leaks (beyond George Clooney - there are some case studies and articles on Pubmed) and present it to your husband's doctor. He may have already ruled it out. If he did not, he may consider the need to order more tests and perform a more thorough examination. If the doctor deems it medically necessary, that should help convince worker's comp to pay for the exam and tests.

Good luck.