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I am not a doctor, just a patient that is exasperated from trying to understand what is going on and I have come up with some answers after doing a lot of research and through 16 years of experiences I have had trying to relate my own issues. In order to understand what the cyst is doing to your body you must understand the layers of the brain and their functions and why they can only remove an Arachnoid Cyst with laser surgery if it is NOT classified as a sub arachnoid cyst. MEDLINE contains a wealth of info and I put all my powers of observations into one cohesive work in order to help you understand better. If you click on the underlined words then they will take you into definitions from a medical website.

Your brain swims in three membranes. The first outer layer of the brain is the Dura Mater. The next layer is the arachnoid membrane, called the arachnoid because of it's spider web appearance where cereal spinal fluid flows (the blood of the brain that is basically protein) so neurons can flow from your brain to your spinal cord which also gets blood into the brain through the sub arachnoid space as well as paths to cranial nerves. The Pia Mater is the root of your nervous system (think of the root of a plant) which supplies the brain with blood and connects via the arachnoid trabecula.

When you have a cyst blocking the messages from the brain to the spinal cord and the electric signal doesn't get through properly you may start to notice cognitive, emotional or physical problems. Examples such as getting lost down your street, inexplicable and explosive temper tantrums or dropping a glass. This is age relative and the data for children's reactions is inconclusive. The arachnoid and Pia membranes are the lepomeneges. There are considered a part of connective tissue (the leg bone's connected to the thigh bone the thigh bones connected hip bone the hip bone's connected to your nervous system... you get it, right?) which is why I feel this is, indeed, a connective tissue disorder which is why several of the adults are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

An Arachnoid Cyst is nestled between the Dura and Pia Maters. If you can find a good surgeon you should have laser surgery to completely remove the cyst from your brain however when the cyst is sub-arachnoid they can't go in and cut it out because of the chances of hemmorage and paralyzation. Most conditions involving the Pia mater eventually cause the patient to be paralyzed which is why stem cell research is necessary so hopefully one day they can heal these afflictions.

Where your cyst is depends on which kinds of symptoms you have. Some people remain "asymptomatic" but once you become "symptomatic" your life becomes a living hell. Some people do not suffer from pain at all. I am under the conclusion that Arachnoid Cysts are extremely dangerous to your mental health and general well being because you are always fighting the pain you are in it makes it difficult to control other aspects of your life, such as communicating. These things can cause more ailments such as Multiple Sclerosis, Syringomyelia, auto immune disease and if congenital there could be signs of spinal problems.

I'll start with an example. You know that tingling sensation you have after using the keyboard? I think all of us have that. It's called Neuropathic pain. You don't notice it because your head hurts too much to notice your nerves or you think it's carpel tunnel and it's not. Then you start to notice small things, like having bruises that you can't explain, hurting yourself & not feeling the pain. Or having an inhumane tolerance for pain like braking your ankle and walking on it broken (now that was a brain damaged thing to do!)

Here is more information about the brain and its functions from C.A.R.D.

French Version

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