Neck-Bubble, SpinalFluid, any Help?

[Guest guest]

I had a sub-occipital craniotomy on aug 23, 2000, i am 20 yrs

old. About three weeks ago i developed a bubble-like bump on the

back of my neck (right under my skull) I went to er, my doc was out

of town so they called the neurosurgeon taking my neurosurgeon's

patients. i had a catskan and the bubble was spinal fluid. the doc

on call said it was not an 'urgent emergency' just an 'intermediate

emergency', he told me to sleep sitting up and wait for my dr. and i

may need my surgery 'retouched.' When i saw my dr. he told me that

where the piece of skull was removed, he built a packet to protect

the area, and that the packet most likely had a needle sized whole,

and it was leaking. He said he has seen this with other patients,

not neccesarally chiari patients, and that half the time they cleared

up on their own. I fear surgery so much i am waiting it out. It got

worse for the first week, then tapered off, and now is much smaller.

At first I had to restrict all movement, and am only now resuming

normal activities. At first all movement made it swell, and now it

does not, this morning I went out to eat, and shopping came home and

no increase in swelling. The swelling does not 'stick out' much at

all, now it feels like a lake, instead of a water balloon. I have

been scheduled, and than backed out of surgery 3 times in the last 3

weeks. I can't handle another surgery. Anyone had this happen? Is

my swelling healing or getting worse? (Maybe my pocket broke?)

Dr. says that headaches are the sign that i need to go the er and get

it fixed. (and i have not had one single headache since

surgery......yay!) I see my dr. every week to make sure i am not

killing myself by resisting surgery, but hell, if they told You that

Your acm had a 50/50 shot of clearing up Totally, you would have

waited to get surgery too.......right? (i know my acm will not clear

up, i am only referring to the swelling, sorry didn't want to be

unclear:/