Today my doctor told me I have brain fluid leaking into my mouth. How am I suppose to sleep over thi

reply to post by InTheLight


He's good now, thanks for asking. He luckily didn't need surgical intervention and it was able to resolve itself naturally. He has a condition called Chiari Malformation Type I which caused the tonsils in the brain to partially block the ventricles off. They gave him cortisone shots into the tonsils to reduce the swelling which allowed the fluid to begin flowing normally again and the swelling and pressure to permanently subside. He's 6 now and doing good, however as he approaches puberty he'll have to have regular MRIs to monitor his Chiari and make sure the tonsils don't begin to distend into the spinal column again. If they do he'll have to have surgery to remove part of his occipital bone to allow room for the tonsils without causing them to block the ventricles again.

reply to post by MrMaybeNot


One word: Hemorrhoids. This is a common condition in which a small amount of fecal matter enters the blood stream from lesions in the anus, and is thus circulated to every part of the body.

And we all go about our business with it. Point? The body is creepy, and often the less you know the happier you are. Chill out and relax.

reply to post by EViLKoNCEPTz


Yes I know they are connected,but its entirely possible,if its coming directly out of the mouth ,there a cleft palate issue .

They need a full work up ,and I would go for a second opinion .

reply to post by PtolemyII


Cleft palette is a birth defect. It doesn't just magically appear from no where, with the exception of heavy intranasal drug users eroding the soft palette from constant, long term drug use. Cleft palette is caused by the soft palette not completely or improperly forming inutero.

reply to post by EViLKoNCEPTz


Yyeesss,and they can and do go undiagnosed ,and if there is CSF leaking from the mouth ,there can be more than one reason .
If there is leakage from the mouth ,but none from the nose,at all,there might be a reason why,because of structural issues.
I had a cat with this exact issue .

reply to post by EViLKoNCEPTz


I've never snorted nasal drugs. Since I can remember, I breathe primarily with my mouth as I always had the feeling of breathing with straws when using my nose. I've read that over time it can cause problems which is the only thing I can think of.as the cause.

reply to post by PtolemyII


Well since the OP said in the OP that its been in their nose for the last month or so, I'd say it's a safe guess it's not because of a cleft palette, not to mention the doctor probably would have noticed that in one of the 3 visits so far.

Comparing cats to people is disingenuous considering they're completely different species with completely different anatomical builds. For one cats have no ear drums and their soft palette is already partially opened, it has small openings between ridges which is what allows them to purr. On top of that a cleft palette isn't going to make CSF leak from your cranial vault since your soft palette only separates your oral cavity from your nasal cavity to prevent food from getting in the sinuses.

I also forgot to mention since some of you seems to know about it more than I do, another symptom I have is every now and then I feel like a little drop of liquid comes out of my ear, always the right side.

Thanks for all your answers

reply to post by MrMaybeNot


That comment wasn't directed at you.

Most likely your issues are stemming from a sinus problem. From your description could be any number of things from narrow sinus to an allergy, infection, injury, histamine imbalance, etc. I would suggest seeing a neuro specialist just to be sure there's no severe underlying causes.

Originally posted by MrMaybeNot
I also forgot to mention since some of you seems to know about it more than I do, another symptom I have is every now and then I feel like a little drop of liquid comes out of my ear, always the right side.

Thanks for all your answers

edit on 2-6-2013 by MrMaybeNot because: (no reason given)

That sounds like some kind of infection in the sinus and/or ear canal. An infection could cause a lesion on the dura and mucus membrane allowing a small opening to form.

reply to post by EViLKoNCEPTz


How thick is the dura? If I understand correctly it's the layer of skin that shields the bottom of your cranium from your throat?

My neighbor has been battling this same thing for 13 years.
She just had another surgery to try to help stop the leaking.
I'm going to give her a link to this thread and tell her about you.
She just had surgery (again) a few days ago so she may not get on right away.
But I'll see if she can get on here and talk with you.

I understand your situation. It's serious. It's painful. It can be life altering.

Yes, it is serious. Listen to what the doctor told you. Don't do anything different, as you have made it well thus far. Doing anything different, you can run the risk of introducing bacteria, which can lead to meningitis.

Keep in mind, this is likely a tiny hole in the dura. This is not uncommon, but not common, either. A simple hard sneeze could have been the culprit, sometimes, it is just spontaneous. But, the opening is a two way road, and you have been very lucky thus far, and had the flow likely keeping the bacteria out.

So, change nothing, keep your appointments, and the proceedure is simple. Sometimes a blood patch is enough, sometimes a small piece of tissue will need to be placed. You will have to lay flat on your back 24-48 bours to assure the patch takes. You should not sneeze, blow your nose, try not to cough, don't bend over or lift, and don't strain in any way. He will likely prescribe laxatives for a few days to assure you don't strain going to the bathroom.

In a few days to a week, it will be like new again. The only thing is, once you have had a leak like this, you are more likely to habe one in the future, so stay alert and always be cautious if you notice the same symptoms again. It is not likely, just slightly more possible. Usually, once that patch has healed, it won't leak there again unless a structural issue like an abnormal bone growth caused it, which is most unlikely. As I said, this is usually spontaneous, or from sudden severe sneezing or straining. You may not even remember.

Relax, you will be fine, though it is a bit scary. With good reason. That's a two way highway to your brain, but you have come out fine, so just keep doing what you are doing, it was all the right things! Be especially grateful for the doctor that was wise enough to check for it. This could have gone misdiagnosed a long time! I see zero need for a second opinion.

A little research on Google should show you the truth, as well as revealing the huge amount of misinformation on this thread.

Good luck, and please keep us posted!

reply to post by MrMaybeNot


I really didn't want to open this thread. But after convincing myself that I'm a big boy, I opened it. Your condition sounds like something right out of a horror movie. If I find it hard to read about, I can just imagine how horrible it is for you to be experiencing it.

I have no words of wisdom, but I hope hope hope there is an easy cure for you.

As horrid as it sounds you will be fine.

You body can replace the lost fluid, which realy is just water with suger and some salts mixed with some white blood cells.

Once they patch it you will be as good as new.

But as someone above said just be carefall and practice good hygeine as the blood/Brian barries is potentialy comprised so you are at a rish from meningitis.

reply to post by MrMaybeNot


Not very thick at all. It's a semi-translucent membrane that encases the brain inside the cranial vault. It's not even as thick as a grape skin, but is very tough due to its elasticity. However it can be cut easily since it really isn't designed to withstand sharp force trauma but to shield the brain and contain it during a whiplash type incident. Its mainly there to keep germs and bacteria out and protect the brain from your own skull. If you look at neurosurgery pics online its the little film looking thing they cut and peel back as they pass the skull to gain access tp the actual grey matter itself.

Originally posted by crazyewok
Once they patch it you will be as good as new..

Many times that's easier said than done.
I hope my neighbor is well enough to come on and post.
She's got lots of info on this .. having been through it for 13 years.

reply to post by MrMaybeNot


mmmmm brains yummy

You saw this?


Mans runny nose was brain leaking fluid

The membrane surrounding Nagy's brain had a hole in it, causing the brain fluid to leak. "You don't really think about it, but our brains are really just above our noses all of the time," said Dr. Peter Nakaji, a neurosurgeon at Barrow Neurological Institute. Nagy was ready to have brain surgery to fix the leak, but then he developed a near-deadly case of meningitis and the fluid became infected. Eventually, Nagy's infection cleared up, and he was able to have the surgery. Nakaji explained to FOX 10 how the surgery is done: A needle is inserted through the nose and a bit of glue patches the hole. There is no cutting involved.

Originally posted by crazyewok
But as someone above said just be carefall and practice good hygeine as the blood/Brian barries is potentialy comprised so you are at a rish from meningitis.

This is the part that scares me the most about spending most of the day reading about it. First off, I'll admit I'm a smoker, half a pack a day. I know. It's very hot in montreal right now, I live fourth floor of an apt building. No AC allowed here. Doctor is saying that I can't have a fan blowing air towards me as its sending me more bacteria... Although before today I've been sleeping with a fan.

I also found this article, this lady has the exact same condition. She said that whenever she looked down for a couple seconds, the liquid would come straight down out of her nose. So I did it, really hoping it wouldn't do it... Well sadly it did start leaking, damn liquid, always left nostril - just like her. Also before I knew it was CSF, I thought it was regular mucus and disregarded the taste as mucus. Now that I know what it is, the taste is very salty / sugary. Every time it gets in my mouth I feel like I'll be sick. Just because I know its coming from my brain.

news.yahoo.com...

Also it's a very recent article. Is this a new thing? They mentioned in the article that she got injected something in her spinal cord to trace the leak ! My doctor mentioned tracing the leak but he never said anything about injecting something in my spinal cord... Will it hurt? Can they sedate me so I'm sleeping while they do it? :S

Thanks to everyone that replied, I'd never open a thread with a title that mentions brain leaking. It takes balls.