We are asking for your SUPPORT for our Mom, Betty Ward McCreary for NEUROSURGERY of her SPINAL NERVES that are being COMPRESSED and INJURED by 3 fluid-filled sacs (one enormous cyst located on left side of sacral) called TARLOV cysts, which are specified as a “rare disease.” Surgery performed by Dr. Feigenbaum MD, will take place all the way in Dallas, Texas where she will need to stay for a minimum of 14 days. She is unable to work until after surgery and recovery. During this time your SUPPORT will help with TRAVEL expenses, RENT, UTILITIES, HEALTH PREMIUMS, and GROCERY costs. To help get the word out, you can share the link to your SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS/ACCOUNTS (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram..etc.)

Our Mom has always been a hard dedicated worker. She was a Special Education Teacher Assistant for Tullahoma City Schools for 11 years. She enjoys fitness, indoor rock climbing, ziplining, and hopes to get back to her physically active lifestyle and new adventures she would like to share with her granddaughter when she has fully recovered from this major surgery.

These fluid-filled sacs are located in the Spinal Canal which house the nerves that transmit messages between the spinal cord and the rest of the body, including Muscles, Skin, and Internal Organs. Patients, like our Mom, are just a small percentage that suffer symptoms from these fluid-filled cysts and is why it is listed as a rare disease. These fluid-filled cysts are rooted in the nerves, compressing and injuring the spinal nerves. One of the 3 cysts our Mom has is enormous, which is the cause of most of the severe pain she suffers from on the left side of her pelvic/sacral area. If left untreated, it causes permanent neurological damage.

This has been a long journey to even be diagnosed because there are only a few Medical Doctors in the Country who focus on helping those patients like our Mom who have symptoms. Her symptoms have been severe, chronic pain in the lower back, sacral/pelvic area. The pain doesn’t allow her to SIT normally, STAND for short length of time, MUSCLE WEAKNESS/FATIGUE, VESTIBULAR VERTIGO, (dizziness has progressively gotten worse), MIGRAINES, NUMBNESS/TINGLING in legs/feet, BLADDER and BOWEL dysfunctions.

Her symptoms have progressively gotten worse over time, which has limited her physically active lifestyle and physical duties of her job.

Having to advocate for herself after being mis-diagnosed by several doctors, through multiple MRI’s, the cysts were only mentioned, when she asked if there was anything on the sacrum/pelvic area that didn’t belong and was finally told about the cysts. She was also told that the cysts don't cause any pain, but there was no explanation of why she was suffering in pain on a daily basis. After much research, she realized her symptoms had to be from the cysts. Her research led her to one of three surgeons in the country who focus their time researching tarlov cyst for those patients, like our Mom, who are symptomatic. After sending special instructed MRI reports to a Neurosurgeon, Dr. Feigenbaum MD, located in Dallas, Texas, he found more than one and she was finally diagnosed with this rare disease that is the root cause of her debilitating symptoms, which makes her a candidate for NEUROSURGERY of her SPINAL NERVES. Dr. Feigenbaum, cannot remove the cysts, because they are fluid-filled and are rooted within the spinal nerves. Dr. Feigenbaum will cut/open the sacral area of her lower back and slice the fluid-filled cysts open to drain the fluid, place a sleeve over the drained sac, then tie off the sac so spinal fluid will not leak back into the sac and grow. He explained that our Mom will be in a lot of pain after the surgery because the nerves have been compressed and injured over the years and will need to have time to heal and recover. Immediately after surgery while in the recovery room, she will have to lay flat on her back and be monitored every few hours to make sure she doesn’t have post surgical CSF leak, which can increase the risk of infection of the spinal fluid. The risk of this happening is only 5%. The nurses will lift the bed/head 5 degrees every few hours to make sure there is no headache which is a sign of a leak. She will stay in the hospital for 2 nights. The following morning she will be able to try and walk. Once she is cleared to leave the hospital, she will be sent to a hotel nearby, for continual post-op recovery and wound care.

Thank you for any SUPPORT you could offer our beautiful, loving Mom.

We will keep you updated on her progress.

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