We have another blogger with Arachnoiditis to add to the rolls. Jan is 50 and has been living with arachnoiditis for about 10 years now and it appears to be from a myelogram, which is the same way I contracted mine.
Basically what happens with a myelogram is they inject a dye, which can contain myodil, in to the cerebral spinal fluid. With this dye injected the radiologist can see under an x-ray where the nerve roots are damaged and that allows the neurosurgeons to operate at the correct level of the spine. However in some people this dye does not leave the CSF and instead adheres to the arachnoid membrane which is one of the 3 protective layers of the spine. This causes scaring and as the scar tissue grows it starts to work it way around the nerve bundle in the spinal column. This deprives the nerves of their blood/oxygen supply and they start to die off and this causes pain for the patient and it is rather painful. In a study done by Dr. Sarah Smith MB BS they found that 100% of all arachnoiditis patients suffer from pain, so this is not a hit or miss issue and for many the pain if not controlled is debilitating.
For more reading on causes and treatment of arachnoiditis check out the COFWA site.
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