Manuel Díaz Lopez. Medullar Traction Syndrome, cervico-dorsal idiopathic Syringomyelia, Arnold Chiari I Syndrome.

Published by ICSEB at 26 May, 2011

Date of the surgery: October 2010

Hello to everyone. My name is Manolo and I live in Madrid. Before telling my story, I would like to thank Dr. Royo Salvador and his team, who considering my story and great suffering, was the only one who took interest in studying this disease. Thanks to his technique of the section of the filium terminale, which other doctors do not know of and who get offended when you talk about it, I am able to give this testimony. If not, it would be completely impossible.

Well, I don´t want to be tedious with my story, I would like it to be of help knowing that the symptoms can vary in each patient, but the majority are pretty much the same.

In my case, like in many others, I noticed strange symptoms all my life that I compared with others who didn´t have them. I was tired at times without any reason, had sudden mood swings, lapses of memory at specific moments, sweating, lack of concentration, I couldn´t remain in the same position for a long time, general pain – more on the left side, having to raise my left shoulder, incontinence, memory problems for learning, tingling in my feet and hands, blurred vision with certain movements, a floating sensation, etc.

Time went by and all of this increased to the point that in the year 1999, I had to see a specialist. They did x-rays, physical therapy, all kinds of treatments, but none of this did any good. They told me that it could be psychological or from my job (public transport driver) and they wanted to give me a medical leave but I didn´t want to because I knew it wasn´t psychological, that there was a reason. Stopping work would not be favorable for me as it helped me to carry on. Later on, the disease forced me to stop working because of the condition I was in. That is when I had my first MRI and they detected syringomyelia in C7 and they operated on me in July of 2003 with the traditional method (opening of the cavity by posterior myelotomy). This involved a long recuperation and without success, my condition remained the same. I also want to point out that during the surgery they did not see atrophic medulla or Arnold Chiari Type I or in the MRI´s either (maybe this needed 10 years more).

Afterwards they sent me to the pain unit, giving me all kinds of analgesics, including MST (morphine) during 5 years, all kinds of tests, electromyograms, evoked potentials, an infinity of MRI´s, some of them with contrast and various in private clinics here in Madrid, physical therapy, etc. and my condition was the same. They told me that I had to get used to living with it because the disease was incurable. I saw neurologists, neurosurgeons, one of them in the Institute of Neurological Sciences in Madrid (I´m not going to mention what he said to me because it bothered me quite a lot). I continued looking all over for information and I found Dr. Royo Salvador (who really was my savior as his last name “Salvador” indicates) on the web, with all the testimonies and I couldn´t believe that it was true what the people operated on by him were saying. I got in contact with his patients and they told me that the results were excellent.

Later I had an appointment with him and he told me that I needed surgery as soon as possible because time was against me and that the cells that die do not regenerate.

But before going to Barcelona to have surgery, I explained this technique to my specialists and they told me in two occasions that it couldn´t be done and that´s why I had this disease. I went crazy. On the 14th of October 2010, I was operated on in the Cima Clinic by Dr. Royo and Dr. Fialios along with their team (all excellent in their treatment) with spectacular results, as my condition was so horrible that I couldn´t eat, had a lot of pain swallowing, pain in the jaw, strong pain in the eyes, blurry vision, very painful headaches, the left side of my body numb, short of breath, suffocation, incontinence, tingling in the hands and feet, loss of memory, claustrophobia, I needed more space from all the pressure I was feeling, etc. With all these symptoms, before going to Barcelona, I went to the emergency room many times and they didn´t know what to do with me and they sent me home, and all this at a prestigious hospital in Madrid.

Eight hours after putting myself in Dr. Royo´s hands I recovered the feeling I had lost, my eyes didn´t hurt me so much, and many of my problems had lessened. I left the hospital the next day and on the way to Madrid in the Ave with my wife, I almost recovered my sight. Curious and unforgettable, I don´t know which went faster, the Ave or the recuperation of my sight.

In conclusion, the last symptoms that had appeared have almost disappeared completely, I still have the ones from before that with the time that went by, have left me with long-term effects, but still I am very happy.

I would like to say to the doctors in general, that this disease is not investigated, that at least they should take note of all the symptoms that we tell them about as many of them think we invent them. They should at least listen to us and gather information. I would give all of them a zero and penalize them. And also, that those physicians who to not support this technique and who are against it, contribute to our pain and suffering.

I give all of my encouragement to those affected, family and friends in general who also suffer in a different way, and if you can, get in touch with Dr. Royo Salvador and he will decide. Don´t lose much time because the disease doesn´t detain its progress.

I say to those concerned that they explain why there are so many things that are vetoed and manipulated associations. Are we interested that it be that way? And why don´t they take charge of the costs, as they don´t carry it out? This is my own personal opinion.

Don´t hesitate to ask me if you have any doubts. It is very useful for us to communicate among us. And to Dr. Royo, Dr. Fiallos and their whole team, thank you for the job you´ve done and to the rest of you, courage and luck.

My email is: [email protected]
My telephone: +34 649750454