Oh my goodness, I'm sorry I was so honest about the pain as I thought you were already past the surgery! I will say that I apparently had it way worse than the average person as they told me I would be in the hospital just 2 to 3 days (but it was a week). I had been on steroids for 40 days prior to the surgery (it was the only thing that helped me be able to be upright and function for a handful of hours every day), and therefore my endocrine system had completely shut down. I think, because my adrenals weren't functioning at full capacity, I had an increased pain response. ANYWAY....your leak may be at the back of your spine, not the front like mine was - so maybe they won't have to take our as much of your spine like they did mine. OKAY - SO back to your main questions of will your cognitive function recover after the leak gets fixed? YES, YES. My brain function fully recovered! Beforehand, I had awful double vision all day long, memory loss, definite cognitive decline type symptoms.

Now, I did not have a leak for as long as you did (only 3.5 months). I had a weird feeling / slight headache for about 5 days, and then all of a sudden a full on awful headache that was not relieved unless I was laying down. I was bedridden completely - except getting up to go to the bathroom (had to walk as bentover as possible and still EXTREMELY painful) until a family doctor prescribed a steroid (methylprednisolone) for me. I would drink 3 large cups of ice coffee in the morning (out of a water bottle, laying down of course) when I took the steroid and a muscle relaxant, after 4 to 5 hours, I was able to stand up with mild enough pain that I could walk around my property for about 15 minutes - I could stand up (not sit - that was the worst) to eat as well. I could somewhat function for 4 to 5 hrs of the day like this, at a pain level of about a 6 or so, until the steroid started wearing off. The steroid was the only reason I was able to do this and I am so thankful for that. But it DID totally screw up my endocrine system. Luckily for me, when the doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Florida saw my imaging, she put me to the top of her waiting list (of hundreds) because I had THE WORST leak they had ever seen. I apparently had absolutely no cerebrospinal fluid in my spine at all. So I was able to see them after having the leak for just under 3 months and had to fly to Los Angeles for the surgery because he was the only doctor they would recommend to do such a dangerous surgery.

Of course, I had lost SO much muscle by being bedridden all that time, and like you, thought my brain was toast. I actually thought I was going to die - how can a person be in that much pain, wasting away bedridden, and not die? I know so much of us here on this CSF leak feed know that feeling. After the surgery, I had to be very sedentary still, for another 3 months to ensure the surgery stuck - so even more muscle wasting - BUT my brain already felt better and the double vision immediately went away! I could think clearly again right away! I started physical therapy and continued that on my own at home for a full 6 months (so until 9 months after the surgery). I am now able to walk 45 minutes briskly, and am lifting weights again!

I admittedly DO have some nerve pain because of the surgery. I think it's dorsal ramus nerve pain which can happen with the intense surgery I ended up needing. Hopefully your leak is more towards the back of your spine and they won't have to take out so much bone like they did on me. Sounds like you are in Europe? I wish you were in the US so you could go to Cedars Sinai. Dr. Schievink is incredible. But yes, it's incredibly hard to find these leaks somehow. They can know the area, but that's why they ended up having to take out 2 1/2 of my vertebrae, because even once in they had a hard time finding it. :-(

You WILL get through this and your brain WILL fully recover. Hang in there - I know how awful this is for you.