MALS
Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome is a vascular compression that is caused by the median arcuate ligament compressing the celiac artery and the celiac plexus. MALS is a congenital condition which means you are born with it, but doctors are unsure about what exactly triggers it. Some doctors think that MALS can be triggered by a virus which is what we think happened in my case. MALS is a diagnosis of exclusion so many tests need to be done to rule out other conditions. My MALS symptoms started my sophomore year of college. During the start of my medical journey I had three surgeries in three months which included getting my gallbladder removed as well as finding out that I had gastroparesis. My surgery helped for a few weeks but then I was left feeling worse.
Continuing to search for answers while trying to finish my college classes was exhausting. I am so thankful and blessed that I had amazing professors at Baylor who worked along side me to help me finish and get my degree. I also was so blessed to have so many caring friends who would always be willing to help me with anything. And my amazing momma who would drive up to Waco constantly to take me to the ER.
My MALS symptoms included pain with eating and drinking, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, and constant pain in my abdomen. My symptoms were progressively getting worse which is why I chose to have surgery to fix my pain. Before having surgery I had to get a celiac plexus block to confirm that I had nerve involvement which I did. I was able to eat without feeling sick for a few hours before the block wore off.
I ended up having surgery in another state to fix my MALS. I had an open abdominal surgery to trim my median arcuate ligament back to the spine and then the inflamed nerves removed. Recovery from this surgery was such a rollercoaster. This surgery fixed my MALS pain but over the course of the next 3 years I will have three additional open abdominal surgeries and countless procedures and hospitalizations.
This journey has taught me that you have to advocate for yourself if you feel like something is wrong and don’t give up. If you know someone who is experiencing similar symptoms please tell them about MALS. Raising awareness is so important and just because something is rare doesn’t mean that it’s impossible for you to have.