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Anxiety, chiari or cyst?

Hello everyone,

I have been unwell for the past 3 months with heart palpitations, ectopic heartbeats, dizziness, chest pains, stabbing and achin pains in the top and sides of my head, panic attacks, and a horrible sensation of pressure build up in my head which suddenly cascades into my chest. I had loads of medical tests which included a routine MRI scan. This showed up a CP angle arachnoid cyst and 7-8mm herniation.

Since the diagnosis I have begun to experience pain in the right of my neck and moving up into my skull and the pressure in my head is frequent. However I am not sure if the pressure originates in the base of skull. It usually feels like it's right on top of my head and occasionally rushes down to my chest. I also tend to have a strange feeling a bit like dizziness when I look down at my keyboard at work. I have also begun to experience a sound like rice crispies crackling in the base of my skull.

I have always had migraines since being a child and they never presented at the base of my skull. I have tried to experiment, when I feel unwell, with coughing or bending over and, although the pressure is worse, it is usually in the top of my head and the pain in my neck skull doesnt seem to get much worse.

What I'm unsure about is whether my recent symptoms are actually the result of finding out about my chiari and cyst and having a resultant freakout about it. I wonder if the pressure sensation is muscular or CSF related. Interestingly my symptoms are usually worse while sitting down  and especially driving (but I've heard that anxiety is often worse while driving too!)

It's all very confusing as my neurologist told me it was all nothing to worry about and all anxiety-related. But it's so odd to me that all these symptoms started out of the blue! After a lot of reading online, I requested a neurosurgeon's opinion. I have an appointment in 6 weeks but have been so unwell with all this I managed to get my doctor to refer me for an out of area neurosurgeon's appointment in Manchester tomorrow morning.

Would love to hear anyone's impressions of my weird symptoms and compare with the surgeon's opinion. Hearing from patients can be so insightful, especially if a lot of practitioners are not familiar with Chiari. I am also looking into a private consultation with Richard Cowie who, according to the Ann Conroy Trust, is a specialist in the NW of the UK.
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Avatar universal
Thanks both for your input and kind words.

Lynnrae64: I have recently started seeing a counsellor to help with the emotional and psychological effects of what I have gone through recently. You are right, it is grief that we go through when we find out and, although I have only had a couple of sessions, I am hopeful that she will help me to cope.

My neurosurgeon Mr D'Urso was a lovely man, very patient with all my questions. He performed a quite extensive physical exam (more in-depth than my neurologist) and examined my images. By the way, a tip for anyone in the UK who is goin through this process with the NHS. Do not assume that all your records will be passed across in time. I was skeptical about the neurosurgeon getting my MRI images, which was why I paid a small amount of money for mine to be put on a disc a few days ago. When I did arrive, as expected, he did not have the images so it was lucky I had sorted that out in advance!

Anyway, he thinks my cyst has always been there and is confident that it is not causing any problems. They would not want to remove it as it is so close to the nerves associated with the face and swallowing. He is also confident that the herniation is asymptomatic as there does not appear to be a 'plug' forming in the foramen magnum. He checked for intracranial pressure and confirmed, as did the neurologist last time, that there were no signs. However, to be absolutely sure he is sending my scans to his neuroradiologist, and I may be sent for a CINE MRI to make sure that there is no blockage to the CSF. I will also have a follow-up appointment in the next few weeks.

I am still feeling scared but did feel as though he was thorough and frank with me. Of course I do not want surgery if it is not necessary so I will wait and see now for the next stage. I may still seek an appointment with a Chiari specialist in Liverpool to be absolutely sure. Second and third opinions certainly can't hurt.  
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620923 tn?1452915648
COMMUNITY LEADER

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

Chiari can affect all of us in so many different ways....anxiety can come with the DX...or it can be related to the Chiari itself....keeping in mind it is affecting all of our nerves....as it is affecting our spinal cord....

I had heart palps, so I had testing to rule out any heart issues,, mine was fine, but worth it to have the testing....since I had surgery my heart palps are gone.

Anxiety can also be part of someone's personality or inherited family condition or it can be due to what nerves are being compressed.....
Panic attacks can happen when we are overwhelmed and we are more sensitive to loud noises, lights, crowds....so, it is something that may go away once you have had surgery....keeping in mind you may continue to have several symptoms post op.....and this could be one of them....

With Chiari the symptoms cycle and can come and go and they can also flare...so if we are stressed or sick, or even in a MVA it can cause a flare up of symptoms we can not ignore....all the while we may have had symptoms all along and just figured they were "normal" or from this or that...and thought little of them....once we understand Chiari and the symptoms we may realize just how long we really have had symptoms.

Good luck with the NS visit...and keep us posted on what you find out.
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Avatar universal
A lot of your symptoms are very common. I have recently found out by going to see a counselor because of this issue that when we start to understand the nature of Chiari it can be quite overwhelming. I have a very difficult time driving due to the fear of a panic attack, which can cause some of the symptoms you describe. The fear of something happening when you are not in your safe environment can trigger these emotions.

Have you spoke with a specialist regarding the anxiety.? We all deal with the reality of this illness in different ways. I have found it helpful to talk to someone who deals with chronic illness. She explained it to me in such a way that we have lost a part of ourself and it can go hand in hand with grieving.

I wish the best for you. I have found that this forum is a good way to get support from those who understand what you are dealing with.
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