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.