Could it be Chiari?

Hello,

Over a year ago, after a few (>4) drinks I had a very bad spell of dizziness and heavy drunk feeling.  I thought it might go away in a few days but it never went away. It got slightly better but never went away.  The dizziness subsided but the feeling that I am a bit tipsy is always there.  I thought I was doing alright until 6 months later when the symptoms got worse, my right leg started getting numb, along with left foot, having a hard time emptying the bladder if I held the urine too long, can't track fast moving objects with my eyes, weakness of arms and legs, heavy tongue (on and off), head pressure, pressure in my face, and most recently headaches (front of the head) when I put my head down.  The most debilitating symptom is the feeling that I am slightly drunk all the time.  It makes me feel like I am looking through the wrong prescription glasses.  I don't know if that makes sense.  IT makes driving difficult and I am also feeling exhausted.

All the tests, including brain MRI was negative.  I do have a herniated disc in my neck which I will probably need surgery in the future.  I have had several brain MRIs and they were all negative.  

The head pressure is really making me think of Chiari.  Any thoughts any of you might have on my condition will be much appreciated!  TIA!  btw:  I am located in Orlando, FL

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

May I ask y u feel it is Chiari? DO u have others in ur family that have it?

U said the brain MRI was clear, do u know if that was an opinion of the NS or was that the consensus of a few NS's?

The best option u may have is get copies of the MRI and the report...many Drs and NS's feel Chiari is an incidental finding and will give an all clear even tho Chiari is present....so do have the MRI reviewed ...and u will want a true Chiari specialist to offer insight.

The symptoms u have could be a number of other issues too...so do have them ruled out, Lymes, Lupus, MS are some of the more recognized conditions with similar symptoms,.

Look at blood labs for vitamin and mineral levels.,..low levels of Vit D, and B12 as well as low potassium and magnesium can cause some of these issues.

And next since u mentioned disk issues, I would look to Ehlers-Danlos as it can cause many of the same symptoms as chiari .....and could be the cause of the disk issues.

There is a Chiari Dr in Miami....keep in mind u may have to travel to get to a Dr well experienced with this if in fact u do have Chiari.

[lschwarting]

Since you MRI's came back negative, I would suggest you see an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat Doctor) due to the dizzy feeling and balance issues so they can check for inner ear problems. The symptons you are speaking of could be Chiari but are really common for many other things as well. Was the MRI of the brain only or the cervical spine. An MRI of the cervical spine, not just brain, will give the best indicator of Chiari. The NS does not really initially have as much impact in the diagnosing Chiari as the radiologist that examines the MRI, so I do not feel traveling far for a Chiari specialist when you have already had negative MRI is necessary.

[rod44]

Good advice (as always) from Selma.
CM is not something doctors see in everyday pratice and can be missed or treated as an incidental finding.
Not sure if a ENT will be helpful with the neurology symptoms,

I agree with selma, get copys of your MRI's and get a NS or NL with CM experence to review them.

[selmaS]

  Thanks Ray...it is always nice to know someone else agrees : )

[ejmommy]

Thank you all so much for the reply.  I am not sure if it is Chiari, but it was in the list of possibilities.  I have had the 10K workup =)  with no answers.  My vitamins are within limit, MS, lyme and other neurological symptoms have been ruled out.  They don't really know what to do with my symptoms.  I have had 3 MRIs, the latest one being with one of the top MRI machines in the worls (at least that is what I was told).  I think my neuro wants to send me to the mayoclinic...wishing money wasn't an issue here.  

Thank you again for you insight!