Hi Sunny,
I just want to second what selma said that you are NOT ALONE. There are many people here to help each other. I feel that since i have joined a huge weight has been lifted and my outlook on my conditions have changed.
I also want to touch on the lat paragraph, which touched me in many ways. The dorctors could right a book on how many health problems I have many of them chronic, and I always thought no one would want to "take care" of me. Although I live a pretty normal life there are days when I can't get up on my own and that puts a burden on who I lived with. Finally, when i met my bf now (of three years) he was there for me when I became diagnosed with most of the conditions that I have. He never left my side and he never complains. I feel that when you find "THE ONE" you'll know and he will accept you for you, he wont even notice all the hardships, he will be there to help you through your toughest times. Trust me you are still young, just enjoy being yourself finding out who deserves to be with you and most of all good luck.
Hey,
so first, i want to say how sorry I am that you are in pain. Second, I just want to say how much we have in common. I'm also 22, I also was a gymnast (and I cheerlead and tumble for my current college), and I grew up singing and acting. Like you, I have Chiari Malformation type 1 (my doctor says that the appearance of my chiari malformation is mild...but i also have some pretty bad symptoms including terrible transient headaches, although I don't think my headaches are quite as debilitating as yours)...
anyway, you mentioned that when you were in gymnastics, tumbling made you have headaches? well i've been thinking a lot about this, and when I was around 12 or so, tumbling started to make me feel really dizzy, and then i would see stars/flashes of light every time after i tumbled..and now i'm starting to think that gymnastics is part of the reason why i have chiari malformation. my symptoms didn't full on start until i was 18 but i think the gymnastics may have something to do with it.
do you think our gymnastics background- all of the flipping, and all of the hard landings could have contributed to our chiari?
i'm scared that I need to quit cheerleading now (because I tumble and fly)... I don't think my doctor knows i'm a cheerleader so she never mentioned any restrictions with it.
i'd love to hear what you think. sorry i don't have any advice on how to feel better ( i was just diagnosed and know little about this).
And lastly, just to respond to your question about dating- you seriously have NOTHING to worry about. You sound like a kind, intelligent, beautiful person and most good people would NOT turn someone down because they had a medical issue that they couldn't help. it sounds like despite your pain, you are a lively and positive person. don't worry...the right person will come around!
hi, welcome I am sorry you are feeling so down. but you should remember that the chiari, and adhd are conditions you have that affect your life, but they are not your life! your life i am sure is full of wonderful things, and a bright future.
i think that you should try to be positive, i also think the longer you wait the more damage you might develop. again, like others have said, you just really don;t know what the outcome of your surgery will be. after reading along the threads in this forum, i have learned that truly everyone develops different symptoms after surgery, everyone heals differently, and everyone's experiences are unique even though we all might share some similaritires.
i learned i had chiari on november 23, 2011. i was having difficulty staying in a lane while driving, having vertigo, severe headaches, pain in eyes, vision problems, hand tremors, and for years what i thought was a severely nervous bladder. i also had dfficulty, rembering things, disorientation.
my doctor thought i had ms.
i learned from mri that i had 9 mm of protusion and several herniated disk.
i saw two neuro surgeons, and two neurologist. my surgery was shceduled for december 13, 2011. i was in the hospital for 7 days. i am now home, and everyday is different, some days i am ok, others i feel pain, swelling and pressure. but i am going to stay positive, even though i dont know what to expect. i am afraid!!! but this forum really helps, feel free to ask questions, you are defitnately not alone.
Welcome to this amazing place really everyone here knows what a tough road you on. I just wanted to share with you that I loved to sing in church and the year before I had my surgery singing made it worse which made me so sad, good news I sm singing like crazy now with no pain! Please keep us posted and it will be ok and as far as relationships I think that people with chiari are some of the bravest most unselfish and carrying people out there!
IMHO...if u ask is it good enuff...no! U want a Dr with the most experience doing this type of surgery....
Se a few and go with the one u r most comfortable with.....but compare chiari specialist to chiari specialist...as u can not compare what a Dr says that is not as well informed to one that is, as what u being told will not be the same.....if u follow my point,.
Ask if u can get a referral...not sure how ur health care works....but there are a few others here that should be able to offer insight.
"selma"
oh and just a note about the kickboxing...I am careful! And I actually find, that when I box ,my pain goes away...Not sure why...but it does (unless I fall, or am hit with a bad punch, but that is why I take it extra slow to learn technique so I don't risk hurting myself and know that I will be able to defend anything that comes my way). I think the more I work myself the stronger I become - and the less strain put on me because I can withstand it more...if that makes sense? For example...heavy lifting. I used to get pressure headaches from lifting even small amounts, but since I started training I have been able to carry much more - without headaches because my body is strong enough to hold weight without putting strain on my body.
Hey guys - you all are awesome! Thank you so much for the words of encouragement and support - they help so much! :)
So, despite being diagnosed three years ago I still feel very "in the dark" about chiari, and the potential things it could do eventually - or what it wont do.
I don't believe I have been tested for anything that could go along with chiari (except the syrinx...I've been checked for that. I know that). One of my issues is with my doctor. They answer my questions wonderfully, but unless I ask I seem not to get information, and I don't know what to ask.
This doctor, is not a Chiari specialist, but has done the surgery a number of times...I felt uncomfortable asking how many and how many were successful. The doctor I currently have is in the top five neurosurgeons in my province...so I am wondering if that is good enough? There is a Chiari specialist on the list that is from here, but I don't know how to getting him as a doctor. Any advice on what to do about that?
You all are awesome! :)
Hello I'm also Canadian. You came at the right place for advice and understanding and compationnate people. I understand you're strugle. I'm going to go to the NS again on the 11 jan and I'm scared because I know he is going to talk about surgery.
And relationship wise don't worry you will find someone. I have been having stange symptomes for as long as I can remember. I also have ADHD and I also have Asperger Syndrome. And I have been maried for over 10 years with a very carring man.
You are amongst friend here.
Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.
U bring u valid points to all of ur issues, and even tho this is a long bumpy journey I feel we r stronger as we have dealt with pain for so long....u can get thru nething, and u have a new family of friends that understand...us!
I didn't mind the hospital and being alone there, in fact I preferred it to my family being there and talking about other things that I knew would just drive me crazy.... and u sleep so much, it went by so quickly that it is really not bad at all.I was 48 at the time of my surgery and was there for 5 days....in ICU for 2.5 and again was glad to go home when I did, but the only thing I did not like was the food....
Surgery is not a cure and u r right there is a possibility for u to feel worse post op....but, many times it is the NS or the length of time the compression and obstruction was there, the longer it is there the better chance of perm issues....
Make sure u have a NS that really knows what he is doing when it comes to chiari, that u r checked for chiari related conditions b4 surgery and that way u limit some of the post op issues many that have them did not do b4 hand.....
Research the NS as best u can, and if possible get a 2nd opinion.
we do have a list of NS's for Canada if u want to take a look, scroll down to the bottom of this page and use the link to the Health pages.
Remember, u r never alone, now that u joined us here : )
"selma"
Hello :) Sorry to hear you are struggling with chiari! Your history sounds very typical for a childhood, always interesting to hear peoples stories when they were really young. We all just get told we have Migraines! I fully understand your pain with not being able to sing, anything that causes the pressure to increase just hurts. For me it was laughter and not being able to laugh made me so sad. By the time I opted for surgery I could not even bend over to get clothing out of the dryer without severe head pains and the "migraines' were out of control. I had so many headaches that it was just insane. I can't tell you that the surgery is easy, I had too many complications and nearly two years post op I am still dealing with things but I can tell you that I can laugh now! I would not trade that for anything!!! For a while I was not sure I was going to be able to say that it was all worth it but I do think I can say that now. Obviously people that feel fantastic go on with life after surgery so I am sure we see so many more complications on this board because it is the people that are still struggling that post! It is still a journey even if things go really well.
If I were you I would be careful with the kickboxing!!! What you don't want is to make things worse or cause any permanent damage while you are thinking about surgery. Prior to my surgery when I did not know what was wrong I was so frustrated with my head that I went on a roller coaster as a self test!!! Dumbest thing ever, I was in so much pain for DAYS... you don't want to cause more issues with you head and a workout can't be worth a multi day headache.
As for issues and happiness, maybe it sounds crazy but life is going to be what you make it :) Crap happens to everyone and my theory is that if they don't think they have a medical issue, they just don't know about it yet :) LOL We all have our issues and still have the ability to find and be happy! The people in the world that will find you fantastic will embrace all of who you are, it all just makes us individuals :) Life would be very boring if we were all alike. Things like ADHD actually HELP people with their creativity and thinking out of the box so it contributes to who you are! You need to just really love the YOU that you are!!
Being alone in the hospital is not fun. I have two kids and my husband had to be with the kids quite a bit but because I was in the ICU, the nurses were really friendly and would visit with me! Being young and healthy you will probably get out quickly. I was out in 48 hours with my first surgery so it was not too bad. Average is longer but it is possible to do it quicker if you have any luck! You will need help at home though so you need to know you have people to help take care of you for a bit. You can not go home alone!! Just having this posting board helped, you can be messaging your friends here when you can't sleep :) Even with my weird complications i found people going through some of the same things and it gives you strength to be able to chat with similar people! Good luck figuring out if you want the surgery, it is a difficult choice.
Well honey I feel your pain. You have one good thing going for you and that is your age. I had surgery when I was 48 and I'm 16 moths post op.
I feel our flustration and how scared you are. This surgery isn't something you go in to lightly. It took me 2 yrs to decide. My doctor asked me this question so I'll ask you. "Is Chairi affecting your life". I answered yes to this question before surgery. I couldn't go through out the day ecspecially after a lot of bending with out crying all day just to relief the pressure. So this is why I decided it was time for me. I wan't living life any more. Your still young so your healing time should be better. We all here know what a difficult decision this is to make, but weigh it out and see the good vs bad. Not every one has bad experiences. There are those out here ( me being one of them) that had a lot more to deal with after surgery. I thought I would go in, have surgery and be back to work after 6 mths. Unfortunally for me it didn't happen this way. I had to quit my job, due to it was to physically and I couldn't take the chance to hurt myself again. It was the best thing for me and my family. As I said there is a lot to consider. We also all heal differently. There has been people on here that has had surgery and we don't here from them much because they have gotten back to normal life. God bless them. We are here to support you in what ever you decide. I wish I had the answer's for you, but only you can decide this. For me I have to say I have no regret's having surgery. It has been a long healing road for me, but in the long run I feel bettter and that is the good new's. As for your voice. You will alway's have it. Who know's you might be singing in a short couple month's. We just can't answer that for you, but wish you the best. As far as a relationship goes. I have been married for 29 yrs to a wonderful husband and him and I have gone through all of this together, but I know there are young women on here who are in relationship's. We all have problems in this world, and some one out there will love you for you and not condition's. As far as being active after having surgery, only time can tell you this one. I just know for me. I take one day at a time and take it from there. None of us know what our future holes. Only God know's that, so we can't worry about what Might happen in the future. Live for the now and make the decision based on how you are doing and how much more you can deal with. Having Chairi surgery isn't a fix, as my doctor explained it to me. Once a Chairian alway's will be. For me there are thing's I have had to adjust to in life, but life is life altering any way, just some people don't have to deal with the chairi issue. It is a journey, but we will be here for you as much you need us to be. As far as your recovery and being in the hospital. There has been people on here that had surgery and was released in 3 day's. So there are good stories on here. Some us just have to heal a little bit longer. Yes you will need support from maybe not family, but friend's who could help out after having surgery... For me I asctually asked my family to stay away other wise they would of been on me like bee's on honey. They felt helpless but it was the best for me. You will need quit for a while after surgery. I know Selma has a list that she will post on here for you. She is the most informative one on here for me for information and the direction's you should take. There are a lot of people on here going through the same thing you are going through right now, so alway's remember you are not a lone. Welcome to this Chairian forum you have come to the right place for love, support, and direction to your journey. Wish you the best in your decision. Keep us posted on your decision. Your last comment about "Don't know how to get over this one.....You won't get over anything you just have to work through it in a different way now. Never give up and never give in to Chairi. In the long run you will appreciate thing's more and the people who love you will always be there for you. Your in my chairian prayer's with your decision. Do what is best for you now and worry about the little stuff later.