Help

[Joviskn]

I am 37 years old and was diagnosed with type 1 Chiari Malformation in 2007 after months of chronic headaches, lightheadedness, a couple vomiting spells and after visiting loads of doctors who just dismissed the symptoms and attributing them to stress and migraines. The specialist suggested that I do not take the surgery but rather occasional traction treatments.
Anyways after the 5th doctor suggested I get an MRI I was officially diagnosed (the doctor had an idea given my symptoms). Two years ago I passed out at work (my doctor associated this to my sugar being low) and went back for another MRI but nothing had changed. Last week I past out again (so I thought because the last thing I remember was light headedness and a headache, then coming back to myself) and this time my doc associated it with severe dehydration. But the description my coworkers gave me sounded like a seizure especially the part about my eyes being open open and my groanings.
I have researched CM since my diagnoses but I am a bit scared at the thought of seizures.
So my questions/concerns: Can I rightly say these "passing out episodes" were seizures? is there anything I need to do to stop it? Can/Will it get worst? With injections at the back of my neck with a combination of steroids and anesthesia (every 4 years) I have been able to manage the chronic pain so the doctors suggested against surgery, but is surgery the only answer to these seizures?

[selmaS]

  Welcome back, you have not posted in a while.....

First, seizures can be associated with Chiari....some have developed them post op or pre op and sometimes they go away and sometimes it is something that will stay with you, chiari  is life altering...and who gets what is  a dice throw...no way to know who gets what symptoms or related conditions,.

Is your Dr a Chiari specialist? Did you have a CINE MRI to check CSF flow? MRI's to determine if you have a syrinx? tethered cord?......

There are related conditions and non related conditions ( family history helps here) as to what could be going on.

I had drop attacks,....you do not get the sensations you had b4 going out....but many do pass out as well as have drop attacks and some have seizures.

  Deff find a true Chiari specialist and have more testing to see how your Chiari is affecting you and your overall health....not all Drs or NS's are able to deal with this condition and ALL the related conditions well so do research Drs.

  I hope we were able to help you with this info.....

[rod44]

It would take time to be re-hydrated and you would be quiet ill as well  
If you suffered a Hypoglycaemia attack you would be confused and it would take time to get your sugars back up to normal.
Drop attacks are common in CM patients and as Kristy said this could be caused by pressure on the blood vessels however I just wonder if this should be recognized on MRI as arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Selma you may be able to help with this.
There are other causes such as coughing Syncopy. Damaged nerves in the legs can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure slowing the flow of blood to the brain when we become active after rest.
So you need to get a definite diagnoses so you can get treatment be it a drop attack, syncopy or seizures.
Do you have a CM doctor, not all doctors are experenced in the treatment of CM. A few hours on the topic of CM in a class at medical school is not good enough for CM patients :)

[kristy12]

It depends how you have progressed with the illness. Basically if there is no room at the craniocervical junction, pressure put on the brainstem veins can cause "passing out episodes". Is this is the case, surgery should help.