Hi ...I am stressing!

[Krintina]

Hi all...I really hope you can help...My finding was accidental because of an eye issue I had four years ago...which does not bother me anymore. I had a cat scan..and as I was reading the cat I read....that I had had chiari malformation...so I got an MRI ...no ideas what kind of MRI..If it showed I had flow obstruction....I had no symptoms  they said I probally would not that some people have this forever and never have symptoms...my age is 39..well in June...I will be!....when I got the MRI ..it showed I believe 5mm at the most..Can Chiari change, Can it get worse as far as more mm? I really am not sure if I  have symptoms or not? I saw three doctors who read my results after the er that never told me I had it to begin with. I was there for headaches which were due to post pardum..which did go away and only come back with stress...So the reason I am writing you is ....I always have a neck ache which I feel is muscular...I think. This has been for maybe a year or less. A neck adjustment helps but I am not sure if I should be getting this at all...even though the neurologist the neuro optomologist and family prac said it was fine. My neck aches more to the left side of my neck and up to the base of my head...It is not horrible at all just achy. For the past week or so I have dizzy spells but I had my period so it may have been from that ..I am waiting to see if it goes away. My head feels foggy..but I also can be a very anxioous person which cuases fogginess...and when I am reeling over a sututaion like I am this one..I can talk myself into many symptoms..So I cant tell what is real and made up...I do know that I have a persistant neckache..sometime pressure behind my eyes depending on how I am bending my neck..I sometimes feel pressure in my head but I get this when my anxiety is reeling also..My neck is always snapping and crunching but this is probaly from neck adjustments. What do you think....should I get another MRI...Can this get worse ....I am scared....Am I jsut trying to talk myself out of something that is really going on...or is it my anxiety getting the best of me? I would appreciate any help or suggestions!

Thank you so much! Krintina

[irislita]

Well i would suggest too that u go to a specialist and let th judge ur mri and ur symptoms.i think chiarians are often having symptoms from early,but we think its normal...i thought my ha,neck pain,dizziness and clumsiness is normal...but its not.also there are related issues that should be checked like a syrinx in the spine.
Good luck for everything

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

  Stop going for manual manipulations of ur neck until u know for sure what is going on...I too when to a chiro long b4 I got my Dx, once u have it even unofficially, do not go it can do more damage then good.

The strain of being pregnant and giving birth can trigger symptoms to worsen...so ur  postpartum HA's may have been chiari.

I really feel since this is a congenital condition we learn to adjust to how we feel doing certain things so we do them to not feel that way and consider how we do feel as "normal" and would not consider much of what is a symptom a symptom...until we learn more about this condition.

The best suggestion is get copies of ur MRI and the report....going forward always request copies, it is easier to get opinions when u have all the info.

Next research, know what chiari is  and how it is affecting u, and research drs to know who u should be going to, not all drs recognize chiari as causing symptoms and dismiss us.

  See our list of drs to help get us started on ur research...the list is not a referral...and not all drs r true chiari specialists, but they have treated a member here successfully.

   If we can help in ne way let us know : )

      "selma"