Mildly low-hanging tonsils at foramen magnum...huh?

[Tamiko71]

This what my MRI reads. Could this being Chiari Malformation? The MRI didn't get into specifics, just the title of this post. What does "at foramen magnum" mean? Are the tonsils supposed to be tucked up a little higher or something?

I have been having a lot of problems with my ears. Lots of pain, pressure and hissing/fluttering/ringing. Sometimes I feel like I have a pot or something on my head. Things get muffled and echo like when I'm having an episode.I get migraines and horrible pounding headaches if I strain too hard. They are intense but quick. A lot of the time, the bones behind my ears just ache and ache.

I used to have pretty bad vertigo, but it's not as bad as it was. I do get these zaps though, something like sloshing a bowl of water; that's how my head feels. Then there is something hinky going on with my eye; it's kind of drifting off, doing it's own thing. I notice it in pictures.

I have heat palps, numbness and tingling down my arms and neck (always though it was from typing). I don't any balance issues (except during a vertigo episode) though. Having Ehlers Danlos is a very high probability, but this post is too long already. Thanks!  

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

  Yes, it is possible this is Chiari....Chiari can be congenital or acquired...so if you were in a MVA or had a trauma to your head and neck this could be acquired....keeping in mind those incidents can also trigger a  dormant congenital Chiari to flare with  symptoms.

EDS alone can cause many of the same symptoms as Chiari as it can cause  CCI (craniocervical instability)......

Testing to see if you have a CSF obstruction, syringomyelia, tethered cord, ICP, POTS, sleep apnea....and even look at your vitamin and mineral levels....

  Do you have the report? And the MRI on disk?....if not request both and going forward always get copies of ALL testing even blood labs. This will make it easier to get 2nd and 3rd opinions and getting into a specialist a little faster.

No worries on how long your post is...and if you want to get more info in one place use the journal on your profile page that way you can edit and add to it as your journey with Chiari continues.

Know you are not alone <3

[kristy12]

Tonsils at the level of the foramen magnum could be chiari provided that there is overcrowding there. You need to evaluate if the 4th ventricle is squizzed/narrowed. I have prepared a manual - you can check it by yourself.

http://healthissuesunfolded.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-recognize-borderline-chiari-on.html