Hello. I am not sure of the geography between San Diego and Los Angeles, but I recently learned of a second cousin of mine who saw Dr. Jorge Lazareff at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. My cousin's symptoms are much like mine with Chiari and I spoke to her about it being hereditary. I know that she only had an initial appointment with the doctor and she said he was really thorough. I really don't know about the distance you would have to travel, or the insurance that his practice works with, but I thought I would give you a name to start with. I do believe that this doctor is on the list that Selma refers to above.
Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.
My deepest sympathies on the loss of your sister.....
We do have a list of Chiari Drs....not all on the list are true Chiari specialists but the members here list their Drs they like after they have been to and treated by the Dr....you would have to research them to see if they take your medical INS.....and it is possible that there is not one near you and you may have to travel.....
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Chiari-Malformation/-Chiari--Drs-list--links-2015/show/2415432
May I ask, were you checked for other related conditions? Ans ask why you required 2 surgeries?.....