Syrinx on my Mir

[Aclark00]

Hey guys I'm in desperate need for advice seems like I've seen doctor after doctor and I still have no answers. I've been suffering with  bad bad headache and then they turn into a migraine for over a year that seem to be getting worse and  the still don't know why. My headaches are most of the time at the base of my skull where it hurts so bad I will sit and press as hard as I can on the back of my neck to help relive the pain. I also have weakness running down my left arm off and on, almost like an icy hot feeling. They have done multiple X-rays only finding some sinus blockage so I went to a Ent only for him o tell me that that was not the cause of my headache. So then I went in for a cervical spine Mri and its showed that I have a syrinxs between c3 to c6 I belive with no sings of a chiari malformation. So they then sent me to a neroligest who told me it was probably just a fluck find and I'm just a suffer of migraines and put me on a handful of me to try all in which do not work. I've been seen now by over 5 different doctors all who don't have any answers or any help. But reading the symptoms of a chiari malformation goes hand in hand with what I'm going through. The headache the nausea the arm weakness then gag reflexes.
Do you guys think it's possiable that they misses the chiari malformation on the cervical spine Mri when they found the syrinxs or could my symptoms be cause from the syrinxs? No doctor seems to know much about it so they just skip over it and go to something else. Should I reqest a brain Mri?

[kwalker0004]

As Selma has said it is an incidental finding. Many don't believe it causes the issues we have. But if you only did a spinal MRI and not a MRI of the brain its unlikely that they would of noticed it the spinal MRI as they are not looking at the whole brain and able to see the brain at different angles to determine rather or not you have a malformation. Something is causing the blockage of the CSF or you wouldn't have a syrinx. So request a referral to have a Brain MRI with/ and without contrast. Then have a MRI of the full spine and make sure you have no other syrinx.

Keep all test and reports from this point forward. I wish I did when I first starting to have issues. That way I would of known everything. Now I have been trying to get all the reports and images from the hospital to keep on hand just incase I need them in the future.

Best of luck to you in your journey.

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

It is possible you have Chiari and possible you do not....there are other conditions that can cause the same if not similar symptoms so ALL must be ruled out.

If you do not have copies of your MRI along with copies of the report, request them from the facility that did the studies.

Many Drs do not believe Chiari will cause symptoms....so they consider it an incidental finding similar to your Drs reaction to your syrinx.

  Keep a journal of your symptoms.....regardless if you think they are related....this may help a Dr figure out what is going on with you.

And going forward ALWAYS request copies of reports and actual testing....ie- MRI's Xrays etc....