just found out I have a low lying tonsil

[chiari4234]

I am 41 yrs old mother of 4 I have been having symptoms that are getting worse I have a C 5,6 disc protrution and a L 5,herniation and L 4,3 disc bulge..I was in a car accident in 2008 which i feel is the start of my symptoms I had whip lash severe and lower back injury..On boxing day I had a symptomatic stroke and I have been the same since having right side loss of movement face numbness and eye twitching and vertigo and my tongue is messed up I cant talk..I saw my family doctor today and he hasnt even heard of Chiari malformation and I am confused why this is? I am waiting now to hear from my doctor tomorrow he may hospitalize me to get further testing. My doctor is confused too because he never got my report yet only a CT scan that says I have a low lying tonsil when I asked how low it is lying it didnt say. My question is have anyone else had issues due to car accident? Can anyone help me as well I would like to get some chiari bracelets to raise awareness where do I go for that? Thankyou

[selmaS]

  Hi....yes, many with Chiari and related conditions have had issues not only with vit B12 but D and minerals Magnesium and potassium as well.

U r not going crazy....otherwise we all are....many of ur symptoms are the same as the rest of us , so u r not alone.

I am not familiar when boxing day is, so not sure how long this is, but the hot cold issues could indicate a syrinx, u would need a MRI of ur complete spine...cervical m thoracic and lumbar to rule one out...plus it helps rule out disk issues as well as tethered cord.

I know it is difficult to locate Drs well informed on this and ALL the related conditions, but we do have a list for Canada -http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/list?cid=186

[chiari4234]

hi thankyou for getting back to me since last time I messaged you I had another sypmtomtic stroke did another CT scan which told them the same thing..But this time i am not recovering as fast my hands dont work right and my typing or texting I have problems with my speach is also acting up daily
my balance is getting worse I would have to say the worse of this is waiting to see a doctor...Also since boxing day i have been feeling burning pain from the base of my skull down my spine and sometimes it feels hot and sometimes it is ice cold and it is very painful...I have been asking for a mri of my spine but my family doc cant order it..Also I didnt mention when I was 9 yrs old I have surgery on my eyes to tighten the musule behind my eyes i had a lazy eye...My memory is getting worse and my cordination i cant walk some days and I keep banging into the walls I am tired of the pain....Also have you ever heard of a person like myself having iron defishincy and B12 problems? I am so tired of the pain I want it to stop I feel like I am going crazy

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

There are many Drs that have no idea what Chiari is, and that is due to when they were in Med School....it was not until the more consistent use of MRI that it was seen b4 it was only found after someone passed and they did not know it's affects on the patient and considered it a normal issue  due to gravity....that is the low lying tonsils...Chiari itself is the malformation of the skull but Drs tend to only look at the tonsil and feel it is insignificant.

A MVA can trigger a flare for those with congenital Chiari and can force tonsils to herniate without Chiari and cause low lying tonsils just by the force of the trauma....a hard cough or sneeze or fall can also do this.

Not all with a DX of Chiari require surgery....but it is important to find out  1- is it congenital, or acquired 2- do u have an obstruction to CSF flow....3-if congenital what other related conditions might u have.

If u use the search this community feature u can find older threads on where to obtain awareness items.