chiari malformation and head rushes arteries

[tugboatya]

    does any one get awful head rushes with chiari     sometimes i stand up and i get a bunch of pressure on my throught  and head   feels like i am going to pass out it lasts for a few seconds     also i read some where that some one had their cerebrall tonsils putting pressure on some key arteries and cutting off blood flow      you hear allot about csf restriction but not about blood restriction  i was wondering if any one knew more about that   i thought that could possibly be causing the head rushes and some of my dizines and the pressure on the my throught from all the backed up pressure     thanks

[jorlex137]

Ditto, I get big head rushes!  My doctor just tells me to learn to get up slow, start out slow, but that doesn't always work!

[ploink]

I think that makes sense, Stephiec. I do not have a hot tub, but with hot weather my symptoms are worse and better when it is cold. When the body heats up, it dilates blood vessels in the skin to cool down. I think that when there is more blood going to the skin, there is less to go to the brain.

A warm environment is listed as a trigger for Orthostatic intolerance on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthostatic_intolerance

I have done an experiment using Fludrocortisone (Florinef) to raise blood pressure by increasing total blood volume. There would be more blood forced to the brain then. It seemed to help, but I used it only for two weeks, to short to know for sure. Perhaps I'll ask my doctor for more... yes I think i'll make another appointment, thanks for reminding me :)

[Stephiec79]

My husband has learned to watch me carefully over the past several years. Jennyfoo, I know that dance all too well, also! Does anyone find that it is worse when getting out of a tub? I'm not allowed to take a tub if I"m alone in my house (and I have an awesome jacuzzi tub). I have actually passed out from getting up out of the tub. I have also passed out from sitting on a toilet to standing when it has been extremely hot. Both occasions landed me in the emergency department, where the doctors just dismissed it as a vaso-vasal episode.

[ploink]

I am pretty sure I have a restricted blood flow.  When I stand up I usually walk for a while with my head bent down to keep me from blacking out. I cannot do any work where I need to move my head up and down.
Basically there is not enough blood in my head ever. Those head movements make it worse. Talking a lot makes it worse, because of mild hyperventilation that contracts blood vessels a little. I am eating all day to feel less week. Caffeine improves it a little because it dilates blood vessels. A self medication called 'Picamilon', known to effectively dilate blood vessels in the brain, helped me for a while until it got so bad as it is now.

I have reviewed my ct scans and I noticed the Basilar artery, that supplies a large part of the brain with blood, is significantly smaller in diameter than normal.
My theory is that the foramen magnum blockage increases the ICP. This alters the balance between blood pressure and ICP and makes blood vessels contract.

[Jennyfoo]

Count me in on this symptom too. My hubby jokingly says I do the "get up dance" I am so dizzy and lightheaded when I stand up, I nearly fall, most of the time. I throw my weight to correct the possible fall, usually overcorrect, so then have to do a little "dance" to keep from falling down.

[jessbee82]

i have the exact same thing.  whenever i stand up from tieing shoes, get up from sitting down, bend down to pick something up i get this pressure in my head that is so overwhelming that i feel like i am going to pass out.  i turn completely red and i feel very nauseous - i have chiari type 1

[ChiariWolf]

Well I"ve not asked about this as a Chiari thing. I've had these symptoms since early childhood. As a teen they put me on salt and said it was syncope {sp?} again as a young adult they dx the same thing but told me gatorade in the heat would take care of it. When my son was in 1st grade they dx him with the same thing and said it is a genetic condition that causes the heart to stop rather than speed up when someone stands. Again called is syncope with him as well.... so I just kind of accepted the 'deal with it'.

This is interesting though as it would seem reasonable to me that it could be related somehow.

[Brooklynn07]

This is the first time I have heard anyone else describe the headaches as head rushes besides me!!! I have had them since childhood, but they have been getting worse lately, lasting longer. The doctors I have seen have all said that is a typical CM headache!

[selmaS]

Hi...I believe what u r describing is a typical symptoms of chiari...and that it is a CSF flow issue as well.....

I was wondering if u got a chiari dr....and what he/she may have said about this....so many times u will see diff info as the diff drs all have diff opinions.

Keep us posted on how u r doing

"selma"

[UprightMri]

There is new research being published on cereb tonsillar ectopia and a correlation with ms and park b/c of restricted blood flow.
Find dr Scott Rosa in new York