Acquried chiari /passing on chiari to children

[wonderchiari]

hi chiarians wish to ask two questions

first if working in an highly stressful environment be a reason for chiari to be ACQUIRED..

1.I have had this doubt for long as to if working for long hours., and doing work bending for long hours.,lifting some weights during work., travelling for long time through train/ bus etc., and working in a stressful environment since early morning to dusk .,for Example working in a Bank .....software profession  etc., certain surgeries like throat tonsils., wisdom tooth removal ..etc.,..be a reason for Chiari to be ACQUIRED ..

If that is so.. then how come most  dont get chiari becoz of that ..

also wish to ask reg chiari getting passed on..

2.I had a pricking like sensation and crawling sensation at the back of the head for or or two  times or so once... while standing in floursecent lamp during early months of pregnancy(when I was unaware of my pregnancy)..could this sensations  affected the then unborn son in fetus  ..

during pregnancy not symptomatic .not much problems  . chose to take supportive progesterone injections every week  ....though the dr said it was optional ..had ceasarian with general anesthesia  ..since there was no labour pain after due date ...

DS's blood group is his fathers.he has his fathers characteristics ....  But he does  facially and few  features wise resemble me ..

Based on this I am scared if my DS would have inherited chiari .and the guilt  if I had passed on to him...

.I am worried about this passing on aspect all the time... so much so that... I keep asking him occasionally reg if he has chiari symptoms.....  which confuses him a lot ...

he is 17 years running ....Till now he does not have any symptoms ....

.But even if he says an HA or some pain  in the leg / body once in a while ( after coming home from playing field or

out door) if he says that he is tired etc  .... I am too scared if it could be chiari ..


..I dont know how I myself got chiari becoz  None of my family members or any relative even distant ones are known to have this ..  I wonder at times if I ACQUIRED it some how ..though i have had some symptoms since childhood ..

anyways How do I over come this constant mental turmoil that ..

if I would have passed it on to my DS and that he might show chiari signs anytime in future and if he would suffer his life time becoz of that ?I have this guilt that I might have spoilt his life though unknowingly..

thanx in advance ..

[selmaS]

  I am glad it helped put ur mind at ease...just hope it made sense,...lol...

[wonderchiari]

Dear selma Thank u so much for ur reply..I feel mentally free reading it ..

[selmaS]

  Hi...no...u can not acquire Chiari from all u mentioned in 1...u can trigger Chiari symptoms from all in 1 but the only way u can acquire chiari is from blunt force trauma to the head and neck...such as a fall or MVA, even then if u had Chiari underlying already all that will do is trigger it....

The problem is u r looking at the herniation as Chiari, it is not it is the result of Chiari...which is the malformation of the skull...the area that holds the cerebral tonsils is too small and it forces them out and onto the brain stem and spinal cord....

Ur Dr should be able to tell u if ur Chiari is acquired or congenital, if congenital then yes, u may pass it on to ur children, if acquired, no u can not.

U R NOT responsible if ur child would have chiari, u did not choose to pass it on, it is not from not taking care during pregnancy...and u may have family members that had it, but were never DX'd....so many of us forget that MRI;'s are the only way to know if u or neone in the family has this...well they did not have MRI's when my grandfather was alive....so really how do u know...some can have Chiari and it not be symptomatic....by that I mean they can manage with what they always have and do not know to report it.
Those with low lying tonsils are sometimes told u have Chiari bcuz the tonsils r this long...but it does not obstruct CSF or cause symptoms....there is plenty of room in the skull...so technically this is not Chiari, but if the tonsils restrict flow it can cause Chiari like symptoms and would be treated the same.....

I hope I am making sense and not rambling....