Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.
I have to warn u, there may not be a "normal" to go BACK to...u may have a NEW "normal" to get use to tho....too many think surgery is a cure, rush into it bcuz of how tired they are and end up worse off then b4....please, take ur time research Drs and get a true chiari specialist....
Get all the testing for the related conditions b4 u have surgery as it can affect how u feel and heal post op.
Know that recovery from this can take quite some time.....and until u have the surgery u have no idea how ur body will respond.
Know how ur chiari is affecting ur overall health and if surgery is needed and if the benefits out weight the risks.......
We all know how u feel...and we all want to know what "normal" feels like....but even at almost 3 yrs post op...mine changes.....
I am at the same point right now. At this point I WANT surgery! I have been in so much pain lately... the migraines have become unbearable. I am tired ALL the time, and I have 2 children to think about!
I have my appt with the neuro-surgeon on the 14th of May at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. So I am hoping & praying that they just say surgery is in my future. So that I can get my "normal" life back & be able to live day to day for my kids!
Hello! The only treatment for Chiari is surgery. I have read on another post that Dr Bolognese told someone that if they didnt have the surgery there was a 0% chance of getting better, 65% chance of staying the same and 35% chance of getting worse. The surgery is optional but I think the decision is based alot on the symptoms and how badly they are affecting someone's life. In my case really bad... so I am having the surgery as soon as possible. If there is severe crowding and CSF blockage with brain stem compression there maybe more urging that it is necessary. I hope this helps.
Pam
I feel like I want to die sometimes because me pain is so unbearable, and I take percocet, it only takes the edge off. It impacts my life tremendously, and at this point I feel like each day is getting worse. 6 months ago, I was fine save the fatigue, but I am not fine now and its getting worse, Im just afraid he is going to tell me surgery is not an option and I dont know what I will do at that point....
I am approaching my 30's and am worried that I will eventually have to undergo decompression surgery for CM since I have noticed that a lot of people who had surgery were in their 30's when researching information.
I read that some do not even have surgery, so it is not a given that everybody will have any for it. I get some neck aches more or less every day and it is something that I have not told the doctor or even my parents. I feel it is manageable.
Not sure where to get that info...it is diff to find drs that treat it surgically.....but, there r enuff of us out there that have had the surgery already.
With each case what I said in the above reply must be considered....and the medical profession moves slowly...so, it can take some time b4 we r scheduled for surgery once we r dx'd.
Sorry, but I have no idea where to get the info u want.
"selma"
Thank you for your response, but I'm not asking if its right for me or not, just wondering how common the surgery is preformed.
Hi, this is a major surgery and has it's risks like ne major surgery....u could develop more issues than u had b4....so most drs will want to be sure the benefits out weight the risks.
Most look at if u have a CSF obstruction and over crowding.....and then look at symptoms to see how they affect ur life and ur over all health.
U need a true chiari dr too, there r too many drs willing to do surgery to get the paycheck that r not experienced enuff with the surgery or complications they may incounter.
"selma"