Abnormal EKG

[rmlyonsfamily]

My husband has be in and out of the hospital since July after he started getting massive headaches with dizziness, tingling in his hands/feet, off balance, and more.  He had brain surgery 8/1/2012 so when this all started in July again, we naturally went to neuro, but they can't figure it out.  This week, he was in the hospital after some "seizure like" spells and passing out in the last 3 months.  He had one "event" of losing consciousness, but the EEGs were all ok and no signs of epilepsy which is good.  They don't really know what is causing these spells.  

His EKG upon admission was abnormal - indicates left axis deviation, incomplete right branch bundle block, abnormal t waves, and low voltage qrs.  The neuro team feels it's not related, but I work in healthcare and know that those things are all electrical and could possibly be the culprit of all that's been going on, and it's not the brain at all.  He had a stress test done about 6 weeks ago that was fairly normal stating only  grade 1/4 left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, consistent with low to normal left ventricular filling pressure and Left ventricular end systolic volume decreased with stress.

We asked for a cardiology consult (he came home yesterday) and I'm hoping to get that setup this week.

Just wondered what your thoughts were on it all or if we're wasting our time with cardiology?

[achillea]

If I understand correctly, your husband had surgery for a Chiari Malformation somewhere in the cerebellum in August, 2012.  In July of 2013, he began having troubles with dizziness, balance, and some tingling in his hands and feet.  In the last three months, he has had seizure-like events and loss of consciousness.

There are many causes of tingling of the hands and sometimes the feet, but with your husband's history, it is worth noting that this can be caused by abnormal fluid buildup inside the spinal cord, putting pressure on the spinal nerves there, as happens with syringomyelia due to a Chiari Malformation.

If you look at the anatomy and function of parts of the brain, balance and dizziness issues are intimately and very specifically related to problems of the cerebellum.  Another structure below and very near to the cerebellum, the medulla oblongata, contains areas devoted to control of blood pressure via constriction or relaxation of blood vessels.  Stimulation of the centers responsible for relaxation of the blood vessels could cause either a gradual or a sudden fall in blood pressure that, if severe, would cause unconsciousness.  Sometimes, people do show seizure-like activity when this happens.

These facts indicate pretty strongly that something related to your husband's Chiari Malformation is contributing to what is going on now, because what you have described fits with a problem of increasing pressure on important brain structures.  Even though your husband did have an abnormal EKG, his symptoms just point ever so much more toward brain/nervous system difficulties than to heart troubles.

Syringomyelia can recur, and patients who have had Chiari surgery feel that the malformation can continue to cause problems, too, even quite a while after successful surgery.  To check on this, an MRI is usually called for.

There is a *Chiari Malformation Community* here at medhelp.  You might find it helpful to take a look at the conversations of the members there.  They can provide answers and advice.

I do hope you and your husband get a good diagnosis and some relief soon.

[rmlyonsfamily]

He had a decopression, craniotomy, and decompression and they removed the posterior arc of his C1 due to a significant herniation of the cerebellum into the spinal column (Chiari Malformation).  He also had a large syrinx that was drained (spinal fluid filled cyst in the spinal column).  It was the cerebellum that was operated on.

[achillea]

It could be most relevant to know the reason for his brain surgery and what part of the brain was operated on.