Most of my sypmtoms are considered ClassicChiari type but I have other co-existing conditions that have symptoms that are similar to Chiari. Chiari can be asymptomatic or you can have a wide variety of sypmtoms that progressively get worse over time.
My symptoms were barely noticeable for many years and I had no idea they were an indication of a serious birth defect/medical condition. When I look back I can remember that even as a little girl I was having symptoms. I used to think that I was seeing atoms. I remember telling my father once and he laughed because he knew that was impossible. I also had joint pain so severe that my father would give me his medication to help me sleep.
The joint pain, the atoms and the head splitting feeling when I would bend down at the waist were really the only symptoms I remember having at an early age.
The first time I really knew that something was not right was when there was a quick progeression in my symptoms. I was the assistant manager in a local convenience store which is very physcially and mentally demanding job. I had started having severe stomach pains, severe headaches, chronic coughs, ashtma type symptoms, IBS sypmtoms, constant heartburn,my hair was falling out, as well as other things. I went to my primary care doctor,they ran some tests and blood work and came back with no answers at all. The doctor thought it was just a case of stress and that was it.
I had no idea what it could be so I just learned to live with it. If something bothered my stomach I just stopped eating or drinking it. I was under huge amounts of stress from various things at the time so it made sense to me that the stress was just making me sick. I dealt with it for a long time and then things seemed to be better. I took a different job and that was when I noticed a huge progression. I went to work for the City as a custodian and that was the most physically demanding job I had done. I took a very hard fall the day before I started and had messed up my knee. I could barely walk but I couldnt miss my first day. It was around that time in January of 2000 that it really got bad. There is no way to be sure but it seemed as if a series of falls were what triggered the rapid progression of my
symptoms.
The building I worked in was closed and had no windows that could be opened. I thought at first that maybe it was just to stuffy or I was allergic to something in the building. I started to notice that no matter how much water I drank I was still thristy. I could not eat anything sweet, it caused headaches and my muscles and knees were really hurting. I went home from work several times because I was just to weak and dizzy to feel like i could safely do my job. I went back to the doctor and had more tests and once again she found nothing. I was beginning to think I was just plain going nuts.
To see a full list of my symptoms click this link.
My Symptoms List Page