Symptoms List
- Extreme Pressure in my head usually at the base of the skull or behind the eyes
- Fatigue/lethargic even after 8 hours sleep
- Joint pain/feeling like my legs will collapse
- Muscle Pain/burning pain/stiffness/body feels to heavy to hold up
- Floaters and bright specks in my vision
- Vertigo-diziness
- Stomach problems(stabbing pain,gas..etc)
- Chest Pain
- Sinus Problems
- Lump in throat/trouble swallowing
- Gagging in sleep
- Ringing in ears,whooshing,roaring sounds
- Dulled hearing and hypersensive hearing
- Short term memory problems
- Comprehension problems
- Restless Leg Syndrome
- Occasional probelms with word finding
- Feeling like bugs are crawling on my skin or scalp
- Problems with balance-swaying when still
- Numbness/tingling in arms,legs,toes,face
- Horse throat/loss of voice
- Low blood pressure
All of my sypmtoms are intermittent, meaning they come and go. There is no real consistency to them. They seem to get worse with stress, physical exertion or baramotric pressure changes. I have had several different sets of tests done and 3 complete blood counts. The CBC's all came back with mixed results. My blood results came back flagged positive for RNA titer which can mean that I have another chronic condition like Lupos, MS or Rheumatoid Arthiritis or Gout. Ive had tests for RA,MS and Gout and all of those came back negative. Ive also been tested for Lyme disease and HIV all were negative. I have had a full spinal MRI that came back showing my Chiari with an 11.5 mm herniation, cervical and foraminal stenosis,two small hemangiomas on my spine and Retrofluxed Odontoid process with a small posterior fossa. All of those conditions are found frequently with Chiari. My symptoms are consistent with Chiari and with Stenosis so its hard for anyone but an expert to sort it all out. I will need to have more blood work done and further tests to rule out or rule in Lupus or EDS a connective tissue disorder. Chiari is different for eveyrone who has it and every Neurologist/neurosurgeon is not capable of either diagnosing it or treating it. Chiari can not be cured but it can be managed and if needed surgery can be done to alleviate many and sometimes all of the sypmtoms. Its different for every person so if youve been diagnosed be sure that you are dealing with a specialist who knows about Chiari. If he or she tells you its all in your head and your symptoms could not possibly be caused by Chiari run dont walk right out of that office.
|