If you have a Chiari success story that you'd like to share, just CLICK HERE and send it in !
From Lori LeBlanc:
Three years ago, this past December(2000) I sneezed while hanging Christmas
lights. I felt this ENORMOUS pain, as if being stabbed between the shoulder
blades with an ice pick. I thought I had pinched a nerve. A year went by and I
finally got tired of hurting, I saw my doctor, he suggested chiropractic care. I
did that for a year. In that time, the care given would help, but temporarily.
Again I go to see my doctor, he suggests physical therapy. Again a temporary
fix. Finally it's September of 2000, I hurt sooo much. Symptoms have progressed
rapidly. I have no feeling on my left side from the top of my head to mid torso,
and down to my left fingers. I've gotten a lot more clumsy. Tripping of the
crack in a sidewalk, or the seam in the rug. Dropping things more and more
frequently. My fiancée tells me, "Lori, demand from your doctor to be seen
by a specialist." So off I go again. The doctor says, lets do an MRI and
we'll take it from there. My MRI...I don't recall the exact date...but I do
indeed recall the diagnosis. A syrinx in my spinal cord extending from the
levels of C2-T11. Now go see a neurosurgeon, he says. I find a neurosurgeon...he
says another MRI to look for ACM. What are the odds, I think. I'm 28. Nah. Boy
was I wrong. ACM1 and syringomyelia w/ syrinx! A second opinion? You bet.
I go into Boston, seek out a Dr. Brooke Swearingen. I hear he's good. Dr Swearingen lays it all out on the line for me. The pros, cons and everything else in between. I opt for the decompression. Scheduled for January 28, 2001. I get scared and nervous. Then I stop worrying. I don't need this, so I give my worries and concerns to God. I'm so calm and laid back about the upcoming surgery I actually frighten my mother and fiancée. The night before the surgery, I slept like a baby. No worries. The day of the surgery, I'm cracking jokes with the medical staff, and still very calm.
3 hours later decompression and cervical laminectomy of C1 I awake in the recovery room. I spend just over 24 hours in ICU, get moved to a private room, I'm only nauseous once. And I'm ready to go home on Sunday Night. 3 days after the surgery, I think maybe it's too soon...but, I'm good.
Now almost a month later...no chiari headaches, feeling in my left fingertips (YAY!) I still don't have feeling in my left arm, but I'm hopeful. The crown of my head is numb, I'm hopeful that this will dissipate with healing. All in all, I feel like a whole new person. And very grateful for this surgery!
Thank you Dr. Swearingen. Thank you God. I'm alive and doing much better.printess_richard@islecorp.com Wrote: I'm a 28 year old woman, married with two kids. I had been having headaches that would just tighten my shoulders and hurt the back of my neck. Of course I blamed it on stress from the job, the new house, and etc., until one day I couldn't feel my hands nor feet. One month later, it progressed to my whole face going numb. It looked like the nerves in my face was jumping on a trampoline (really). The next thing that went out was my bladder, felt like I had to use the restroom all the time. I thought I had a urinary tract infection. I went to my OBGYN, cause it hadn't been a year since the birth of my child I thought it was my hormones or something. He then referred me to an internal doctor who had me an MRI ordered. At this time it was confirmed that my cerebellum had fallen 2.5cm from where it was supposed to be. I didn't know what was going on. The doctor couldn't give me any other additional information, she then referred me to a Neurosurgeon. A wonderful man by the name of Dr. Erich Wolf. It was if he was inside of me, or knew me in our past lives. He was very informative about my Chiari it was like he had just printed out "Chips page" from the net. I had my surgery on October 2, 2000 and I'm doing fantastic. I no longer have headaches (although there was a chance that I'd still have them) I mean none. No more numbness in the hands and feet, I can now feel my palate all the time, and my bladder is controlled. It is as if I've started a new life. Sexual relations is much more enjoyable (not that you needed to know this). My family loves the new me I've literally gained my life back. I was afraid because I live in a small town. Everyone said to go to Texas, get a second opinion, but it wasn't in Dr. Wolf's hands totally. It was God. I've learned that live is simple, we make it difficult. If anyone would like to e-mail me my address is printess_richard@islecorp.com. I will be glad to talk with you.
Mark Reagan
I first went to my family Doctor in December of 1997 complaining of chronic
discomfort on the right side of my neck, tightness in the joints of both my
hands and loss of co-ordination of my little finger and ring finger of my left
hand.
My family doctor referred me to an internal specialist who I saw on July 22, 1998. After examining me he diagnosed me with having syringomyelia. Wow, I was shocked and relieved at the same time. He gave me some literature on syringomyelia and scheduled me to meet with the neurologist again and have an MRI. I left his office feeling very positive about this disease. I had about a 2 week wait for my MRI and in the meantime I read all about syringomyelia on the internet. I couldn't find anything positive and I got very scared and depressed. After about a week I went back on the internet and found Chips homepage. Here I found positive things and started to feel much better. I still hadn't had an MRI and didn't know the extent of the syringomyelia or the cause.
On August 11, 1998 I had an MRI, as well as a cat scan.
I was found to have a large syrinx extending down from C4 to L2. As well I was
found to have a type 1 chiari formation.
August 12, 1998 - I met my neurosurgeon. Doctor David Fairholm, who went
over everything with me. Everything was explained clearly and I elected to have
surgery.
August 21, 1998 - 07:45 - I underwent a sub-occipital craniectomy and a
laminectomy of C1 and C2. As well I was given a dural patch graft using membrane
from my right thigh. Five days later I was out of the hospital and on my way to
recovery. The most pain after the surgery was in my leg from the graft but I
soon got over that.
My recovery didn't progress as fast as was hoped and a follow up MRI in August of 1999 showed that there was still a substantial syrinx left. I opted to have a shunt put in and on February 07, 2000 I had a shunt placed in the T3 region. A follow up MRI showed the shunt was located nicely in the middle of my spinal cord and there was only a shadow left where the syrinx had been. Since then I have not looked back. I have lots of energy and I am feeling really good and leading a perfectly normal and active life.
If you have a Chiari success story (or you ARE a Chiari Success story), please CLICK HERE and send it in.
Success Stories, Page 11
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