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Dizziness after Chiari surgery .....anyone else ?

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steph_96980
steph_96980

My son had decompression surgery on May 8 at 15 years old.  His symptoms started quickly in November of 2017 with headache, dizzy , neck pain , clicking in neck , awful snoring...had to go on homebound from high school last eight weeks and so sad as he is so smart !!  Since surgery headaches better still some from surgery , snoring better and numbness but he is still dizzy ....anyone else dizzy post op and is there hope it will ever go away or is this gonna be his life ?? Dr says need to wait eight weeks to see but I am worried to death about it ....

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • helen11122
    helen11122 steph_96980

    Posted

    Hi ,it is early days gor him, and recovery was really slow for me , I had to be helped a lot because of the dizzyness . It took me a while but each month I could look back and see how much progress I made . I am 3yrs past my operation and take medication for the dizzyness but I'm working part time and I'm 63yrs old . Hopefully because your son had his surgery young he will recover much quicker . But everyone is different that has this condition. The consultant told me I was unfortunately suffering from most side effects of decompression , sickness, dizzyness , numbness ect... Life has not been the same , so I had to adjust and do what was was best to live with this condition . I hope your son has a good recovery but it takes time and plenty rest is needed.x

  • tahneeee
    tahneeee steph_96980

    Posted

    Hi there,

    I had surgery November 2017 also and still suffer dizziness. My surgeon said it’s 2 years before they would deem the surgery a success or not (I also had the presence of an extensive syrinx, which takes time to improve). Plenty of rest, patience & always ask you specialist for further information if you’re not clear or don’t fully understand why they’re telling you something. These online forums are usually where people who’ve had bad experiences come and vent which can confuse & scare even further, opposed to people who’ve had great success are out loving their life and not in the online forum. (That was the beat thing that I was ever told because it’s so true) 

    I hope your sons recovery is going well. 

    • steph_96980
      steph_96980 tahneeee

      Posted

      Hey ...thank you for your reply ..he was snoring awful with some sleep apnea before surgery and that has greatly improved already and leg numbness is gone too ..so that is good ! Do u mine telling me if you were dizzy before Surgery and are you able to get out and live life now even with the continued dizziness ? It is the dizziness that has robbed him of his freshman year of high school ..and I am not sure if not better he will be able to go back to school in August or may have to be home schooled which is causing him to worry a lot ...he is a smart kid and just wants to go to school with his friends ...I do totally see your point about the forums and good to keep that in mind smile do u take meds for dizziness now ? We have not found anything to ever help before surgery    Thank you for your time !
    • tahneeee
      tahneeee steph_96980

      Posted

      Hello. Yes I love a totally normal life and don’t take any meds for the dizziness. It’s not very often just a day here and there and usually goes away within a few hours. I’m glad to hear some of your sons symptoms have resolved!  I was the same with my breathing, struggling to breathe in my sleep. 
  • cakal76334
    cakal76334 steph_96980

    Posted

    Hello steph,

    I have been operated on 7 march. I too have/had some trouble with dizzyness..i had not this before operation..it started like 3/4 weeks after the operation..

    So i am wondering if it is from the operation or something else..anyway it gets better last couple weeks..

    I usually had it most when i lay on the couch or in my bed and make a turn with my head..look up stairs..a quick turn..

    Did your son had this before op? When does he get dizzy the most ?

    • steph_96980
      steph_96980 cakal76334

      Posted

      Hey ...yes this was main symptom before surgery and what kept him from going to school ..he is very discouraged at this point ..he thinks his dizziness is about the same as before surgery and his is constant  but seems to be worse when standing up . Dr said we won’t know for sure till about 6-8 weeks if it will go away.  He is miserable and makes me sad 😢 

  • yvette13468
    yvette13468 steph_96980

    Posted

    I'm 10 weeks post op and yes, I still get dizzy. I'm also having daily headaches. Sometimes they are mild and sometimes they are frustrating, but not as intense before surgery. my neck and upper back still hurts some days. I have tingling in my calves, toes, and feet. Not sure if all these symptoms are normal after surgery. i also have ringing in my ears. I see me NS on June 15th. i hope to get some answers.

     

    • baran40397
      baran40397 yvette13468

      Posted

      Hello Yvette did you had this dizziness after op or before? Do you have balance problems..this ringing in your ears is it loud?
    • yvette13468
      yvette13468 baran40397

      Posted

      Yes, I had dizziness before surgery and after. It's getting better as time goes by. The ringing in my ears is not very loud. I only hear it when it's quiet. I've the ringing in my ears even before I was diagnosed with Chiari back in January. 

    • steph_96980
      steph_96980 yvette13468

      Posted

      Hey ....was wondering how your appointment went on June 15 and are u still having dizziness ?? My son also had awful snoring before surgery , it was disturbing , and it went away for several weeks and at 7 weeks post op it is back rolleyes dr said we would need a sleep study 

      Thanks for taking time to answer ....

  • blackhawks3310
    blackhawks3310 steph_96980

    Posted

    What kind of decompression surgery did he have, there are a few different techniques doctors can choose from? Did the surgeon open the dura?
    • steph_96980
      steph_96980 blackhawks3310

      Posted

      He has the surgery that did open the dura and she said his C1 was flat instead of round and he was oozing spinal fluid ...
  • danieal18636
    danieal18636 steph_96980

    Posted

    Hi I had surgery 2016 I’ve had dizziness a lot now worse especially when I turn to a certain side, I have had testing and they found my veins being abnormal and stopping circulation causing dizziness the mri did not diagnose this I had further testing done with ct scans I will see a specialist and my neurologist this Friday 
    • steph_96980
      steph_96980 danieal18636

      Posted

      Hey.....thanks for answering ...can u give me a little info about the condition ...does it have a name ?  We are now  8 weeks post op and he has the same base line dizziness he had before surgery ..he is very frustrated and we are worried he won’t be able to start school in time in August .  He is worrying about it constantly and has developed anxiety over it .  His surgery did open the dura and we have not had an mri since surgery.  I would like to have one ...thank u for taking time to answer !!smile
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