1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Chiari Malformation

Does this look like Chiari Malformation?

Posted , 4 users are following.

DianaE
DianaE

Hi all,

I've never posted in one of these before. I realize none of you are medical professionals, I just wanted to know if I am completely off base.

I have pretty severe pain on the back of my head when I laugh, and I'm super dizzy everyday. I can't always drive because I'm so dizzy, and have so much pressure in my head it feels like it could explode sometimes. I have stopped working for almost 2 years now because of all this and my doctors have no answers. They keep saying it's anxiety, but I am in pain and dizzy beyond belief. Would anyone mind looking at my MRI stills and just commenting if I am way off base, or if I might be on the right track? I am already planning for an appointment with a new Neurologist. I just want to hear from others if this is something they've gone through, or if this looks like there is any issue with how low my cerebellum is.

Thank you.imageimage

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • stevie23278
    stevie23278 DianaE

    Posted

    your pics are a little fuzzy when i zoom in but they seem to look different than mine it doesnt look like much if any herniation and i dont know about just cerebellum crowding

    those are chiari symptoms but could be symptoms of many things and that probably isnt anything you want to hear id definitely try another doctor soon

  • loren1988
    loren1988 DianaE

    Posted

    HEY! Im so sorry you've had to deal with such pain.....but bright side is 100% YES you do have Chiari Type 1! I self diagnosed after a year of extreme pain and about 9 doctors and 5 radiologist! Your cerebral tonsils is definitely sagging. What i did was pull up a CHIARI MRI and my MRI side by side to show my doctor (which he knew little about and had to look it up) but i was then given another MRI to compare and was then finally diagnosed. Hope this helps you,

    Loren

  • DianaE
    DianaE

    Posted

    Thank you guys for replying!

    I'm sending my MRI disk to a new neurologist this week. I sent the photos I posted here to him and he agreed that it looks crowded, but that he needs to measure and look through more.

    Loren- its great to hear your story of self diagnosis leading to actual diagnosis....I feel like I see some herniation on my scans but I'm just surprised by how severe my symptoms are for hardly any herniation (if any). I guess the pain/symptoms are not relative to the length of herniation right? -Also, that scan was done in January 2017 but I seem to have new symptoms now. Can it worsen in such a short time and maybe I need another MRI?

    Thanks again to everyone helping with input.

  • loren1988
    loren1988 DianaE

    Posted

    yes it doesnt matter how much herniation you have to have symptoms. your doctor should request another MRI to compare and insure it hasnt gotten worse. if he doesnt i would ask for one. i really hope you get the answers because it can be very painful! wish you the best!

  • Nissa325
    Nissa325 DianaE

    Posted

    Your symptoms sounds like Chiari Malformation to me, and sounds like most ppl who have chiari ... personally I cant tell by looking at your MRI however only bc I'm not an expert at looking at MRI and really cant see herniations thats great. Best of luck to you!!

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.