Recently diagnosed Chiari 2 malformation and syringomyelia

Hi, for the past nine months I have been experiencing pain in the right side of my body. It gets worse on exertion, particularly when running, jumping, exercising etc.  I also get tingling, numbness and pins and needles down my right arm, although it is occasionally in my left arm as well.  My symptoms started one morning when i had a cough and experienced severe chest pain and arm numbness to the point i thought I was having a heart attack.  I still get chest pain when i cough or sneeze. I was admitted to hospital earlier this year with my symptoms, had various scans and blood tests done which all came back normal and the Drs thought I was having muscular pain.  Fortunately a few weeks later I had a follow up with my consultant who examined me and suggested i have an MRI scan of my spine, as he pressed along my spine and certain parts felt quite tender.  The MRI scan shows I have syringomyelia.  I then had to have an MRI scan of my brain and another full spinal MRI with contrast, the brain MRI shows I have Chiari 2 malformation.  I am due to see a neurosurgeon next week.  Obviously this has all come as a big shock, I am a young woman who is due to get married next year and I am worried that this is going to affect my wedding.  What other kind of symptoms do people experience? I have suffered with headaches for a long time and just put it down to maybe not drinking enough fluids, and I have always experienced discomfort in my neck when sleeping on two pillows so I only sleep on one, I never thought anything of it until now.

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