Will Brain MRi show chiari?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi ppl!!
Im currently under investigation for chiari malformation. met with a neurologist today... which claimed that chiari can't cause the symptoms im experiencing. He said it was ANXIETY, fatigue and depression or ALL IN MY HEAD! He did a bunch of tests,(reflexes&stuff like that, which seemed to be the only thing he cared about) and said that he couldnt
find anything suspicious. DESPITE my pupils being a different size, and my arm reflexes barely working and me telling him I got no gag reflex!!! (which I dont anymore) So I just asked him if I could get an MRI done and he said yes, but only of my brain. So my question to you guys is if Brain MRI will show chiari? I asked him to get of my back aswell but he saw no reason for it!! I've already done a CT scan of my brain which apparently showed nothing out of the ordinary. He showed me the pics and I swear that something looked off!!
0 likes, 8 replies
alma68382
Posted
b2wc97455 alma68382
Posted
Dear Alma,
I feel of how you are feeling now - you must be frustrated not only about the condition and the symptoms you must have but the lack of knowledge of the health care professional, I can only advise you to get as much as information as you could from this website as these website have so many patients expressing who are/were unhappy or unsuccessful of the treatment they are/were getting from their health care professionals - so you can printing it out show it to them - mind you I asked my primary health care professionals to have a look at this website and they found it is very useful....so be assertive get second opinion- get CINE/MRI - but normally when they have head MRI - they should be able to show the herniation of the brain ..please listen to your body - if need be ''GO TO A&E'' explain it how do you feel - I promise YOU>>!! this chiari is debilitated me - its stopped my Quality Of Life '' I felt like VEGETABLE...its only going to be worse - and of course each individual different however ---- majority of them feel at least less pressure - All my health care professionals were fantastic..!!! perhaps because I get involved - learned about my condition = giving information to them ..AS ITS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE....I gave the print out to them and they found it useful..therefore each time I visited them or calling them ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT AND MY SYMPTOM they called me back or made appointment..if Health care professional seems shown no interest there are reasons for it : 1. They have no idea 2. They do not know how to treat you 3. They are too busy with other patients that they experienced 4. You seems ''Yes/..Sir..Yes..Sir ..three bag full... YOU HAVE TO BE FIRM BUT POLITE AND TAKE INCHARGE ON YOUR OWN HEALTH...
Please go back to her/him - if still no happy - get 2nd opinion - They have A DUTY OF CARE to look after and treating their patients.
Good Luck and let us know how you are getting on.
alma68382 b2wc97455
Posted
When he started mentioning anxiety,depression and stuff like that I lost all hope of getting a diagnosis...yet he agreed to do brain MRI which gave me a follow up at the very least. After that im done with doctors. I just want decompression done so I can get my life back!! Funny thing is a few weeks ago I got so much facial pain in sinus/jaw area, did a ct scan and it showed NOTHING. I wonder where that pain is coming from....
Atleast I have you guys at the forums to help me, much love <3 I'll keep you updated
b2wc97455 alma68382
Posted
Dear Alma,
You can't lose hope ..this is your life..be assertive - write a letter to them, express it how do you feel just say that you can't live like this - you have no quality of life - so ensure you pursue this Alma ..honestly after decompression you will feel a bit or much or completely better..GO ON>>>>DONT GIVE UP
Stable2309 alma68382
Posted
Hi alma68382
Not sure what I can add that b2wc97455 hasn't already outlined very well.
It took me some time to understand very few people have exactly same symptoms, even if many are overlapping giving some common ground. And unfortunately there are a lot of them that impact your quality of life, and what people may think defines them.
I believe the MRI is absolutely required to confirm Chiari. I was lucky my GP in England had a suspicion that my symptoms suggested a non standard cause. I was then sent to a well recommended neurologist who looked me in the eye and said with absolute certainty that the fatigue, occipital headaches, cognitive problems (first diagnosis was anxiety) were not Chiari, and it was something else. So my main guidance is don't schedule any meetings with people who aren't specialist in Chiari already. Lots of professionals just have no idea about this condition, so look up a good website and find people who have experience in this field. I wish I had. I'm not bitter, but it was time wasted. They try to help, but generally they are being paid for good will. If you had a rare classic that had a rare problem, you probably wouldn't take it to modern main dealer. They would know what the parts are, but have no background in fixing them.
Listen to your body. Easy to say, but I didn't understand what this meant until I felt really crap, and could work out what might make bring it on, or extend the bad times. So give yourself a break. For me, that meant giving myself more sleep, drink more water, eat better, and avoid movement's that could bring on a pressure headache (especially post decompression surgery).
Good luck in the next step. Get educated and get informed. Print out / store the pages that make sense. Record how you feel. My memory is rubbish now, so writing stuff down is good for me and for medical people who ask, and I can't forget important stuff.
All the best
b2wc97455 Stable2309
Posted
How are you doing now..are you still working? do you still have a few symptom? yes you are truly correct drinking minimum of 2 liters of liquid seems help me reducing the symptom - I just seen my neurologist last week - he also advised me that hydrotherapy should be good as well as walking in a flat surface should be a choice when trying to be mobile as walking up to the hill would increase the stress in your back (spine) which ultimately will cause back pain-head and neck pain..did you know that?? He also refer me now to have hydrotherapy to keep me having a better Quality Of Life...I keep in touch with my health care professionals..like you said they have no clue..so giving them the information seems helping them in their duty to understand our condition - I still maintaining slow movement - no more tennis..no more ..hoovering or gardening (LOL)..its not an excuse its will trigger my back pain...so again LISTEN to your body...
alma68382 Stable2309
Posted
yeah I thought I was gonna meet a neurologist that actually knew one or two things about chiari, but I was wrong. He was just like the rest, claiming its all in my head yadayada.Im still happy I managed to get an MRI, even though he said chiari couldn't cause my symptoms. Next time i'll look up a specialist that's actually familiar with the condition.
In the meantime while waiting for mri, Eating vegan food makes me feel alot better, I definitely recommend to try it out!! Drinking alot of water helps a bit with the pain. but Sleeping.... is a real problem for me, as I toss and turn around in bed all night and always wake up early in the morning
I usually fall asleep during the day, but weirdly that seems to make the pain worse.
Thanks for the help, I will keep all of your tips in mind, much love <3
Ttraye alma68382
Posted
My brain mri showed my empty sella syndrome and a 4-5 mm herniation. I truly didn’t believe it due to my previous history and test I have had done. I’m 52, have had over 50 CT’s, MRIs and X-rays in the past 13 yrs. I fought the diagnosis, well everyday I am worse. I have had 2 MRIs read by separate neurologist both refering to chiari and then my pain dr showed it to me and then my neurosurgeon said I had it as well. I said well where was it the last 12 yrs. he’s saying I don’t have enough of a herniation to be having any need to have a surgery. Well what sent me to the neurologist was bad migraines, blurry vision and dizzy constantly. I was told they need to be looking for it, well I don’t believe the neurologist on my brain mri was looking for it, but he saw it ?????? This is the most confusing diagnosis🤪, I am so confused it’s not even funny, everyone has their own opinion and it can be opposite to the one you heard 2 minutes ago. Best wishes, it’s a very overwhelming diagnosis in my opinion. Not a lot of standard rules, seems like a lot of chiefs, not too many Indians.... best wishes to you!!!