He asked me a few questions, had me stand up, and knew immediately that, if anything, he could reduce my back and neck pain/tension. He is "cautiously" optimistic about reducing the herniation in my brain (Chiari) and also feels like the treatments will help with RSD/CRPS in my left leg and possibly lessen the severity of Neurocardiogenic Syncope. He did, however, say that my situation is bad and that it will take awhile. I was told that it is possible I would feel slightly worse after the treatment, although slightly doesn't quite match the severity of my headaches. They are horrible. I also shouldn't expect the full affects of the treatment for 8 weeks. So this will be a very long and extensive process. I am scheduled to have my 2nd treatment in 4 weeks.
He believes the reason I have Chiari is because I have a (functional) tethered cord. This means that the spinal cord, which usually hangs loose in the canal, is pulled too tightly. As you can imagine, this greatly affects my back and neck as well. My spinal cord is also way too thick in my neck and could be contributing to the intensity of the Chiari headaches. He noticed that I was lacking the correct curvature in my lumbar/sacral spine and suggested that in the future I get an MRI of my lumbar spine to check for any issues. This is not urgent or useful while trying to treat Chiari. If I still present with back pain in the lower region, a scan may be helpful.
Tethered cord is linked to Chiari Malformation in other cases.
For more information on Tethered Cord--click here. <-- easy to understand information with video
He also noted that my pubic bones were touching (they are not supposed to touch) and my pelvis was locked. Basically my entire body is out of whack because of my spinal cord.
The appointment was encouraging....at least in the long run--which is obviously the goal (long term pain relief). I really liked the specialist and hope to notice progress in the coming months.
In terms of classes....well, what is there to say? I am barely functioning so I am struggling already with this semester. I am only taking 4 classes (3 campus, 1 online) and it's overwhelming and stressful. My head is significantly worse than last semester and is posing to be a lot more difficult to dismiss and ignore. My shoulder has been dislocating as well, which just makes crutching more exhausting and painful. Oh...and I can't walk. I am stressed. I am usually positive and optimistic, and I still am...but I have no idea how I am going to manage to make it through this semester. I haven't even start PT yet..which will surely add more pain, stress, and fatigue.
It's time for me to listen to Luke Bryan's Chuggin' Along and Mandisa's Stronger!
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