We learned that instead of a 3mm herniation, which was indicated on my MRI report, I have a 5mm herniation. This means that I have Chiari 1 Malformation not Chiari 0. The CT scan also indicated that my C1 and C2 vertebrae in my neck are very unstable. There are risks that come with instability that high in the neck and therefore I am unfortunately stuck wearing a cervical collar. It is VERY fashionable (I hope you sense my sarcasm).
My symptoms are likely a result of both the herniation of the tonsils/Chiari and the cervical instability. The good news is it is something that can be "fixed." There is no cure, but there are effective treatment options that can help with my symptoms. The bad news is it means surgery. Yes, another surgery...and this time it's a bit more complicated. My NS wants to fuse my C1 and C2 vertebrae and perform a decompression surgery. The decompression involves removing a piece of my skull to allow more space/room for the brain. Obviously the fusion is meant to stabilize the cervical spine. There is another procedure that he wants to include but I am hoping that we can avoid that part of the surgery altogether. At this time I have surgery scheduled, but I am still deciding what to do. I have had many people tell me that the surgeries are definitely worth it and their symtpoms have been relieved. I honestly have not heard a bad story for these procedures which is definitely comforting.
I have some more questions that I want answered before I make my final decision.
At the moment I am taking 2 summer classes, Biology- Genetics and an online Math class. It is very difficult because it involves throwing a full semester into 6 weeks. I am only in my first week and I already have a ton of homework and readings. However, in order to graduate in 3 semesters I need to take 2 summer classes both this summer and next. It will feel so great to have these classes out of the way and it will lessen the course load in my remaining full semesters.
I will have 1-2 weeks in between the end of my summer classes and the surgery (if I decide to go ahead with it).
I also have this and, in some ways, it's scarier than the Chiari and EDS. I have no idea why I feel this way but something about my head and neck being unstable unnerves me. The NS decided that it's not bad enough at this point to operate but I guess I have that to look forward to in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca!
ReplyDeleteWho is your NS, if you don't mind me asking? What herniation measurement do you have?
I can understand how cervical instability can be scary! For some reason it doesn't scare me because I was a competitive gymnast and landed on my head/neck many times and nothing serious happened. I would think that that would be enough to have a serious complication. Maybe I am just lucky that nothing bad happened but it helps me not freak out that I have an unstable neck!
Best of luck to you!