Hi! My name is Becky. I am new to this site, so I am not too sure exactly how this works. Here is my story, I hope someone can help. I started getting Migraines in 2004 after the birth of my first child. They tried me on every migraine medication and NOTHING helped. They finally put me on a strong pain medication that I started taking as needed. In 2010 I was working at a Hospital and had a patient fall on me. I started having really bad back pains along with neck pains and numbness down my one arm. I went through several MRI's. They finally found my Chiari that Measures about 4mm. Along with the Chiari, I have several bulging discs along with a partial fusion and some degenerative spine issues. Has anyone else had spine issues caused from the Chiari? I tried years of Physical Therapy with NO HELP. I got pregnant and put everything else on hold. My pregnancy wasn't too bad. I did not want to take any pain meds while I was pregnant. I dealt with the pain and the numbness until I was about 37 weeks. I was induced at 37 weeks (July 2012) and after that everything seem to go downhill. After the birth of my 2nd child in 2012, the neurologist that I was seeing sent me to a pain management Dr because the pain just kept progressing worse and worse. The symptoms that I had were unbearable. The Pain Management Dr did the steroid injection shot in my cervical spine. Wow, was that a mistake. I received those injections in November 2012 and have been worse off then I ever have been before. The headaches and pain is so unbearable that I have made several trips to the ER. I have horrific pressure in the back of my head that turns into a headache 95% of the time. For pain I am taking Vicodin which helps most of the time. I have two young kids though and do not want to live on Pain meds the rest of my life. I can barely walk or talk when the pain is so bad. I have shooting pain down my spine which feels like I am getting shocked, numbness down my arm, I get confused pretty easy and sometimes cannot vocalize what I am trying to say. So the Pain Management Dr sent me to a Neurosurgeon to see what the nest step would be. He was not a specialist, so I was a bit concerned. When I went to see him, he stated that he feels that all my symptoms are from the Chiari and ordered an MRI with Flow Study. Their Hospital refused to do the MRI because I had a built in retainer and no other hospitals are here perform that kind of MRI. The next time I went to see him, he flipped his entire story. When he came in he acted like this was the first time he was meeting me. Then went on to say that none of my symptoms are from the Chiari and that he wants me to go back and see a Neurologist to rule out any other issues like MS. I was at a well known Hospital in CHicago, but was not pleased with that Appointment. I figured that even if I saw a Neurologist and they ruled out MS that I would not want to go back to that surgeon anyways. So I moved onto a different Hospital. I first saw a Neurologist and he also stated that he didn't know much about Chiari, but with my measurements I should not be having these issues and he feels that they are rebound headaches. He did want to send me to a Neurosurgeon who specializes in Chiari just to get another opinion. Before that Appt though, they wanted to do an MRI to check for Tethered Cord. The MRI showed up Negative. Has anyone else had Tethered Cord and it not show up on an MRI? Now sorry to get personal, but I have always had problems with constipation. I can go weeks without going. I also feel the urge to urinate even during the night. I go see the new Neurosurgeon in April. So I am hoping to have some answers. Has anyone else every experienced anything like this? Can anyone give me any advice? What should I expect at this next appointment? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I am the mother of 2 young children and I am sick of living my life in pain.
I know the pain medication can cause bowel issues, but I would be interested in other peoples opinion as well because I can relate to your issues here.
Unfortunately, I cannot offer an opinion on the back issues, although could the cervical injections be causing leaks? I was hospitalized for low fluid due to a spinal tap. I'll take unmedicated labor ANY day of the week over that head and back pain.
All of your symptoms sound familiar. I can’t imagine giving birth with this condition…my god! I agree with the last post. Find a NS who understands chiari. If they tell your herniation is too small, you’ll know that they don’t truly understand the condition and you can move on to a new NS. My herniation is about 5mm and I had the surgery. I saw dr Heffez in Milwaukee, he has a website. I have life- long difficulty with constipation and I do not have tethered cord, I think constipation is one of the perks of chiari. Best of Luck to you. Just don’t give up, the right doc for you is out there!