I don't get this but I was feeling fine these past two days and all of a sudden Bam!!! I have been so dizzy today every time I stand I feel as though I'm going to go tumbling to the floor. I can't hold my head down because it makes the dizziness worse. It further bothers me by tilting my head back. I am also dealing with sleep issues I have sleep apnea so when I finally get to sleep I have trouble waking in the mornings and I can't even hear my children saying goodbye as they are leaving for school. I feel like a bad parent even though they are teenagers I still feel like I'm not there for them physically or mentally. I also deal with not remembering things and where I can't complete my sentences because my thoughts are there I just can't remember what I was trying to say! I have always been smart and very detailed but this has really put a damper on my ventures and things I want to get involved with. Some days I can barely remember what I did in the hour before. It's really bad and I am so embarrassed when speaking in front of a group because it's so hard to gather my thoughts.
Hi Marie,
I'm sure you're a great mom, and that you do all you possibly can and more for your loved ones. I don't have Chiari, and I'm certainly no expert, but I know about, pain, confusion, memory problems. I talked to my Rheumatologist about this 'confusion' and he explained that it comes down to pain, and lack of proper sleep from chronic pain.
He and my Internist are working constantly to improve my sleep and pain. It's a trial and error thing for me to see what works, and how long it works. Surgery for me is no guarantee either, so until it gets as bad as it can get, it's not recommended, even by the Neurosurgeons.
I know that I can be going through a time of feeling pretty good, and the weather changes, the barometric pressure drops, and WHAM!
I hope that you can get with your Doctors and get to a better place!
Wishing you well,
SK
Hi Marie. Many of my symptoms come and go. So, the sudden onset of your dizziness isn't surprising. And it could just as quickly stop after a while. My symptoms will last for days or weeks, and then suddenly go away. My memory problems though, are one of the symptoms that is always there. Before I had surgery I also would forget was I was talking about in mid sentence. It was very frustrating for me, and the person I was talking too. And I have to say it was also embarrassing. Since surgery it's much better, but my short term memory is still awful. Very noticeable to the people close to me. You're not a bad parent. You're a good parent doing your best to deal with a very difficult situation. Hang in there. You're not alone.
Have you been decompressed? Decompression has helped with some of my symptoms, but I still get vertigo on occasion. Tilting my head back causes me to totally lose my balance.
Do you have a CPAP machine? If you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you really need to have a machine. They're a nuisance to get used to, but it will improve your sleep.
Hi, I know how you feel. I was feeling the same way before I had surgery in 2011. It was better after the surgery, that is until about 3 weeks ago. I started having the confusion again and got up Monday morning with the right base of neck and skull swollen. Trying to get a Dr around here to do anything is impossible. It will be 2 weeks before I can get in to see the Dr. Just hoping now that the swelling doesn't get worse. I am sorry you are going thru this. I will keep you in my prayers
Hi Marie. I completely understand how you feel. Some days are better than others. Some days Im on clouds and others in the dump. My son and my mom have no clue as to what I deal with. I have had numerous arguments abt things not remembered. The pain and confusion as Claudia mentioned comes and goes. But I also know that stress only aggrevates it. Take each day, each moment at a time. Take a deep breath and enjoy each moment be it good or bad or frustrating. YOU will learn your body and know how to adjust. I havent had the surgery. … but I have made some lifestyle changes that have impacted the way I deal with every new symptom. Prayer works!!This forum is a great way to vent and know that you are not alone. I pray that each day you become stronger.
I still had dizziness after my surgery but I found some exercises nine months later that banished the dizziness. Found out that re-emerged primitive reflexes were the cause of loosing balance with head movements. The tonic labyrinthine exercise was particularly helpful as I tended to fall over when I tilted my head back. They were pretty easy to do.
Marie - I can relate to many of the symptoms you refer to. I can't tell where you are at with a diagnosis or surgery but I can let you know what was happening to me at the time I was experiencing similar symptoms. I had a Chiari specialist scanning for Chiari but I didn't exactly fit that criteria. But, what he did find was a narrowing of one of the four arteries coming through that area. One of the four looked smaller than the others and he surmised that is was being compressed. Based on this and my symptoms, I decided to have surgery. He found my vertebral artery compressed and my symptoms improved dramatically. We often talk about the brainstem and the CSF fluid due to Chiari but we forget that the four major artieries are running through the base of the skull. For me, that was the source of many of my problems. Years later I also found out I had a tethered cord, which is also found with Chiari, I don't know if this would relate to you. However, my original surgery was very beneficial. I hope this provides you with some insight.