Hi all. I’m new here and am looking forward to getting to know fellow Chiarians!!!
With that said, I’m looking for some advice regarding working out with a Chiari type I. What kinds of workouts has anyone else been successful with???
Lemme give you all some back story, so you know where I’m coming from…Until my mid-twenties I was a competitive figure skater. I also played hockey, soccer and ran/threw for my HS track team. I’ve completed the Insanity and Asylum workout programs more than once. Two years ago I started having severe back spasms, numbness/tingling, dizziness, blahblahblah. My GP treated me for vitamin deficiencies. Never got any better. Earlier this summer I had an MRI and the Chiari was discovered.
I had decompression surgery this past July. I was up and walking on my own within a couple hours, went home two days later, started driving two days after than and went back to work a week later. Initially I felt great (as great as possible after that kind of surgery). I started working out again, yoga/Pilates and light weight training. Within the last two weeks most of my symptoms have come back tenfold.
I’m starting PT next week. I have a very physical job (vet tech). We live in a rural community in northern Ohio, so our amenities are somewhat limited.
Yes, July 2014. Two months ago today actually. I was driving the nurses in the PACU crazy because I kept turning off my bed alarm, unhooking myself from the monitors and using the IV pole as a walker, lol.
Soulful, I’m sorry you are seeing a return in symptoms. This happens to many of us whether we are very active or not active at all- but i can say for sure doing too much before your healing has had time to catch up can hinder the process. The saying no pain no gain is actually the opposit for a decompression recovery. I think you should take it easy honey! Two months is still very early in the recovery process. You sound like a person who’s activity level and exercise is part of who you are, but your gonna need to channel that energy somewhere else so you can recover.
I second what Emm said about PT- don’t bend your neck past a normal threshold that can cause damage.
Mandy, to answer your question regarding consulting my surgeon…It has essentially been a nightmare in regards to any communication with him. All questions/concerns are routed through his nurse…it took two weeks of numerous phone calls with a final threat to file a formal complaint to get a description of the procedure from her beforehand!!! At the time of the staple removal, she was nowhere to be found and one of the other nurses removed them…and left sutures in. One of my coworkers ended up fishing them out. I’ve been trying to get ahold of my surgeon for the last month and finally said screw it, lol. I have every confidence that the surgery was done correctly, it’s his support staff that I question their intelligence.
One thing that I’ve failed to mention is that I also have Asperger’s Disorder…we tend to process pain and recover differently than other people.
And I get cranial-sacral therapy on a regular basis. It helps somewhat.