My fingers go numb if I accidentally look down.
It takes about an hour of keeping still for the feeling to come back.
I’m 4 months post op now …
Does anyone know what would cause this?
Should I be concerned?
Seems we have to live with a lot with this Chiari and its hard to know what is normal and what is not.
Is this normal or should I see my neurosurgeon?
By all means double check with your surgeon. If okay. You may want to look into neurodynamic exercises (nerve glides) and motor control exercises for the neck/shoulder/forearm to stabilize and regulate joint movement so that nerves are not compromised.
Chiari and surgery place stress on nerves and they can become increasingly sensitized to movement and activity. They let you know with numbness, tingling, pain, and other sensations. It happens with surgery and Chiari but it does not mean that you have to live with it. Doctors are quick to pop out the phrase " you have permanent nerve damage" without understanding what is the reason behind your sensations and what can actually be done about it. Unfortunately neurosurgeons and neurologists do not have that body of knowledge. Find someone who does!
Good luck with your post-surgical recovery.
I love how gabby encourages the exercise! My neurosurgeon was the same way; 24 hours after my decompression surgery, he sent me home and told me to “start moving!” I had been almost a complete vegetable for 4 years prior to my surgery - including totally numb all over! I could not feel a thing except excruciating pain inside. My neuro-doc had taken a pin and poked me all over during pre-surgery appts., and I felt nothing. After the surgery, it was SO hard to get my body to move around, but I MADE it move! It took years, but I’m still healing. When dead nerves start to wake up, though… look out! They feel like a swarm of fire ants. My numbness does return from time to time even still (surgery was in 2012). For some reason, every 4th day, all my Chiari symptoms return; paralysis, reflexes go down, eyes won’t focus, fuzzy brain, muscle twitches - and numb all over. I’m a zombie on the couch for 24 hours, and then everything comes back ‘online’ again. Then, I get three functional days again. Weird. No neuro-doc can explain why this happens. My opinion; Chiaris is just… WEIRD!