hi, I am writing because I was recently diagnosed with Chiari I malformation. I just wanted to know why I seem to have different symptoms that what I have read online.
my test showed: "cerebellar tonsils extended slightly below foramen magnum, mild chiari I malformation"
I started to feel dizzy around 2007, but it wasn't too bad. they did some blood tests but doctors never checked my head. around 2011 I started to have trouble with my eyes. and I started to have short term memory loss.
I also have brain fog now and difficulty reading or concentrating
but my biggest symptoms are eye related. I feel a lot of pressure from the forehead down into my eyes, or sometimes i feel pressure from behind the eyes pushing forward.
I can see things but sometimes it feels like if the room was full of smoke, or it feels like if there was a light in front of my eyes that feeling you get when someone is shining a flashlight in your eyes.
sometimes it looks like the walls have little bugs moving. or something like that. My memory is affected too, I forget words, i forget phone numbers, whenever i try to remember things they feel like trying to remember a dream, a lot of details are missing.
from what I have read on different sites I read that people with Chiari get a lot of really strong headaches and ringing on the ears, as well as not being able to walk. But I do not really ever feel those symptoms, like I said most of my problems are eye and memory related. I am not sure what to do because the MRI i got says Chiari but i do not have the typical symptoms. I do have a lot of vertigo and i feel nauseous a lot but i can walk without falling.
I was told i have high blood pressure, my pressure is around 150-160, Does high blood pressure have any effect on the chiari malformation? or the brain? I am feeling desperate because i just want to have my vision back, I can deal with feeling dizzy or having vertigo but I just want to see better.
Go and see another Neurosurgeon and yes you should control your blood pressure I think hypertension doesn’t do well with Chiari also why don’t you go and see an eye center maybe you might have other health issues apart from the Chiari maybe you need to see other doctor to rule out any other conditions. I also get dizzy especially if I turn my head to fast or bbend the head. Hope you get well soon.
i saw an eye doctor and they measured the eye pressure (i thought maybe i had glaucoma) but the eye pressure came out normal and the eye sight was in great shape.
it just makes me worry because i have chiari I according to the results but the symptoms kind of sound like it is something else so i feel kind of stressed out and scared that i might have even something else to worry about.
someone said that the most common chiari symptom is the headaches but i never feel those. these past couple of days have been an emotional wreck for me. i havent been able to sleep from the anxiety, thank you for the reply
Hi Jonny7b,
First, I would like to say I’m sorry you are having a hard time sleeping. For me personally, the erratic nature of Chiari symptoms has caused a lot of anxiety. And anxiety can cause a lot of physical symptoms. I recommend treating your anxiety so you can really determine what symptoms you are having.
My symptoms are similar to yours. I would not say the worst of my problems is headaches. I also have the smoky vision effect, and most recently my taste seems to be affected. I’ve had dizziness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty finding words, and more. I have lived with a lot of it, but this taste thing may be the tipping point for me. I wish there was s crystal ball to tell if surgery would help for sure.
The unfortunate thing is, Chiari is the unusual diagnosis, so they have to rule out common causes of your problems. But I would guess that’s what it is. This malformation affects each of us differently!
