I'm not talking about getting fat because you have symptoms and can't be active. I'm talking about gaining weight BECAUSE of the chiari. Is that possible? Most doctors say no. But the first surgeon I saw, that I DID NOT LIKE - but is a renowned surgeon in my area, said my pituitary gland was being squished by having so much spinal fluid in my brain and could be causing hormonal problems, including the fact that I had gained so much weight in a short time and that I am so young and never get a period - I'm on the pill though and was told that's normal and the other doctors or surgeons I've talked to (3 of them), said they never heard of such a thing as the pituitary gland thing...so I didn't take it seriously...until now - 6.5 weeks post op.
I was diagnosed with Chiari in Oct 2011. I first started having symptoms that took me to the doctor and found the chiari in September 2011. BUT, back in 2008, I started gaining weight, first I put on 25lbs in a month or two that I just couldn't get off. I worked out and hadn't changed my eating habits. I kept that 25lbs for a LONG time, I even went to a 12-week weightloss class and had to eat NO CARBS the whole time and when everyone else lost 20-30lbs, I lost 11. As soon as I started eating carbs, the 11lbs came back and I started experiencing a tingling in my left thigh. I freaked me out but I ignored it. Then I gained another 60lbs over the next 6 months to a year, I'm not sure how long, but it honestly wasn't that long. I didn't eat bad foods, I felt like it just crept up on me and before I knew what happened I couldn't fit in my clothes anymore! I went to the doctor and told him about my thigh tingling finally and he said it was because I was overweight.
Now, 6.5 weeks after surgery, I haven't felt a single tingle in my thigh. I've had some tingling in other areas that I've had pre-surgery, but not my thigh. And I'm down 15lbs and I'm eating just the same as I had before surgery.
Maybe it's the placebo effect, me thinking that it's all correlated and so it's causing all this, but I can't help but think what the first surgeon told me...and how hard it was for me for the past 4 years to lose weight and how miserably I failed every time I tried, and now...not even 7 weeks after surgery I've effortlessly lost 15lbs.
I'm really curious if anyone has even heard of a similar experience. I can't wait until I feel good enough to actually work out, I can't wait to see what this "new me" can do!