hello,
my 8 year old daughter was diagnosed with chiari 1 malformation. she was not having any symptoms.
her diagnosis came about when we took her to a spine specialist because she has a 40 degree curvature in her spine. The specialist asked us to get an MRI on her spine to see if there was anything there to help explain why at such a young age she would have that degree of scoliosis.
long story short, they did MRI on her spine and brain. they discovered she has chiari 1 malformation and fluid in her spine. they recommended surgery within 3 months as they believe (although they say they cannot prove) the chiari is causing the curvature. she was scheduled for surgery tomorrow but came down with a cold.
we got a second opinion and met with a neurologist at mayo clinic in rochester. they all are on the same age with everything.
i guess my hope is, to find someone who has been through this with a child around her age.
she has no other symptoms so far. she is very active in dance and it does not appear to have any effect so far on her physically other than her scoliosis.
Thank you for you're support,
Renee