Hello all. I am a newly diagnosed chiarian. I am soooooooooooo scared. My neck pain is getting worse every day. I have some other symptoms I would like to share and see what you all think. I have visual disturbances (when I am in the living room and am looking down at something and then i look up at the tv, it is super blurry, and if i am bending over and get up to fast, i "see stars"), bladder leakage (not a lot, but enough, and not all the time, just once in awhile), head twitching, and just a little bit of balance loss, sometimes. I have been diagnosed with a chiari about a month ago, but was wondering if any of these symptoms sound like something else along with it. Monday i had an mri of my lumbar spine and today i had a brain mri with a csf flow study. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
These are all symptoms of other things. It is important to get your MRI and hopefully more answers. We all have a different, yet somewhat the same story to tell. Good luck and know that our unofficial opinions are always here. We actually DO understand and are here to help if we can!
I am glad you are getting the MRI of lumbar to make sure you do not have a syrinx...fluid filled cyst on the spinal cord..
Did you have an MRI of the other parts of your spine? A full spine MRI is wonderful to have..as to rule out syrinx or other issues.
I too have visual issues as you described...I had surgery 5 years ago...however, that is still problematic...
Just a suggestion here....get all the written reports as well as the CD of the MRI's and any other testing you have done to keep for your records.
Have you consulted with a neurosurgeon yet?
Keep us posted...good luck!
I was diagnosed with type 2 chiari and was going through all the symptoms you are complaining of with the exception of "leakage". although if I remember correctly that too can be a symptom. I had fluid build up in my syrinx and was told I had to get the surgery as soon as possible. That turned into a month of waiting for the surgeons schedule to open up for me(what a scary month that was). You are on the right path with the scans. I suffered from neck pain, blurred vision and or rapid eye movement where my eyes would shake for a moment throwing my vision out of whack. The dizziness I also had, at times I felt like I was going to pass out, so your "balance loss" sounds normal to the diagnosis. Good luck with all! My heart goes out to you, I know as what you're going through as do so many people on this site. Stay positive and persistent in doing what needs to be done to take care of your health! Please feel free to share updates as I am always willing to lend any knowledge and support I can offer..... DC from Chicago.
My MRI if my lumbar spine showed a degenerative signal, a right foraminal disc protrusion, and I don’t quite understand this but it showed modic type 1 degenerative signal in end plates l5 and s1. If anyone knows anything about this please let me know.
Kara, your symptoms are all very Chiari. I can relate to all of them: stars, bladder leakage (my favorite, especially while at work), vision problems, balance, motor skills, cognitive, etc. This is a very hard thing to have, and I understand why you’re scared. The good news is you are not alone 
Are you planning to see a neurosurgeon? I’m glad you are getting all the MRIs.
Jenn