Thinking about dropping out

[Nothing_to_my_name]

I barely made out of high school. my symptoms progressively started to get worse my senior. The time to time headaches and neck tension became started to happen daily. It got to where I started to feel the burning sensation under the shoulder blades. It  started to go down my left arm. The doctor would only prescribe Tylenol. Its so frustrating when THE DOCTOR doesn't understand the pain. I could only explain the suffering which consumes me everyday even than they wont have the slightest clue what it feels like. Not even my own family will understand the painful curse I bear. I then got into smoking pot for relief. it really does help. But it makes me SOO lazy and unproductive. I struggled my way through high school and I dont think I have the power to push any longer. Was born to fail? Have done something? Life is already cruel enough to make matters worse I feel like I have a chain rapped around my neck with a ten pound colander. Was I not destined to win the epic race of life? Aside from the need to make others proud of me and the constant fear of failure, how can how I be with an illness that causes so much suffering?

[Nellan12]

It seems to me that you found a good doctor, so have completed step 1... Now you need to work on having a positive attitude...I know the pain can be bad!!! We all go thru it...but Selma has given you very good advice..follow what she said, Selma is a very caring person as you can see on all the post,and also Elisaandbucky has offered you advice for school if you need it.. Can you ask your doctor to prescribe medication to help you manage your headaches till you can have surgery..
You have Chiari don't let Chiari have you!!!! You can do this believe me!!! You are young and that is in your favor, my doctor had told me that the younger you are the better!!! He said if I was in my 20's ( wich I am 30ish years older)
My chances of getting rid of the headaches completely would be better, but because of my age and also because I already had the first decompression, I will improve my 80%...so I am going to have another surgery, because I will take an 80% improvement over  the 0% I am living with now!! I Everyone is different , I known people that were sent home  24 hrs after surgery..I had to be in the hospital for 3 days,some people were out in 2 days...
Just think of it as taking a little time off from school to get better , once surgery and recovery is over you will do so much better...surgery does help a lot!!! BE POSITIVE!!! YOU CAN DO THIS!! Like Selma said God will not give you more than you can handle... Please keep posting...we will be here to go thru this with you <3  DON'T GIVE UP AND DON'T GIVE IN :)

[Elisaandbucky]

Thinking about your studies, I can urge you not to view graduation as a four-year time goal. I am an English professor at a community college where I live. Most of my brightest students are what are considered "non-traditional" students, which means that they may have worked their way through college or even graduated from high school and worked for a time before beginning college. Never feel like you have a time limit for learning. Be well first and then be kind to yourself. Consider that hard work can be its own ultimate reward. When you look back at time spent working hard, you can feel a sense of satisfaction. Can I advise you in any way regarding your studies? We are looking forward to hearing back from you about your next steps.

[selmaS]

  Hi  and  welcome  to  the  Chiari forum,

I  know  you  are  overwhelmed  and  frustrated....but  this condition  should not  leave  you  unable  to have  a life....as  long  as  you  rule  out ALL  related conditions  and  they  are taken  into consideration  if  you  elect  to have  surgery...

  No 1...I  repeat  NO  1  is  born  to  fail....we may  choose  to fail....or  not try  harder  when  things  get  rough....remember  God  only  gives  us  what  he  knows  we  can deal  with.....

With  the right mindset  we  can  do  many  wonderful  things....yes, Chiari  is  life  altering...but  that does not  mean  your  life  is over....

  As  for  school....finish  this  semester....and see what  courses  you  need  to finish  out  this  school  yr....then  *****..what  you  need  to  graduate...can you  do  it  sooner?Summer  courses via  Community  college...my  DD  did  that  and cut  one semester off  her  allotted  time  for graduation...

  If  you  need  to  take  time off  for  surgery  check  with  the school  how  they will  work  with  you  as  loans  will  become  due when    you  are  out....weight  everything....since you  may  not  have  an income for  a time post  op.....we are  all  different  as  to how  much  time  we  need  to heal...some  Drs  will  give  you  a time  line....but  we  are  not in a one  size  fits  all  situation,,..we  have  to wait to see  how  our  body  responds  to  surgery...be patient  and   go slow,  allow  your  body  to heal  and not  rush  to  get  back  to "normal"  as  it can cause  set  backs  by  doing  too much  too  soon,.....I  am  5  yrs  post  op....and  much  older  then  you...and  I  am  happy and I  love  life....you  need  to  be  positive  to  reach for  positive  results....

Yes,  sometimes  surgery  does not  always  seem  to offer  benefits....but that  can sometimes  be  the Dr not ruling  out  a related  condition  that  is affecting  recovery....so  be  sure they  do.

And  sometimes  it is the rushing  back  to  do things  they "feel"  they should  be able  to...

Take  the  time  and rest, rest  and rest  some more...that  said...there  are  exercises  you will  need  to  do,  walking  more  each  day post op....and most  important....listen  to  your  body.

  As  they  mentioned  above....you  are  not  alone  <3

[Nothing_to_my_name]

Im in my first quarter in college. I live in Seattle so i found a specialist at the childrens hospital. Hes a good guy and thinks I should do the surgery. Its such a hard decision but he said he was ready when ever I was. Another 4 years in school with chiari seems like hell. But if I dont go then what would the future hold for a disabled and uneducated person such as myself. I would love to hear how so many of you guys coped with the pain while trying to succeed.

[Nellan12]

Please drop out of school!!!you've come so far you're in your last year...continue to fight!!! you found the right forum...we all understand what you are going through we've been through it ourselves....I know tylenol does not help for the pain but if you can take ibuprofen or Advil it will help you a little more...I have congenital Chiari malformation that means I was born with it so practically all my life I had headaches and I pretty much live on Advil...but you need to stay strong and don't let anyone put you down but first things first you must have your parents read the post on this forum that other people have put on most of us have written pretty much what we have gone through..maybe this way your parents could get a better understanding about this disorder...we have constant hidden pain,a lot of the symptoms did you have described I also have pressure burning feeling in my neck and shoulders and bad headaches I also have dizziness and nausea all from the Chiari,,,so please try to get your parents to understand and get you to a good neurosurgeon on this forum depending where you live you can find some good doctors that have helped others...I also have  traveled to find a good Dr...this is Key did you find a good specialist....so please don't forget try to continue with school and keep posting on this forum we're all here to help each other,,and we do all understand what you're going through because we are at one time or another have gone through it ourselves

[baccalynnwv]

I would recommend sending any MRI scans you have to an actual specialist listed in this forum.  Regular doctors and even neurosurgeons and neurologist have really old diagnostic info on  chiari.  Or have no idea what it is. It's worth spending the time and money to travel to see a real specialist.

[Elisaandbucky]

First to mention, is that you are not alone - you found a safe place where you can feel supported by others just like you. Welcome. Your pain is very real, and I can hear the frustration when you talk about your doc's apathetic attitude about your symptoms. Most important, you must find a neurologist who specializes in treating Chiari Malformation. The disorder is not well understood by many doctors. Only a specialist knows about symptoms and treatment options.

Where are you living? I am in NC and I had to travel to Long Island in New York to see a surgeon and then have my surgery. On this forum is a website where members have posted names of doctors that helped them. Do some researching and post back what you have found. Many people here care about your pain and want to help you navigate through the system.