Hello, I am a 34 year old man and I am in bad shape, and I mean bad. Iv been diagnosed with Chiari Malformation 5-7mm. Symptoms include vertigo, tinnitus, off balance, weird vision problems including a sensation my eyes are not working in coordination( I sometimes close one eye when in a very active situation such as traffic), severe neck and head pressure and pain; exercise intolerance (running will cause extreme vertigo and other symptoms that last for about an hour), sensitivity to light/sound, severe cognitive and memory problems (even though I scored above average on some neuropsych memory tests, severe depression/anxiety and many other symptoms. Right now I am completely disabled, Iv not been able to work in over a year, I cannot drive more than 10 miles at a time without getting very dizzy/mentally tired--almost drunk feeling. Symptoms and almost always worse upon waking up. I have scoliosis, my joints pop and crack all the time and a massage therapist said I have an very unusual muscle tone.
One neurologist told me that my tiny herniation could not be causing any symptoms and sent to me a psychiatrists. The Psychiatrist, and one therapist, said I do not meet typical presentation of depression because I want to do things, but cant. They feel something physical is the problem. Iv tried several psych meds and I am too sensitive, I have horrible, almost violent adverse reactions to them, even at extremely low doses.
I even spent a week inpatient in the Neurology ward at a Chinese hospital (Im American but live in China) and the diagnosis was Chiari. So far no treatment has helped. Iv went from a very active and happy guy to a disabled miserable shell of my former self and four months ago I decided I cannot keep on like this, so I bought a bed sheet, tied it in a noose and wrote a suicide note. My full intention was to go to one mountain nearby and hang myself; I hid the noose in the trunk of my car behind several other things in a bag. By some fluke my wife decided to clean out the trunk a couple days later and found it, she knew exactly what it was and, as you can imagine, went ballistic. Seeing her reaction really made me see the pain that my death would cause, before for some reason I was not able to really imagine it.
I decided for her sake I really needed to try my best to get better so I sent my MRI to a well known Chari specialist and returned to the USA. He reviewed them and sent me a report back. I am scheduled to see him in January and I am almost certain he will want to operate. However, can surgery really make a difference? So far I can only find horror stories on the internet; and people complaining surgery didn't help and even made things worse (however, the NS I will see has stellar reviews).
My main question: Is there really any hope?
I will include the MRI report below:
MRI Scans dated 9/17/15 shows a 5-7mm cerebellar tonsillar ectopia. The tonsils wrap around the brain stem. The brainstem is torqued and somewhat distorted. There is no hydrocephalus. There does not appear to be an empty sella. Cerebellar folia are compressed inferiorly. There is no CSF flow study. Coronal views show cerebellar estopia as well.
There is degenerative joint disease present at c5-6 and c6-7 with the canal narrowing to about 9-10mm in AP diameter. Overall cervical posture is kyphotic.
These images are compatible with significant symptoms such as headache, diffuse pain, sensory disturbances, weakness, difficulty with balance and gait as well as autonomic system abnormalities. The latter might include palpitations, cold hands and feet, fainting or near fainting, gastrointestinal and bladder difficulties.