Hi everyone, I used to post here a lot back in 2014/2015 when I started having symptoms of chiari and finally had surgery in 2015. About 6 months after my surgery my symptoms started slowly coming back. I was told by my neurosurgeon I had craniocervical instability but I was unable to get approval from my insurance company for surgery until 2019. My approval was granted after getting a second opinion from a specialist in Maryland and obtaining a digital motion x-ray which clearly showed my C1 and C2 sliding out of place as I moved. In June I had my fusion from the occiput to C2 and I am doing great. The first month was very difficult and painful, much more so than my chiari surgery. The second month was still painful and stiff but I am 4 months out now and doing great and so glad I had the surgery. My strength is back, I’m not dizzy and nauseas, I’m not fatigued all the time, I can exercise, hike, laugh and talk without getting a headache, I can even breath better. I used to not be able to take a deep breath. I could keep going with the benefits of surgery. This surgery has given me my life back. I credit my surgeon, who is wonderful. I can’t even feel any hardware in my neck or skull and my range of motion is different since surgery but still ok. I just wanted to share my success story in case anyone is in a similar situation or has read my previous posts and felt like their symptoms/situation was similar to mine and ever wondered if things would get better. For a very long time I didn’t believe I would ever feel good again. This surgery has changed that. I finally feel good again. I hope all of you can find answers and the relief you need.