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Has anyone experienced blood pressure problems related to Chiari?

I am 42 and was just recently diagnosed with a 6mm Chiari appx 3 weeks ago. I was taken by ambulance from my job due to stroke like symptoms and a bp of 190/121. ER did a CT scan, which was clear. I was admitted for a few days. While there, MRI was done and tons of labs. They found the chiari on the mri. Diagnosed me with TIA and the Chiari. I was diagnosed with hypertension about 5 months previous. This was the 5th episode I've had which landed me in the hospital. The other ones were not as severe, but I did have to go to ER because my head was throbbing so bad I felt like it was going to explode and my bp was extremely high. CT's were done in the past and I was treated for migraines even though I had never had migraines and no family hx. I've been having headaches and these episodes for the last five years. This time the Chiari was found on MRI.( I had never heard of it before) I was referred to a neurosurgeon who was quick to tell me my symptoms were not related to the Chiari and that Chiari does not cause bp problems.  I can manage the headaches and stiffness in my neck, my main concern is my blood pressure. Im not able to even go in the grocery store or be on my feet for more than a few minutes and the severe throbbing in my head starts and my bp is through the roof. also heart rate goes up to 110 to 120. I have not been able to work because my job consists of me being on my feet 10 out 12 hours. I went back to my regular doc(who said all of this was related to the chiari before I saw neurosurgeon)  and now she's referring me to a cardiologist. Can't see him til October 29! Just wanted to reach out to see if anyone else has had such an experience with Chiari or should I just accept this as cardiac and not related? Should I seek another neurosurgeons opinion?
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Avatar universal
Hi ! Autonomic dysfunction and POTS are two closely related conditions with Chiari. The CSF foundation website is a good resource for easy to understand information. I have Ehlers danlos Syndrome, Chiari malformation , Mast cell disease and Antiphospholipid syndrome. If you have any questions for me please feel free to email me. Gina Estes ***@****
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Thank you!!
620923 tn?1452915648
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and welcome....YES Chiari and related conditions can affect your heart!! The Dr that said otherwise is uninformed.

You may have a related condition IIH, POTS or EDS all of these can cause heart issues....I had very low BP and I was told it was related...and y Drs  looked at my heart very closely...EKG's etc....

Make sure the NS is a true Chiari specialist they should rule out ALL related conditions before talking surgery, if not walk away, if they say surgery will fix or cure you RUN!
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3 Comments
Thank you so much for replying back..I have felt so lost and confused since all of this started...No, the NS I saw was not a Chiari specialist and I felt like his mind was already made up before I walked in. He didn’t mention a follow up visit, any restrictions, or say anything about a f/u mri. He gave me no information. The only thing he said was that none of my symptoms were caused by the Chiari and it is not causing any of my problems. He said he was calling my PCP back..now I have to wait until October 29 to see a cardiologist. My PCP felt that it was the Chiari causing the problems and now has referred me to a cardiologist. So do you think I should ask to see another NS ? A specialist in Chiari this time? I know I will have to travel some but I know I can’t live like this. I can’t even go in the grocery store and I have to sleep on 3 pillows propped up to sleep. So strange to me, all of this. I can manage the headaches (about 3 a week) but the bp has stopped me dead in my tracks! ☹️
Just wanted to ditto what Selma said. I was diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension via a tilt table test way before my chiari diagnosis. I have the opposite problem as you however, I’m like Selma where my bp plummets and it takes forever to increase

I’m a firm believer that this is all chiari related if it helps you any
Definitely try to get into a true Chiari specialist....they will rule out ALL related conditions for you. The related conditions can cause so many issues for us and only a specialist knows what to look for and at....

I sleep with 3 pillows too.
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