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Has anyone had severe short term memory loss with 3mm low lying tonsils?

I have been suffering with debilitating headaches , feeling of pressure in my eyes along with blurred vision  and double vision. with bouts of passing out nausea, severe neck pain  my entire life and even seizures in 1994 with left eye vision loss while pregnant. As a kid every time I would go to a doctor for a checkup I would get up and pass out. They chalked it up to being nervous. No abnormalities were found on eeg so I spent a week in the cardiac unit on phenobarbital and heart monitor. For years I was on propranolol for heart rate. I have severe obstructive sleep apnea .Mitral valve prolapse. I have been dismissed by every single physician I have been to with a diagnosis of migraine and depression now with ADD.  I was diagnosed at age 36 by my gynecologist with hashimottos thyroid and premature ovarian failure. Prescribe a hormone patch . I had bladder surgery a year and have ago for leakage along with complete hysterectomy.I live in a rural area in Southwest Virginia. I am 51 years old  I feel 100 also I feel as if I have lost my mind.  I haven’t been able to work for over a year. I am paranoid to go out to eat or shopping because I forget where I parked or forget where we are sitting in restaurant after going to the bathroom. I have lost the strength in my right hand I can’t open anything, my husband has to do it. I can’t button buttons.  My muscle tone has changed so much I am so stiff I can barely get moving in the mornings. After seeking mental health a year ago I was diagnosed with ADD and started taking a stimulant which did give me a little more energy. I have continued to deteriorate. In October I had a low back pain with swelling that will not go away. Having right leg numbness all the way to my foot and middle toes. MRI showed L4/5 disc herniation. Continued to have daily headaches and visual disturbances. Was sent to a neurosurgeon for assessment. He did a brief exam prescribed a different muscle relaxer ( my third) some prednisone and set me up for a injection into the SI joint  and ordered phyIsical therapy. I had the injection which relieved some of the spasms in lower back I was having but I am still having the right hip/leg and food numbness. I went to physical therapy once but was so embarrassed because I had to keep asking the instructions over and over because I can’t retain information. I didn’t go back. Also we talked about my neck issue . I have had severe neck pain at the base of my skull my entire life which runs down my shoulder. He ordered a MRI of my neck/ cspine. I continue to have very scary moments of short term memory loss. My family and friend think I am a hypochondriac. I finally saw the results of my own MRI .Results were mildly low lying cerebellar  tonsils 3 mm. I have not spoke with the neurosurgeon about these results. My appointment with him is in one week. Of course I had to look this finding up. A lot of things I read on the Chiari 1 is me . Can I be experiencing these symptoms with only 3 mm? I’m so sick of feeling like this with no answers.
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620923 tn?1452915648
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

Yes, you can have Chiari symptoms with a 3mm herniation....many Drs will not acknowledge that unless it is 5mm's or more, BUT it is the obstruction of CSF flow that is more important to review then how long there herniation is...even more the width of herniation is more important than length, as a wider stubby herniation can cork up the area and not allow the CSF to flow.

In addition to Chiari it is possible to have a related condition....Ehlers-Danlos and even POTS  sound like a possibility for you.

I have been diagnosed for many of the same things as you....premature ovarian failure....leg numbness, blurred vision, Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Educate yourself on ALL related conditions to Chiari and then research Drs....as you want a true Chiari specialist....not just a neurosurgeon willing to do surgery....finding the right Dr is key!!!

And remember you are not alone.
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