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How does a borderline chiari happen at forty years old?

I am a forty year old female, 112 lbs and in fairly decent health. I have two thyroid adenomas and one pituitary adenoma since 2015 and a herniated disk replacement done in my neck. I have been seeing an endocrinologist since then and taking cabergoline. I have had numerous health issues and severe pain the last two years that I thought was either related to more herniated disks or those damn tumors. Symptoms: blood work came back with severely low cortisol and  I have horrible headaches that feel like migraines and a feeling like an elephant is sitting on my head and face. I have painful pressure in and around my eyes, dizziness, loss of balance and now horrible joint pain to say the least. I also have coldness and numbness in my hands and tingling in my feet and recently digestion issues. I could keep going. A few months ago I went to the eye doctor in which they said I show signs of cataracts! All the doctors I see have no idea or think I am crazy! And now this. I just had a brain/ head mri done last week in which they discovered that the pituitary tumor is gone but that I now have borderline Chiari 1 malformation with cerebellar tonsils extending 5mm below the foramen magnum. How did this happen? Could of it just developed? I thought people were born with this condition. I am so discouraged and overwhelmed with it all. I am a full time student working on my masters in social work so I can be an adolescent therapist but keep feeling like one road block after the other gets in my way! I am tired of feeling like this.  Any discussion would help since I feel so lost and alone right now. Thank you
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620923 tn?1452915648
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.
First, Chiari is typically a congenital condition, symptoms do not always raise their heads until a trigger occurs..a trigger could be anything from a laugh, cough,, or a fall.....sometimes it could be getting the flu.....
Acquired Chiari is something you can have due to a trauma to the head or neck area....or a LP that was drawn too fast......

May I ask, since your MRI have your Drs suggested you have a CINE MRI? AND have any other related conditions been ruled out or testing ordered to rule them out?
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I agree with Selma. Low CSF pressure can and will cause brain sag and even the tonsils to descend. So that’s something to check into. Also it could be that the drs just never reported chiari in the reports. And possible that you had it all along....

Maybe get the copies of all tests that you’ve had and read for yourself to compare. Had I done that years ago I would’ve known about my chiari instead of being told there’s nothing wrong with me
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