Need answer about MRI findings please!

[outdoorgal35]

Not sure where to start so please bear with me as I try to make sense. I have suffered with some type of head pain since I was a kid, I am 39 now..They have progressively gotten worse over the years along with severe intractable migraines, chronic neck pain, always hurts, shoulder pain, feeling of "off balance", like I could fall, the room aint spinning I just feel light headed per se, which makes me afraid to drive sometimes, muscle weakness in neck, arms, and shoulders, tingly in fingers that comes and goes, ringing in ears that comes and goes, which happens more often then it ever did, nausea, again comes and goes,insomnia, anxiety which I believe to be brought on by the pain after all these years, constant fatigue, leg pain that comes and goes, heart palpitations, crossed-eyed( born this way) which I had surgery to straighten my eye about 2 years ago, but still have double vision with hardly no vision in right eye at all, have blurry vision at times and this scares me because of how my right eye is and I have constant floaters in my left eye. I know a multitude of symptoms..I have seen a neurologist off and on for 15 years or better, never had insurance before then! One I saw for several years had me on every medicine under the sun for migraines, literally! I was a walking zombie I believe and still nothing helped, I was even hospitalized a few years back for 3 days due to a severe intractable migraine put on DHE 45 IV..it helped for a very short time, or rather it with a correlation of the other meds I was given in the hospital helped some but for a very short time. Well, I saw this doctor until I moved to another county in the state I am I was born and raised in (Alabama). Upon moving to Mobile, I seeked several doctors trying to get help, one accused me of seeking drugs, if he only knew me! I was referred to neuro after neuro here and no one would/will listen to me. They all have tried to prescribe the same drugs I have already tried for years and they never worked, and the side effects of something that didnt help were not worth it. I refused to take the medicines again because I knew what they would or wouldnt do! Don't get me wrong, I dont know everything, but I do know what I have tried and how it didnt work. Well, back in May I found a new neuro a county over from me thinking I had found a wonderful doctor..he didnt try and write me a script the first time I was there, which meant alot to me. Well, I am now aggravated with him..He does not listen to me, all he wants to do is give me steroids shots in my neck and shoulders and tell me I have a pinched nerve causing me all this pain after all these years, really? UGH! I have allowed him to give me many shots over the last few months, but they aint worth and I feel worse after getting them then I did when I got there usually. Well, I personally called my old neuro in the county I lived prior to moving to Mobile, and got them to send me my old records..I remember the neuro telling me a few years back that he had seen something on the MRI and if he sent me to a neuro they'd want to do surgery but he didnt think it was anything to worry about. Well, I believed him all these years till I got my records and began to read,,The MRI scan of the Brain states this:

There  is a slight prominence of adenoidal pad.

Cellebellar tonsils are approximately 6mm below the plane of the foramen magnum, minimally low in position. No evidence of upper cervical syrinx or significant deformity of fourth ventricle. No significant intracranial pathology is seen.

Impression: slightly low position of the cerebeller tonsils.

Ok now when I type that into yahoo/google Chiari Malformation comes up every time. Please understand these results were 10/22/2003. I have been suffering for years with migraines, neck and shoulder pain and the above. Does it sound like I have Chiari Malformation to any of yall? I'm scared, nervous, but yet hopeful I may now knwo the reason for my pain all these years.

Another MRI of cervical spine states this:

Partial straightening of the C-spine, otherwise negative.

I'm at a loss and feel like I am running out of options..The new neuro just wants to shoot me full off steroids in my neck/shoulders and has only given me 10 pain pills since I started seeing him in May. I have to go to ER and Emergency clinic by my house several times for pain shots because 10 pills since May aint going to last. No I am not a pill head, that I assure anyone, I loath drugs, but pain is pain and Lord knows we can only take so much. He has mentioned an MRI but I am so claustrophobic they will have to sedate me to ever have one, and I didnt use to be this way.

Please anyone with insight, respond. Thank you in advance.

[classiechic]

Im so sorry that I never once in our conversations helped in your fear of the MRI. Selma is right. Think about how it will help you to figure out your problem.  That's exactly what I had to do. I am extremely claustrophobic also. I have them give me something to calm me, this time i will take an ativan before going in. Truth is, I just relax and close my eyes, listen to the music and pray. I think about my happiest things, such as my kids. It helps. I wish you the best of luck and u know you'll do just fine.

[selmaS]

  No matter how long ago the MVA that could account for the straightening of the cervical spine...and this alone can cause a lot of pain.PT can help, but u have to be very careful they know about chiari.

Close ur eyes while in the MRI tube...that is what I do...and keep thinking how it is going to help u figure this all out....I do not have claustrophobia and I only pray something like that would help....I am sure it may not...but, worth a try...none of us really is comfortable in there.

Do keep us posted on ur Dr search

   "selma"

[classiechic]

Really??? I'm curious to know your symptoms.=(  BTW, my hair falls out by the handfulls. Everytime I wash it, my tub is full....when i brush, it ends up every where. Also, I have pinced nerves at C3,C5 and C7, I'm gonna check with the Dr about disc issues. I know surely that I have a ruptured disc @ L5-S1. I can't wait til my MRI. 4 days and counting down. I will surely post my results.

[outdoorgal35]

Thanks for the informative information! I know I need another MRI, I have tried open ones but they just aint open enough for me. Got to find a doctor who will sedate me to where I don't know or care that I am having an MRI, silly I know, but I am severely claustrophobic. As for me getting an MRI, when I ever can find someone, how do I go about requesting thoracic and lumbar spine part and the CINE MRI? I mean, how to I explain to a doctor that I believe I need all that? Well. as I stated in my 1st post here, My old neuro told me that he did see something on the MRI but he didnt think it was anything to worry about, but did say If he sent to a neurosurgeon they would want to do surgery. I reckon I just trusted him when I shouldn't have. I pray it hasn't got any bigger. Yes, I have had a MVA but it was many years ago. Thank you for the info, it has helped me. Yes, I called the one here in Mobile, Alabama where I live and they said I needed an updated MRI and they would be glad to see me, it needs to be no more than 6 months old. UGH..I understand, so now I'm on the track of trying to figure out how to get and MRI and all.

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

Sorry I was away this weekend and not near a computer.....

AS many of the members have mentioned yes, ur symptoms do sound like chiari symptoms...however, chiari can change over time, so ur 6mm herniation may have grown since ur 2003 MRI...and as a few stated u can get an open air MRI to help with the issues u have with closed spaces.

While u consider getting the open air MRI, get all MRI's out of the way. have ur thoracic and lumbar spine done as u can have a syrinx in those areas, and so many Drs only check the cervical spine for  a syrinx.

And u will also want a CINE MRI as well, this is a flow study..this checks for a obstruction to ur CSF flow....this is what causes the syrinx ro form, and left untreated the syrinx can cause perm nerve damage....the fact ur Drs left this go this long with no follow ups is unconscionable. And unfortunately too many Drs have no idea how this condition really affects us....they r being taught old info at med school and not being brought up to date once they have graduated. A true chiari specialist is doing their own research as to how this condition not only affects us, but the best methods to treat it as well.

U will also want to address the straightening of the cervical spine, which may also be called loss of the cervical lordosis...this can happen as a result of an injury or whip lash...have u ever been in a car accident?

Last, do make sure u r checked for related conditions, such as sleep apnea, ehlers-danlos, disk issues, thyroid,ENT issues, and visual issues.

We do have a list of Drs, the list was compiled by the members of Drs they went to and liked....u still have to research the Drs to find the one that is right for u..,.this list is NOT a referral.-http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Neurological%20Disorders/DOCTORS-LIST-FOR-CHIARI-SYRINGOMYELIA/show/1062?cid=186

  "selma"

[gagirl74]

thank u so much for this post! i just was at my doctors office last week for check up pcp. and he ordered numerous blood tests to see y i was losing soooo much hair. all it came back with was high cholesterol. so since i saw ur post i guess hair loss is also a symptom of chiari? strange thought i couldnt have any more symptoms..i have all plus more than what is on ur list! i have a 5mm herniation w degenerative disc disease at c-6 and c-7.  thanks again gagirl!