Need surgery Just had a baby

[ChiariMom13]

Hello, I was diagnosed with Chiari I malformation in January and scheduled for surgery in February 2013, turned out I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter. She is now 8 weeks old and I have to start thinking about going back to work... but I was kind of thinking about getting surgery before going back. I was wondering if anyone else has gone through similar circumstances and how they fared, or in general do you think i should wait? I am just beginning to store my breastmilk so I dont have much of a supply built up yet and I was also wondering how long you were on narcotics with the surgery so I can get a feel of how much i need to save up before I do the surgery... I guess I could ask a doctor but I think I am just looking for some success stories with newborns first and how you fared... She is my world and I want to be better for her, we also want another one kinda close together and I dont want to have to deal with this anymore... Please any thoughts?

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

Well it all depends on how ur Chiari is affecting u.....and ur overall health.....also it depends on what ur job entails and if that will also affect how u feel....as it is u will not be getting enuff rest, u have to lift the baby....all things in time will get more difficult and may cause ur symptoms to flare.

Since ur surgery was scheduled so close to after u were DX'd......may I ask what ur symptoms were?....Did u have ALL related conditions ruled out?....Did u have a CINE MRI? Do u know if u have a CSF obstruction?

[ChiariMom13]

Hi selmaS, Thank you for responding :-)

I have dealt with Headaches and Migraines for a very very long time, I tried to find out why I got them when I was in my teens and the doctor didn't believe I actually had them. But when you cant laugh histarically with your friends without getting a headache and sneezing 8 times can be disabilatating something is probably wrong. Maybe he was jaded but I just decided to llive with the headaches and did for a very long time. I am now 27. In october last year my symptoms started evolving. I was getting dizzy and disorientated. Had balance issues and shadows fliting through my vision. So I went to see my eye doctor in dec and told him what I was experiencing and had him check my eyes. He said that there was nothing wrong with my eyes and go see my doctor and ask them to give me an MRI to be safe. He suspected migraines which sounded about right since I have always had them. So the doctor ended up scheduling the MRI and they found my brain is herniated 8 mm below the Foramen magnum and to go get a Neurologists opinion. So I saw a Neurologist who told me 90% of the time when they see Chiari I malformations they dont recommend surgery but in my case I need it. they didnt just suggest they said I need it. So I went to get the Neurosurgens opinion and he said that I will need surgery its just up to me when I get it but he recommended the sooner the better because it is only going to get worse, eventually I could have pretty bad problems. So my husband and I talked about it and decided to go for it. But 2 days before surgery I found out i was pregnant. Side note: loved being pregnant most my symptoms dissapeared and I felt GREAT. Now its all back. I feel pretty lucky because I don't always have a headache and when I do they are not always that bad but I am worried about the getting worse part. and somedays i am just blindsided with my symptoms.

[tlw1970]

I am just 11 days post op but I will admit that this recovery is hard. I have a 7 year old so I don't have issues with having to hold or extensively care for a child. However I can't imagine having a new baby and trying to recover from this and I am a strong person per what my friends and family tell me. It is hard enough having a new baby so unless your symptoms are unbearable my personal suggestion would be to wait. No one knows what another feels or can handle though so you could be fine as long as you know you can't hold over 5 pounds for a minimum of two weeks and probably not much more for the weeks after. Not sure since I haven't had my two week appointment for staples to be removed.  Not being able to pick up a newborn would be hard in my opinion. All this being said, I am no expert but wanted to share my fresh feelings on recovery with you. Best wishes and Merry Christmas. Will be praying for you.

[selmaS]

  Not so much jaded as not educated and informed on Chiari.....

May I ask, why do they feel u NEED surgery....did they do a CINE MRI, and rule out ALL related conditions?

Make sure they do and the Dr is a true Chiari specialist.