Physical ability after chiari surgery??

[Andrew1236]

I am having chiari surgery March 21st by Dr. Heffez.  How are most people physically responding after the surgery.  I mean can most of you run, play sports, lift weights, etc.  Dr. Heffez said if everything goes well then I should be able to do everything i did before.  Is this true in most cases?  I mean im not a body builder or life crazy weights but will I be able to have basically so restrictions on what I do physically.  I am talking about after full full recovery, like 2 years out or so.  

[selmaS]

I feel I was a lucky one with the outcome of my surgery, and I will tell u I do not know how I would or could go back to being as active as I was b4, not that I was ever really an active person as chiari HA's always put limits on me...but, there is no way I can see this  as a possibility...

Like Daisy mentions it seems to be  diff opinion even among chiari NS's.....we r all diff and u really have to wait and see how u respond to surgery and meds b4 u can even consider what u might go back to doing....I say...u have surgery to avoid deteriorating  health ....so u need to know how this condition is impacting ur overall health....do u have an obstruction of CSF?...a syrinx?....ne other chiari related conditions?....this is what will factor in...how u heal, how u handle pain and meds....

  I pray u find the right dr to help u get to where u want to be : )

  "selma"

[daisy68]

Andrew, I found a good article that was very enlightening and makes sense why some NS say you can return to athletics and some say you can't..you may want to check it out on conquerchiari.org here:
http://www.conquerchiari.org/subs%20only/2010/Jul/Contact%20Sports%20&%20Chiari%207-10.asp

[daisy68]

hi Andrew! It's wonderful that your surgery is coming up. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but my NS also told me that i could do anything I wanted to do, well, I can't...I can't lift anything...if I do, my headaches get worse, and my neck pain is unbearable.  I had decompression surgery two years ago.  My daughter has had two surgeries, and I will tell you, her NS told her she could do anything she wanted to do, and I was so naive (which I have extreme guilt for now) She wanted to ride horses (not run - but, just walk) - and I knew that it maybe theraputic, well, it then her cerebellum slumped and she had to have a titanium bridge put underneath her cerebellum to lift it back up.  The NS said nothing is to blame, but, I think it was the horseback riding.  Anyway, my advice is just to use caution, your body will tell you. Don't take this a Debbie Downer because I did feel soo much better after my surgery....sometimes the symptoms just come back...but, alot of times they don't. Let us know how you are doing.  Take care, Pam
Hopefully, yours will be much more successful. Everyone is different, for many it is one surgery, and they are better except for minor