small syrinx found at c6/c7???

[del833]

I recently had an mri of my neck,which has unexpectedly shown a small syrinx at c6/c7 region. Will I need further mri scans and tests or is this finding quite normal?? Ive suffered with shoulder pain for 6-7 years which is why they carried out this mri of my neck. more recently Ive had left side weakness,left hand has been clumsy also restless legs and tingling a lot in my left arm and hand and on occassions in left leg and foot. Should I be concerned??? My Gp doesnt seem concerned,though I do have an appointment to see another doctor at my hospital nxt week. Ive had no trauma or anything or injury,so what could have caused this syrinx??? Ive only had an mri of neck,so should doctors be ordering further mri scans of my head and lower spine to see if there are any more problems??? please someone help,Im only 30 years old with 2 children I just dont know what this means for my future.

[selmaS]

  Hi Thanks for the update...somehow I missed ur other post as well...sorry about that....

I am sure it is that u have a Dr not well experienced with Chiari...A NL only DX's and a NS treats with surgery....if u need surgery the NS is who u should be seeing.

Once I had a DX I was sent to a NS as well....keep me posted.

[del833]

Hi there just to let you know Ive seen a neurologist who still doesnt seem concerned,aside from some muscle wasting in my left hand nothing else important was picked up on examination. However he is still sending me to a major hospital (Birmingham queen elizabeth uk) to see a neurosurgeon who he says will probably carry out further mri scans etc. Also he has started me on medication  called: pregabilin to help my pain. What I want to ask you all is,have any of you heard of or used this medication? Also if neurologist doesnt seem that concerned Why would he be sending me to a Neurosurgeon? My doctor says its because neurosurgeons have more knowledge,however seems a big step just for this reason. The wait seems like forever Im getting really low and depressed,any help advice or knowledege would be appreciated.

[del833]

Hi it is very frustrating and I feel sorry for anyone who has ever been thru this. I have never had an accident/injury that could have caused the syrinx and I have checked I was not delivered by forceps. So I guesss i need to request a brain mri  when i see doctor at hospital on monday,i will keep u posted to let you know what he says and if he refers me for a brain mri. its good to know that you have onlyy suffered one side weakness etc too as i was becoming quite concerned that i was only getting problems one side of the body. thanks so much for all your help selmaS. i HOPE YOU ARE GOING ON OKAY AT THE MOMENT.

[selmaS]

  Hi....I understand ur frustrations as so many of us have had similar issues as far as Drs not listening etc....we have dubbed it "the Royal Chiari Runaround"

AS for left side issues only, yes that is possible.....most of my issues were on my left and I did not have a syrinx.

Have u had a brain MRI to see if u have Chiari as well? That could have caused a syrinx to form....some can be congenital with no known cause or an accident or even if forceps were used during ur birth.

[del833]

Thank you very much for the info. I guess now Im just concerned that doctor at my hospital appt next week isnt going to take this syrinx seriously because its only small. Whats concerning me however is what has caused it and my worsening symptoms/weakness on left side of my body. IS IT NORMAL TO ONLY EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS ON ONE SIDE OF THE BODY?? I guess I need to ask doctor next week to find the cause of the syrinx and not let him fob me off. Thanks again selmaS

[selmaS]

Hi, yes a syrinx means u have Syringomyelia.

And u r not cheeky asking more questions, that is y this forum is here so keep asking until u understand or have no more questions, and then u can help answer questions : )

These conditions are not rare, most times people had these and were not able to get a DX bcuz of MRI's were not widely used to DX symptoms from conditions like these until the late 1980's and then it was too costly to have one so regular MRI's were not a more common DXing tool until the 1990's...Chiari and Syringomyelia are not rare, but Drs that are experienced and informed on them are.

[del833]

Hi there selmaS thank you so much for the welcome and for your very informative answer. Im sorry to be cheeky and ask for yet more info,but does my small syrinx in my neck mean I have syringomyelia??? Im struggling to take in and understand all the information and my GP has admitted because this is rare (syrinx) hes never come across one in 30 years of practice,so I feel have no one to turn to for answers

[del833]

thanks for your help much appreciated. so do you think my small syrinx means I have syringomyelia??? or will next step probably be further scans of rest of my spine,as ive only had an mri of my neck. I hope you are going on okay with your condition.

[del833]

thanks all for being so helpful.The Ann Conroy trust site was particularly informative. Can anyone else help me further,as Im struggling to understand/take everything in. Does my small syrinx mean I have syringomyelia??

[titanium_man]

Hi del833...I have a syrinx as well. If you look at my page, I just posted about a syrinx on another forum members question.
See ya,
Ti man

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the Chiari forum.

Syringomyelia (syrinx) can form due to an obstruction of CSF flow...Chiari Malformation is when the skull is too small and causes the cerebral tonsils to herniate....depending on the width of the tonsils they can block CSF flow and cause a syrinx to form.

More testing at this point is needed to see how and y ur syrinx formed.....

Only then can u know where to go from here. Do use the Health Pages list of Drs for the UK it is a list from the Ann Conroy Trust-http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/list?cid=186