the shakes

[lor124]

Does anybody get where you feel very exhausted, get light headed and start shaking. I tried very hard Thanksgiving to prepare a meal for the family when all of a sudden I got sick to my stomache, I felt a little light headed and then started to shake. I felt like my arms weighed a ton and it was hard to move them. It lasted about 15-20 min. and then I started to fele better. My husband said I started walking like I was drunk before all this started. My sister has Chiari as well and she had an issue with passing out. Her sister in law is a nurse and she said it looked like she was having some kind of seizure or TIA

[jyojlynn]

I get the shakes too!  I usually have to lie down for a few minutes with a cold cloth on my head to feel better.  I also overdid it on Thanksgiving - and I paid for it dearly the next day! When it happens I am instantly exhausted.  You aren't alone - as you can see!

[chadry]

Yes she has had a few MRI's in the last few years. Her size is 5mm. No one else has been tested for it. She is the only one that really has the dizzy spells and the balance problem. The rest of the family has the shakes and tremors which she gets occasionally.
We go back to the neurosurgeon on the 30th of this month to probably discuss surgery.
I mentioned to my daughter today about what I read on this post and i think it helped her to feel not so alone. She is 12 so she tries to act like it does not matter but when I bring up things that I have read that other people say I know she is listening and she seemed pretty interested about this particular subject.

[Shane99]

Has she (or anyone in her family) been diagnosed with Chiari for sure? What's the size of her herniation and how often has she had MRI's?

[chadry]

Wow I am so glad I read this one. My daughter gets the shakes, but she says they are inside and you can't see them but she feels them. In fact my husbands whole family has the tremors with their hands. His other children have it too. My daughters hands do not shake that much but she says her arms and mostly her legs get that way. I have felt them and do not fell anything but I do believe her because she has been saying this since she was alot younger. We used to check her blood sugar but that was always OK.
She has had a few times after a hot shower where she has run to me because she got so shaky and lightheaded. It scared the **** out of me. I laid her down and just sat with her holding her hand until it passed. I could see she was as white as a ghost. She no longer gets real hot showers.I know one time she was having one of her headaches and she got that way too. I made her suck on a lolipop to help with her stomach but she threw up anyway. This does not happen too often but when it does it is scary.
I believe that my husband and his other children may also have chiari. I know this can be a family thing but the older ones do not take me seriously. I know when my daughter in law was preganat I would go to the ultra sounds with her and I always made them check the baby for Chiari. All the kids love their little sister and they are so supportive of her and the problem she is having. We are a combined family with 8 kids and she is the baby. We had a full room at one of her docotr visits when some of them went with us. If she goes anywhere with them I always tell them to keep their eye on her for any dizzy spells.No one except me and another son has ever seen her when she has gotten the shakes and I know it scared her brother too. I didn't know if I should call an ambualnce or what. I thought maybe she got scared too so that made it worse. I am an anxiety sufferer so I know how bad a panic attack is. In fact I thought maybe at first that was what she was having but it turned out that she has Chiari.
She also gets shaky if she does alot of exercise. She did pretty good with softball this year but there was one day I would not let her go because of the heat. I just did not think she could handle it because of the previous experiences witht the hot showers. She also does not do good with car rides. they make her dizzy,sick and shaky but not to the point where she looks like she is going to pass out. I really thought she was going to faint a few times on me.

This post has helped me a great deal.
Chadry

[Shane99]

I'm 7 months post op and I still on occasion have episodes like that. I get weak-kneed, start shaking, sometimes I'll feel cold and clammy - and often manage to sweat a ton while cold.

My father was out with me one day recently - and even though he knows of the surgery and has helped me a lot during my recovery, I think he believed that maybe I was exaggerating my problems a little - until I had a spell in front of him and he had to help me to a seat.

Ever since, he seems to believe me unquestioningly (not sure that's even a real word, but it fits :).

[Hursty48]

Yes, I get the shakes and feel lightheaded after I go for a long walk or exercise of any kind. I used to always think I was going to have a stroke or something. But I feel shaky, lightheaded and almost drunk - almost like I could float away -  and need to sit down with a cup of tea and eat half dozen lollies and it settles. Have also the last few days started with sore lower leg muscles then next day legs were aching all over and also especially between the shoulder blades and back of neck. I seem to be moving along reallly quickly with symptoms with also bothers me. I feel so much for you cause I know exactly how scared you feel - I am still comming to terms with the fact that a couple of weeks ago i never even knew this condition existed and now finding all the vague symptoms actually should have been setting a red flag flying in my face

[jptdad]

Hi there!  I do get the shakes and it is from low blood sugar (diabetic).  I was cooking Thanksgiving and had two sugar lows and had to get some carbs quickly.  Did you get something to eat after/during the shakes?

jptdad

[selmaS]

....oh my I thought I had restless legs too!!! ...not sure, but the past week my right shoulder is really giving me trouble, when I lay down on my left, I don't know where to place my arm because my shoulder then feels like I am jamming it into my neck.....my heart palps come when I am sitting and posting here....not any anxeity involved.....I recently started having more difficulties in a steamy shower, this past summer being outside...I never had issues with heat b4...only the cold used to bother me...if I was cold, I hurt.....I have issues with my ears as well, but I get a buzzing constantly and at times high pitched sounds as well as it feels like someone is jamming an ice pick in there.....

take care.
"selma"

[lor124]

scary isn't the word... terrifying fits better when it first starts and you just don't know what to. You can't explain to someone that doesn't understand, they think the shaking comes from being scared when that's not it at all. I mostly get the heart palps when I exercise or when I lay on my left side or when I get too hot. How does the sore shoulders fit in? I usually get a real sore neck and shoulder muscles along with the the headaches...... My NS allowed me to go off the topomax and the leg cramps came back and the pain in the legs behind or along side the knees really gets to me especially at night. I feel like I have to tense up or stretch my muscles to get relief. I thought it was RLS at first but I think it is related to the chiari. I also now can  take my own pulse!!! I hear it all the time in my left ear... What's next???????

[selmaS]

U r both welcome....we all need this support...it has helped me to know that u 2 also have this and I am not alone either....it can b very scary when this happens....I also tend to get heart palps when this happens....

"selma"

[Rosebud3]

Thank you for the information you just gave to my sister lor.  It normalized and validated some of my own feelings as I'm sure they have hers.  You have been a wonderful support for both of us.  Thank you for being there.  San

[Rosebud3]

I'm sorry to hear that you had one of my episodes on Thanksgiving.  I'm not sure what's going on with us.  These episodes are different than my narcalepic type behaviors.  Bettsy, my S-I-L did say what you reported.  She's been a nurse and supervised nurses for several decades.  I was surprised at her take on what was happening to me because I never thought that things were that bad.  Unfortunately, I am having them more often now and they last a little longer too.  At least I worked up to 15-20 minutes.  You just jumped right up their.  I hope you can get some help for this.  I know it is no fun and it can scare the **** out of you.  I can't drive anymore.  If your starting this how are you going to drive or go to work?  I'm worried about you sis.  Keep me posted.  Love you very  much. san

[selmaS]

Hi.....yes I know what u mean...Whenever I do too much, and I never know what is going to b too much...I tend to have what I call tremors.....both hands shake like I have CP or something.....and I feel like everything inside is shaking as well....

This is y we r told to do in moderation....don't overdo...ect.....I find it difficult to know when I am going to overdo...everyday is different as to what I can do with out the tremors...

I am not sure if that answered ur ?, but I feel like I understand what u mean.

Godspeed
"selma"