My Story...

I guess now is the time that I share my story...

I was always sick. From the time i was little there was always something wrong with me. I was often told that there was nothing wrong with me and that it was all in my head. I missed a ton of school. I had my son when i was 16. I got had an epidural with my delivery of him. After I had him i struggled with a ton of digestive issues but was once again told that there was nothing wrong with me and that it must be due to stress and anxiety.  After literally being stuck in bed for 3 years, losing 70lbs because i couldn't eat, multiple tests and numerous visits to the hospital because of what was "all in my head" and a surgery to repair my collapsing intestine,  I then got pregnant with my daughter. Final diagnosis: Irritable bowel Syndrome and Endometriosis. I had my daughter when i was 19. During my pregnancy with her I had a spinal for a medical procedure i needed in mid-pregnancy i began experiencing severe nausea and dizziness. I was tired all the time and just didnt feel good. I assumed it was due to my low Iron levels and pregnancy. I then delivered her via C-section after yet another spinal. The symptoms didnt go away after I had her and I then developed a severe hormone imbalance. I had practically no estrogen. I was put on estrogen patches. Once again I endured multiple medical tests and medicines but no doctor was able to tell me what was wrong with me. I was stuck in bed yet again but this time I thought i had suddenly developed allergies. My symptoms were a feeling that i couldn't breathe, dizziness, headaches, severe menstrual pain, muscle pain, severe fatigue, and continuing digestive issues. I developed heart palpatations. Final diagnosis: Hormone Imbalance, Adrenal Fatigue, PMDD, heart murmur and fibromyalgia. Another 3 years passed and I was pregnant with my youngest Son. I underwent the same mid-pregnancy procedure with a spinal. While pregnant with my son i began to develop numbness in my arms and hands. I thought it was the baby sitting on my sciatic nerve. My area around one side of my mouth went numb, i felt like i was drooling but wasn't, I felt pressure behind my right eye, I felt a fullness in my right ear, I had headaches that stemmed from the back of my neck up my head (what I thought was a tension headache) I began to have lines in my vision that didnt go away. I saw spots, I was still dizzy, i couldnt function. I gave birth to my second son with the help of an epidural. These symptoms didn't go away. When my son was about 2 1/2 months old i started being awakened at night by what i call brain shakes. It felt like my brain was shaking inside my skull but if you looked at me, i wasnt shaking. This shaking would sometimes radiate into my arms. This went on for 2 days before I got really freaked out and went to the Dr. The doctor sent me for a brain MRI because he thought I had Multiple Sclerosis. My symptoms were only on the right side of my body. After the MRI i went home and waited for the results. About a week after my MRI I got a phone call and saw on the caller ID that it was my doctors office. I answered and It was my Doctor. The first thought I had was "crap, this isn't good." One thing i had learned with all of my medical issues was that when the nurse called me everything was fine, when the Doctor called... it was bad. He told me I have a Chiari Malformation. I said "what the heck is that? Ive never heard of it before." He explained to me that it is when my skull isn't big enough for my brain so my brain is pressing up against my skull. It was pinching my spinal nerves and causing these symptoms. I was then sent for a spinal MRI to determine how bad the CM was and referred to a neurosurgeon. I waited for 2 weeks to get in to see the NS. The day of my appointment my brother and his girlfriend came over to watch my kids and my mom and dad (who are divorced) came together to bring me to the NS and learn my fate. We waited in his office for about an hour before he finally came in and said “So you have a Chiari Malformation… You have a very bad Chiari Malformation. Apparently it is 16mm in length. The Dr. spent time explaining to us how the surgery would go, what to expect after surgery and how long I would be out of commission for. Brain surgery is set for June 8^th, 2011. Final diagnosis: Chiari Malformation.

Chiari robbed me of my life. I had to drop out of school and graduate through the mail. Ive never been to a dance. I couldn’t take care of my first son. I haven’t been to a movie theater in 6 years. I lost all of my friends and just had an awful life because of being sick…. But im happy. Im happy this has a treatment, Im happy my kids are still young enough to have a healthy mom, Im happy I still have my family, and Im alive.

*Note- i mention the Spinals and epidurals because some say it makes Chiari worse when a needle is inserted into the spine.*