My Story

In my thirties i began to get some problems with fatigue.In my late thirties i began to see more problems such as severe headaches,blurred vision,electric shock sensations in my arms then eventually in my legs and running across my head,slurred speech,memory loss,drop attacks where i would just fall to the ground for no reason,impotence,frequent urination,Vertigo,Dizziness,the list goes on. In December 2007 i went to my GP who sent me for a MRI.I rang the surgery after approximately 3 weeks and was told my results had gone missing.The GP told me i was suffering with depression and gave me antidepressants.A year later and i was now feeling at my all time low i decided to go back to the GP.He told me i had Labyrinthitis because of the dizziness and sent me to a ENT specialist. I attended and the specialist told me it was a problem with the Cerebellum and referred me for another MRI.The results came back to the GP and he referred me to a Neurologist. I attended and he told me the results were OK and that i was suffering depression and referred me to the mental health team.I was not happy so i asked for the results of the MRI to take home.He stated that the latest results from the MRI had not come back but had some how found the ones from 2007.It said on the report that i had a 5mm Tonsular Ectopia, so i decided to google this and to my amazement it came up with Chiari Malformation.I did some extensive research and asked for a copy of my latest MRI images.It clearly showed a Herniation and so i asked the doctor to refer me to a Neurosurgeon . He referred me to a specialist in Liverpool who told me i had Chiari Malformation and referred me to another Neurosurgeon in Birmingham where i live.This specialist was great, he told me i had Chiari Malformation and also two syrinxes in my spine.In April 2009 i underwent Posterior Fossa Decompression to try and halt the progression of nerve damage.The headaches have stopped as have the drop attacks.I still have all the rest of my problems due to nerve damage and was told i may have to live with these problems for the rest of my life.