Chiari I Malformation

Chris has been getting migraine like headaches recently, and had never had them before, so he went to the doctor and was referred for an MRI. He had the MRI last week, and then this week the nurse from his doctor's office called and said,

"We got the results from your MRI and you need to come in".

Um, what? That sounds a little bit whole lotta scary.

She said, "don't worry, you don't have any tumors or anything".

Well, that does help, a little bit, but still, this is his BRAIN we're talking about.

So Chris (understandably) was quite concerned and was able to get an appointment that morning. I went with him. Turns out the MRI showed what's called a Chiari I Malformation, which essentially means (I think) that a teensy bit (like 5-6 mm) of the back part of his brain called the cerebellum (which controls balance) extends into the hole in the skull where the spine attaches (it's not supposed to do this). This can cause pressure on the cerebellum (or the brain stem?) which can result in headaches, dizziness, numbness, and ringing in the ears.

We are in the process of scheduling a consult with a neurologist to get a confirmation of the diagnosis and to see if there are any treatments that are recommended. From what we can tell, generally the treatment is to treat the symptoms. If that doesn't work, it appears as though surgery is the other option.

Would you please pray with me that we can get in with a great doctor, and that it ends up being no big deal really? It's scary when we're talking about my husband's BRAIN, you know?

Click HERE for more information on this condition.