Oh, hon, do I feel for ya **huggs**.

Actually, I was officially diagnosed with ACM around the middle of March of 2000, and had surgery in June of 2000, so less than a month after DX. But my symptom progression was so rapid and degenerative that it was cause for concern. I went from being perfectly healthy in Jan 2000 to unable to walk the week before surgery.

Far as the making jokes aspect. It can really be conducive to a healthy outlook, and a positive way of dealing with an entirely too frightning unknown, at least in my opinion. Seems to me, like any concerned parent, your scared enough for both of ya . My DH has kinda the same sick, warped humor of dealing with our situation. Like he told me, sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. I would hazard to guess that your son's joking is a way for him to deal with his fear of loosing everything that makes him the peron he's learned to be.

I would definately discuss your concerns with the NS at your appointment. Especially the limitations with and without surgery. I, too, would be concerned about the football (although to be upfront and honest, I'm not that big of a football advocate in the first place). However, I would also be concerned about limiting him from ALL sports, due to the depression factor, if it were my son, I'd probably encourage him (with doctors approval and support) to continue and concentrate on the less contact orientated sports. Far as the weight-lifting, as long as it doesnt aggrivate any symptoms, I dont think it would cause any problems. Especially if it is just to maintain health and muscle tone. I would advise against body building though, anything that causes stress and tension in the upper shoulders/neck area, ie less weight with more reps, as apposed to higher weights with less reps. Of course, as previously stated, do this all WITH approval of the NS and possible a NL if surgery isnt a recommendation.

I know it will be hard for you, but after practical saftey measures have been taken, (helmets, guards, etc), and you have consulted with a NS or NL and have recieved the go ahead.... try not to become so concerned that you wind up psyching him into becomming a recluse himself. After my surgery and post op, I was allowed to live a normal life, with a few exceptions, the list I had to avoid were things like..... no riding roller coasters, no horseback riding, no bungie jumping, no skydiving , basically anything that would cause sudden extreme head jerks.

As far as aggrevating the condition, so many "normal things" can have the possibility of inflaming an otherwise non-symptomatic Chiarian, its really a mute point in trying to cease all potentially aggrevating scenarios. My Chiari symptoms were actually accellerated by a simple case of tendonitis in my shoulders and neck area. As my NL told me, a person cant live life afraid of the "possibilities" of developing something that maybe, possibly, could aggrivate something. As a parent, this is soooooo hard. I even find myself worried about my kiddos when their out climbing on the swing set, that they might fall and aggrevate a hereunknown Chiari Malformation. But I also understand, at the same time, that it would be unfair of me to deny them being kids, just because of what might be, what could be, and what possibly might happen. So I resign myself to keeping the sand under the swing set nice and fluffy, scanning the ground for rocks and sticks, making sure they wear their helmets and pads each and every time they get on their bikes, etc.

Glad to hear from you sweetie, and hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy Happy New Year!!!!

God Bless you and yours!!!!

Dawn