I stumbled on your posting and had to comment. My son is 16 and recently diagnosed with CM1 with 19mm herniation. If all goes as planned, with insurance that is, he will have surgery with Dr. Menezes at Univ. of Iowa March 16. We can't wait. He is a swimmer, both for high school and club, but we are seeing a steady decline in his ability. Headaches are more frequent, heart palpitations, and dizziness. Gosh I can't imagine things that your son has been involved in. Way before we knew he had chiari he dropped out of sports like football and baseball because they gave him headaches. It wasn't until he joined track last spring and had pounding headaches that we thought "this isn't right". We live in MN and are traveling to Iowa. I certainly hope you find someone for a second opinion where you are or if you have to travel.