Have you looked up Dr Oro at the Chiari Care Center in Aurora CO? Don't know if that is near you but you can contact that clinic and ask for a second opinion by phone consult, I believe. I was diagnosed in 2003 with a 10 mm herniation, had decompression with laminectomy of c1 and a dural patch to allow the csf to flow. Chiari 1 is not a condition that most drs have any experience with. My family doc is wonderful and he has been in practice for 35+ yrs ( in a large city) and told me that I was only the 2nd chiari he had ever treated in practice. Hard to believe but true for most docs i believe. Do not worry about stepping on toes or appearing to be a "head case" (lol, cause we all really are anyway). This is your body, your health, your life and future and you deserve all your questions answered and the most experienced drs available. Good luck and God Bless.