Razzle,

Unfortunately, My family doc doesn't understand a thing about Chiari and it's related disorders. How do I know if I have the related disorders? I just don't want thrown on medicine. Doctors are too quick to do that. I want someone to do testing to get to the bottom of my issues, instead of placing me on a pill that will just mask it anyway. So they see "mild Chiari" from an MRI and want to do surgery. Can't we investigate it a little further. Especially since I have other things going on. For instance my bloodwork is all out of whack. I have just over the last 6 months developed (or realized) that I am deficient in multiple vitamins and minerals. That's weird to me.

I've already been down "pill pusher" route with my first Neurologist who refused to even INFORM me that I had Chiari. He didn't think it was relative to my symptoms. Therefore he just kept putting me on medications. One i've been on for 8 years for PTC "headaches" and they didn't help but my body is so used to it (Its a beta blocker) and my heart is so used to it that after all these years I've weaned myself down to a half dose and will try to stop it totally when I lose a good deal of weight. I guess I'm not totally convinced that all of my symptoms are from Chiari. I just want to be sure. And I'm tired of pressure for surgery, that in my research, hasn't shown to be a cure all. The things is my symptoms will be treatable and bare able for months and months and then I will have a "off" weeks. This particular "off" period has been going on for months. Somehting just isn't right. I'm not feeling myself. It's scary.