Hey guys:

I'm going to apologize for the length of this upfront. I hate longwinded voice mails or posts but to give you a sense of this deal the first time I'd thought I'd give you the facts...sorry!

I was diagnosed w/ AC almost 15 years ago ( I'm now 50 ) after just having some dizzyness after jumping up off a bed every now and then...I have lots of doctor friends, one who is a very smart neurologist in Texas who told me after seeing my MRI that "he wouldn't let anybody cut into my brain unless I couldn't manage the symptoms anymore"....I took that to heart and have basically just dealt with it. That seemed to work well until about a year ago. I now seem to have an event that lays me out about once a month and they seem to take longer to get over. I have found that if I don't try to push myself thru one when i feel it's onset and get horizontal to a bed quickly, it doesn't seem to be as bad or last as long but when I try to push myself in my activity after the symptoms have presented themselves, it can be debilatating.

My questions are these; 1. can body weight be culprit to the recent activity, that is if you're overweight more than you've been in the past, can the extra fat in your neck mess you up? and 2. Is there any medication that can be taken at onset of symptoms that help alleviate or minimize the painful symptoms later?

I am going to schedule an appointment with a great neurologist once i find the right one here in nashville and get a current professional perspective. Until that time, I appreciate your comments. Blessings to all of you who are hurting.

Welcome to NeuroTalk! This is a great community with lots of nice people. I don't have experience with AC but someone should be along with more information. I hope you'll get some helpful tips and make some new friends as well. Take care and feel better soon.

I'm sorry to hear about your condition, unfortunately I don't have the expertise to give you much of advice regarding your questions. But one thing I can say, and you'll probably hear it from more than me; try to find a good neurosurgeon rather than a neurologist, a neurosurgeon, preferably one with experience with Chiari, because then you'll have a better chance of getting the expertise and help you need.

Welcome to NT!

I don't know enough about your condition to address your questions. However, I do know that you're not alone on the forum and I hope you find the following link helpful:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post407758-11.html

Cheers

Can you please explain these symptoms that you are having, I'm curious because I've had problems in the past and they went away but now returned, as far as the weight is concerned, I was told by several doctors that it dosen't help nut only worsens the problem and not necessdarily the cause.