Should I see the doctor? My aunt and uncle on my father's side of the family had severe issues due to Chiari malformation. My aunt in particular had the worst problems. Both underwent surgery. My father however has no problems and no one on my mother's side of the family has ever been diagnosed with or had issues associated with Chiari that I am aware of.

I have had neck issues most of my life, since maybe 3rd grade or so. Mainly stiffness and generally being uncomfortable. Now at 29 I am beginning to have more neck issues in addition to other problems some would call minor but I consider major impediments to quality of life. I used to think I had many symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but now with the my aunt and uncle having been diagnosed with Chiari malformations, and the recent onset of worsening neck pain, I am beginning to think that the real problem I have is in fact Chiari.

Recently I have been experiencing a very stiff neck similar to whiplash. In the past 14 days I have probably had 2 days where my neck wasn't sore to very sore. It definitely feels unstable, like any wrong move will cause neck pain. I occasionally get headaches (though not recently), but they're usually associated with soda consumption, something I try to avoid now. Occasionally when I move I feel as if there is pressure in the back of my skull, not really painful, just strangely pressured, almost like a heightened awareness of that area. Also, most recently, I have felt a warm sensation on the back of my neck when laying on my back, laying on my side relieves the sensation. Its difficult if not impossible to find a position that does not involve neck pain or discomfort of some sort.

The other symptoms I have are a general down in the dumps kind of feeling, a lack of motivation, some problems with focusing on complex tasks, insomnia, and sleepiness throughout the day.

I'm thinking I'll see the doctor regardless but wanted to see what other peoples opinions of my symptoms are. I've never had an MRI.

Well it is really difficult to say by your symptoms alone if you have Chiari or not because ACM symptoms are usually very specific to the person. I have an 11mm herniated ACM and a syrnix that is rapidly getting worse and the most common symptom I have is headaches. Its very strage because I get headaches whenever the pressure increases in my head like I sneeze or bend over. They are extream headaches that last only 30 second to a few minutes but they go away.

I digress.. if you go to conquerchiari.org, they have a list of common symptoms. Maybe you can glance through that and see if any pertain to you. It never hurts to be armed with information when you go see a doctor but that is something you definatly should do as well. I know most people are born with it and many doctors say that someone can go their whole life and not have any problems or it won't get worse but I know where you're coming from with the whole "I CAN live with the symptoms but the quality of life goes way down." PLUS I was diagnosed with ACM about 8 months ago and they just did another MRI to see how it was doing (trying to see if i needed surgery or not) and because of the pressure in my neck, just in the last few months I have gone from a 9 to an 11mm herniation AND my brainstem has become kinked. Also, my syrnix has more than doubled in length and has widened by 2mm.

SO long story short I would say get to a doctor as soon as you can. Early detection of any problem is good but it wouldn't hurt to get some information before you do.