Re: "Slight" Herniations Attn: Peetie et.al.
 

Sorry bout putting ya in the subject line, Peetie, but when looking over threads, I noticed you'd mentioned it, and wanted to put it in a separate thread where others could find the discussion if they were so inclined. So I hope ya forgive me.

You asked about a lesser degree of herniation causing problems in Arnold Chiari Malformations. Now, let's all be reminded I'm not a doctor, and I dont exactly remember where I read it at, so no quotes or linkage to go with the info (sorry), but....

There has recently been documentation of Chiari-type symptoms with NO herniation of the cerebral tonsils visible past the forem magmem(sp?), and they have termed this Chiari Type0. So yes, it is possible, even probable that slight or even non-existant herniations could cause symptoms.

There is an almost seemingly endless list of symptoms Chiarians can suffer from or with..... or in many cases, like mine, we can go years symptom free. I was 30 years old before the first life disrupting symptoms hit, and within 6 months it was literally a life or death prospect. It is believed that many Chiarians live totally normal lives and eventually pass away never knowing they had the malformation.

As in my case, I had several things, that were part of "normal life" that to my neurologist were straight up text book Chiari.... ie. Nystagmus (but I came from a long line on both sides of the family, of vision problems), gait and balance problems ( "No wonder your parents didnt name you Grace" was one I heard ALL the time), difficulty swallowing (assumed to be due to scar tissue from a SEVERE case of Strep Throat when I was five).... etc.

Hope that helps answer some questions, or at least sets ya on the road to asking some new ones. I think dealing with and understanding ACM is probably one of the most intellectually intense things I've done in my life.

God Bless You All!!!

Dawn