A Curve In The Road

Life has been nuts to say the least since I last blogged three months ago. Between, wife, mom, business owner, babysitting and my health I think I am going nuts! Seriously. Then I think about all the catching up I have to do in blog land and I get overwhelmed and just don't do it. Sorry guys. I promise I have not fell off the face of the earth. I am still here and intend to get caught up starting with this blog.

Now onto what this post is about.

 I have always had headaches and really bad migraines.  However they were never everyday until around Thanksgiving of last year. I never really thought much about it. I just thought I was stressed and that is why I was having headaches and/or migraines everyday.  I did not get worried until in January my neck starting hurting more and my right arm and hand would go numb along with if I got up to fast or moved to fast I would have this very sharp pain in my head like someone was stabbing me with a knife. Me being bullheaded, put off going to the doctor until May. I don't go to the doctor unless I cannot handle whatever is bothering me anymore.

Anyway I went to the doctor who then ordered me to have an X-Ray and two MRI's done of the neck and brain. I was told I have a Type 1 Chiari Malformation and I was referred to a specialist in Swansea.


Here is one photo of what I have. The picture on the left is how the brain should be. The picture of the right is how my brain is.

Another photo-The one on the left is how my brain is and it shows how my brain is coming out between the end of the skull bone in the back and the spine. My brain is down 12 mm. Which means that I am experiencing symptoms such as the numbness, pain in back of the skull and headaches, dizziness, migraines, etc. because the brain is pressing on nerves. I was told that if I am careful and do not do anything to jar my brain or cause swelling to my brain which could push the brain down further, my condition should not progress at all if any. If my brain would go further down and start causing me to not feel my legs for example, the surgeon would go in and do a decompression surgery, which is what photo two shows above.

My restrictions include not lifting to much, no running, no hitting my head to hard, of course (if I even hit my head a little it hurts like hell,ugh), avoid stress, etc. There is more, but those are the main ones. These are a challenge as it is with a 5 year old and almost 2 year old. Vince is being an angel and has kicked it up a notch. His parents and my mom and her boyfriend are also a huge help when I need help with something or them to lift for me.

I am on medicine for chronic pain and a couple of others to manage the side effects I am having  from the other meds. Now that we figured which meds I can take, I finally have almost no pain everyday. Its nice. I still have the dizziness and tiredness of it all but it could be worse right.

It feels good to be back in full swing again with all the hats I wear day to day. I just pray that I stay feeling like this and nothing gets worse.

If you are wondering what causes this type of malformation, you can be born with it or it can be caused by a major impact of the skull. The symptoms of the Type 1 do not show up until later in life. Which is what happened to me. How I got mine I am not sure and it really doesn't matter. I have it now I deal with it.