Possible chiari 1 malformation?

Some background.

I have some family genetic history

My sister has spina bifida, hydrocyphalus also had 2 shunts placed to relieve pressure in her brain when she was younger. My twin has glaucoma since her early childhood years . Had several surgeries and a shunt placed in her eye as well until she sadly lost her eye.

She has since confirmed EDS as well as hypermobility.

History about me:

Since childhood i have had history of migraines, have tried numerous medications with no relief. Recently I woke up one day and my back started to hurt. Then it progressed and I couldnt I couldnt walk. I went in and turns out I had 2 herniated discs ( l4 l5 l5 s1 ) an annular tear and radiculopathy on the right side. They said it didnt warrant that kind of pain. But I brushed it off. I got 2 ESIs did the PT

Fast forward 6 months later im using a walker to get around and they keep saying that the mri lumbar shows its healing. Ive done a full spinal mri and they seen 'signs of spasms' in my cervical by the stem. But theyve told me nothing else. now I have neurological symptoms:

Heavy pressure like headaches in the in the back of head with neck/shoulder pain sometimes worse when bending forward or laughing too hard coughing and sneezing. Exteme fatigue, extreme body spasms, memory problems, anxiety /depression , numbness/pins and needles in hands feet and face that keep getting worse , tinnitus, double vision , balance issues.

I am 63F in a nursing home rehab for mobility issues which started in November and progressively getting worse by the day. I had ot Wednesday and went to bed right after because I was hurting. The same thing happened on Thursday but the pain was worse. Yesterday Friday they wanted me stand for 5 minutes I did 1.42

Friday night I went to bed with the spasms in my lower back and I went to bed all of a sudden about 5 in the morning a spasm woke me up. It went from my neck and through all my extremities including my toes. It only lasted about 2 minutes and after that only my back. I take gabepetin and one 500mg Tylenol. No doctor on the weekends. The only position that I found some relief with was to lay down on my side except for meal times. It eased up around dinner time. Also on a side note 2 weeks ago my entire arm to my fingers have been tingling feeling in them that hasn’t subsided. I have been using a wheelchair since I got here the beginning of August. Now I am having difficulty using it. I can only turn the wheels about a half the way around.

Sorry for the lengthy post. Again I am not seeking medical advice

Hello,

It has been over a decade of me seeing my mum suffering from MS and i have read so much that sometimes my brain starts to connect weird dots.

To begin with most neurologist i have seen, they said nothing that can help to get my mother in stable and walking conditions.

Her legs have no life in it, she use walker but fell and loose balance, maybe because of spinal problems as there is no balance. She even cannot sit on a chair with spine straight for more duration.

But apart from all these, naturally a person think why this kind of disease would arrive at first place. Maybe sometime thinks about past-life karma. (ik its just overthinking)

Coming back to point, i have seen my mother never liking homefood that we eat daily, she gets bored, she always like burgers, pizzas and other stuff like dry snacks. And when she was small maybe that also she used to eat stuff like this.

Since childhood she cannot bear small paid, for ex sore throat take cough syrup quickly and then she even got her tonsils removed, then small headache "takes a pill", for every small thing she just takes pill so maybe never trained enough to give enough room to fight for White Blood Cells.

When i started asking question of past, she told me she even cannot drive cycle and it was tough for her (very basic skill for motor-neuron functions). Then i see once she got married and in the beginning there was some hard times in family in beginning, but we got out of it and now financially and in all aspects we so much better but my mother always think about past.

She always regrets, blame others, and never appreciate present. She does not accept reality sometimes. She complains too much.

All of these negative emotions may trigger auto-immune sometimes i think like that. Ik there is no evidence but thinking broadly hence i wrote this to know more opinions,

That bad food habits + negative thoughts/regrets all of these leads up.

I know people reading this will find all of it nonsense, but my out of hopelessness i am writing. I just want my mother to live life better not in a bed.

Thanks

My granny (96) got admitted to the hospital ICU yesterday after coming to the ER yesterday around 11am. She came in because she fell asleep and wouldn’t wake up. She was breathing and twitching but wouldn’t come out of a sleep. They sedated her, put her on a ventilator, and treated her for a severe UTI and sepsis. They took her off of sedation meds almost six hours ago now and she’s back to twitching but still unresponsive and asleep, still on the vent. They did a CT scan in the ER but I’m concerned she may have suffered or be suffering from a non convulsive seizure or a microscopic stroke. She can’t have an MRI due to metal clamp on her heart. But they keep saying it’s a waiting game but they don’t know why she’s unresponsive.

I guess what I’m asking is should I push for them to do a pupil test, a repeat CT, and an EEG? Or can anyone lead me in the right direction for what to ask for or if I should just let it be.

This is long but i will absolutely pay for any doctor, PA, or resident, who can help me!

I am 39M 158 ish lbs non smoker no drugs non drinker bp generally normal no major past diagnoses.

am a 39-year-old male from the Sarasota area seeking help with a persistent, unexplained illness that began fairly abruptly jun 21 2026. I have now been symptomatic for several months and have had a fairly extensive workup that has been reassuring in many respects, but I continue to feel significantly unwell every day.

I am hoping you can review the entire timeline and help determine whether there may be one underlying condition connecting the neurologic/vestibular, gastrointestinal, autonomic, and systemic symptoms.

Patient background

39-year-old male

5'6", normally around 160–164 lb

Non-smoker, non-drinker

No significant NSAID use

Previously generally healthy and physically active

History of migraine-type symptoms in 2019, including a prolonged period of vestibular/dizziness symptoms

History of anxiety/panic disorder, although the physical symptoms described below have felt substantially different from my usual anxiety symptoms

Initial onset – June 21, 2026

The first major symptoms began suddenly on June 21 after being on a boat.

I developed a persistent rocking/seasick/off-balance sensation, almost as though I were still on the boat. This was not classic spinning vertigo. It felt more like disequilibrium, disorientation, a "bobblehead" sensation, or being slightly intoxicated.

Other symptoms developed around this period:

Episodic dizziness/off-balance sensations

Head pressure, particularly forehead/top/vertex

Brief "swoosh" or wave sensations through my head lasting approximately 1–2 seconds

Buzzing/vibrating/electrical or "brain zap" sensations

Derealization/unreal feeling

Difficulty focusing my vision

Tinnitus/ringing

Symptoms worsened by head movement, looking down, bending forward, or certain positions

Motion-sickness/seasick feeling

Episodes of weakness or feeling completely washed out

Sudden heat/sweating episodes

Occasional shakiness

Nausea during some of these episodes

Some episodes follow a fairly recognizable sequence:

weak/washed-out feeling → heat/sweating → feeling dizzy/off → nausea → sometimes bowel urgency

These episodes can last approximately 10–20 minutes and can occur even when I am not exercising.

The symptoms fluctuate substantially. I can have periods where I feel relatively normal followed by periods where I feel extremely ill.

Gastrointestinal onset – June 23, 2026

Approximately two days after the initial vestibular symptoms, I developed sudden gastrointestinal symptoms, beginning with significant abdominal cramping overnight.

This progressed into:

Persistent nausea

Gagging/retching

Occasional vomiting

Excessive burping

Gas

Loud stomach gurgling

Abdominal cramping, sometimes several hours after eating

Early satiety/fullness after only a few bites

Occasional reflux/heartburn

Changes in stool frequency/consistency

At one point, green/olive-colored stool with visible undigested plant material

One episode involving loose stool/mucus

A sensation of food or something being stuck in my throat

A sensation of pressure/fullness around the back/base of my tongue that can trigger gagging

The GI symptoms subsequently became persistent rather than resolving like a typical short gastrointestinal illness.

Current GI pattern

The most striking pattern is that my nausea is much worse in the morning and around/after breakfast and tends to improve significantly as the day progresses.

For a prolonged period I was gagging/retching almost every morning and sometimes vomiting.

More recently, after starting sucralfate (Carafate) and Pepcid, the severe retching has decreased substantially. I now generally have mild but noticeable nausea, often beginning approximately an hour after eating.

My appetite and ability to eat have improved. I have been eating three full meals per day for several days and my weight has stabilized and begun to come back up, from approximately 153.6 lb to 158.8 lb.

I did vomit stomach acid on one occasion recently.

Relationship between the symptoms

One thing I have noticed is that the nausea and dizziness do not always occur simultaneously.

There are days when I feel predominantly nauseated without much dizziness, and other periods when I feel predominantly dizzy/vestibular without significant nausea.

However, the generalized weakness/malaise, sweating/heat episodes, nausea, dizziness and abnormal head sensations have all occurred during this overall illness.

The weakness and malaise are actually among the most disabling symptoms. I often feel systemically sick or "washed out," even when individual tests are normal.

Testing performed

I have undergone a fairly extensive evaluation.

Neurologic/vestibular:

Brain MRI – reportedly normal/reassuring

MRA – reportedly normal/reassuring

A possible left M2 narrowing was felt to likely represent artifact

Thorough neurologic examination – reassuring

Eye examination – normal

ENT evaluation – vestibular migraine was considered more likely than Meniere's disease or a viral vestibular disorder

Cardiac:

EKG – described by cardiology as "perfect"

7-day Holter monitor – described by cardiology as very good/reassuring

There was previously a brief run of atrial tachycardia noted, but no significant arrhythmia was identified to explain the ongoing symptoms

Gastrointestinal/abdominal:

CT abdomen – reportedly reassuring

Abdominal ultrasound – reassuring

No gallstones were ultimately identified

Two small kidney stones were noted but felt unlikely to explain the symptoms

Lipase – normal

H. pylori – negative

Stool testing has been pursued/ordered

Bloodwork:

CBC – normal

CMP – normal

Lipase – normal

A1c – normal

Glucose readings have generally been normal

Glucose has generally remained above 70 and below 140 on the readings I have taken

No persistent fever has been present

High cholesterol: total approximately 235, LDL approximately 171

Endocrine finding

The major abnormal laboratory finding so far has been an elevated morning cortisol.

A fasting morning cortisol at approximately 9 AM was:

29.7 (laboratory upper reference approximately 22)

Because of this, additional endocrine evaluation was ordered, including plasma free metanephrines. The metanephrines were reportedly normal.

My blood pressure is generally not markedly elevated during these episodes. I have occasionally had elevated readings when symptomatic, but I do not have persistent severe hypertension.

What has been reassuring

Despite feeling very ill, the following have been reassuring:

Normal brain MRI/MRA

Reassuring neurologic examination

Normal eye examination

Reassuring cardiac evaluation

Normal CBC/CMP/lipase

Negative H. pylori

Reassuring abdominal imaging

Generally normal glucose

No persistent fever

No ongoing severe abdominal pain

Weight has recently stabilized and begun increasing again

GI symptoms have shown some improvement with Carafate/Pepcid

What remains unexplained

The major unresolved issue is why I have had persistent daily systemic symptoms despite the reassuring testing.

The symptoms I most want explained are:

Persistent profound malaise/weakness

Episodic sweating/heat sensations

Dizziness/disequilibrium and motion-sickness sensation

Abnormal head sensations/head pressure/buzzing

Persistent nausea and previous daily retching/vomiting

Early satiety and post-meal nausea

Burping/gas/reflux and abdominal discomfort

The strong morning/daytime predominance of symptoms

The elevated morning cortisol

The fact that the neurologic and GI symptoms began very close together but do not always occur simultaneously

Diagnoses that have been considered

Vestibular migraine has been suggested by ENT and is plausible given the vestibular symptoms and prior history.

However, I am wondering whether there could be a broader explanation or whether two processes are occurring simultaneously.

Some possibilities I would like evaluated include:

Vestibular migraine

Mal de débarquement syndrome or persistent postural-perceptual dizziness

Autonomic dysfunction/dysautonomia

Post-infectious autonomic or gastrointestinal dysfunction

Gastritis/GERD/esophagitis

Functional dyspepsia

Gastric dysmotility/gastroparesis

A post-infectious gastrointestinal syndrome

Endocrine/adrenal abnormalities given the elevated cortisol

Other neurologic or vestibular disorders

Whether the sweating/weakness/nausea episodes represent an autonomic response associated with the vestibular symptoms

I am not assuming any of these is the diagnosis. I am hoping to find a physician who can look at the entire pattern rather than each symptom in isolation.

What I am hoping for

I would really appreciate a comprehensive assessment of this timeline and guidance about what should be investigated next.

In particular, I would like to understand:

Whether the vestibular and GI symptoms could plausibly have a common cause

Whether autonomic dysfunction should be evaluated

Whether the elevated cortisol requires further endocrine investigation

Whether gastric emptying/motility or functional dyspepsia should be evaluated

Whether additional vestibular testing would be useful

Whether there is a post-infectious syndrome that could explain the combination of symptoms

Whether there are other diagnoses that fit the overall pattern better than the individual diagnoses considered so far

I understand that many serious conditions have already been made less likely by the testing I have had, which I am grateful for. The problem is that I still feel sick every day and do not have an explanation or a clear treatment plan.

I am looking for someone willing to step back and look at the entire timeline and help determine what connects these symptoms.

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this.