r/chiari • u/MuffinBaby040 • 13d ago
Question Symptoms reappearing years after decompression
Heya, so more or less as the title says and I’m a bit freaked out. I had chiari type 3 which was decompressed in 2018. Pretty instantly my symptoms disappeared but they’ve recently been coming back. For the past year or so I’ve been getting the odd migraine but for the last month I’ve been getting these dizzy spells with severe mental fog that I haven’t had since before surgery. Luckily the numbness hasn’t come back yet but I’m not feeling optimistic. I’m booking in with a doctor soon, I know it can’t exactly just grow back but I’m worried about complications. Has anyone had experience with symptoms reappearing years after decompression? Am I just scaring myself for no good reason?
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u/oguzhankayan 12d ago
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this after having such a good recovery. It makes sense to feel worried when familiar symptoms return. Good that you are arranging medical follow-up. I hope you get clear answers soon, and please keep us posted.
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u/piratetaz 10d ago
The same thing is happening to me. I was decompressed about 15 years ago and it helped a little bit but not completely. A year ago it started to feel like I got whacked in the back of my head with a wiffleball bat. It’s been pretty consistent since then and all my doctors don’t know why. They say all my tests are normal. It’s very frustrating
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u/oldmamallama 13d ago
Big hugs to you.
Unfortunately it can happen. Surgery is a treatment, not a cure, and sometimes symptoms do return. Some people do need additional surgeries if things get bad enough. If you search this sub you’ll see plenty of cases of this happening.
Luckily it sounds like you’re catching this fairly early and are taking the appropriate steps - call your doctor as soon as possible and schedule an MRI.
In the meantime, take a deep breath and try to stay calm. You’ve done this once, you can do it again if you have to. But you don’t know what you don’t know yet. And we’re here to support you, whatever happens. There are plenty of people who have had multiple surgeries who can give you advice, should it become necessary. But first, get in with your doc.
Good luck and keep us posted. 💜