What Is Going On In Sarah’s Head?

Chiari just seems to be a can of worms.  I was diagnosed with chiari malformation in April 2015.  Chiari is a condition where the brain herniates through the base of your skull compressing the spine and brain stem.  If there's one thing I've learned in the last 3 years, it's that chiari NEVER travels alone and has a lot of friends.  People with chiari usually have other diseases like: EDS (a connective tissue disorder) Cranio-Cervical Instability, Tethered Cord Syndrome, Syringomyelia, POTS, MCAD and much much more.

I have a handful of these issues and seem to find out about a new one every 6 months.  I recently saw a Neurosurgeon at Penn State who specializes in the venous flow in the brain.  It looks like I have, what is called, venous stenosis.  Arteries bring healthy oxygenated blood to the brain and veins take the used blood away.  The areas in RED indicate where the veins are failing to take that blood away.  I have no venous flow on the left and minimal on the right.

A person with this issue can have a host of symptoms.  Severe headaches being the biggest one, along with, pressure, nausea & vomiting, blurry vision, dizziness, loss of memory and much more.

To fix this, I will need to have a stent placed on the right side.  There is no hope for the left side.  But at least with one side functioning properly, I should feel better.