Hi Mis tusa, No she hasn't had the surgery, She probably would have went undiagnosed had she not been in an accident that causee whiplash. She's always had tight neck and shoulders and has several problems like reversed kyphotic curve,headaches, DDD in her neck and a form of MD called Charcot marie tooth.
We did go through a very scarry time where it looked like we would have to have the surgery, after the car accident she started having abscent seizures, not the type of seizure that causes jerking and twithcing, but she would go in to the kitchen to get a drink and after a few minutes I would go to check on her and would find her staring off into space and couldn't get her to snap out of it untill the seizure passed. It was kinda of like watching someone standing asleep with their eyes open. This was happening up to a dozen times a day sometimes during mid sentance or when she simply went to the bathroom. So, I was always following after her when she didn't return from wherever she said she was going to do. It was very freeky and she was completely unaware of what was going on during the seizure and didn't remember having them.
After reading about the surgery, that didn't sound like a great option. Everything we read said to focus on the symptoms the surgery did relieve rather than the ones it didn't. Surgery for Chiari is very iffy and the results varry from person to person. What if any symptoms did your surgery relieve?
Her work was so concerned they fired her for sleeping on the job the day before the chiari was diagnosed. She wasn't asleep, she was just having a type of seizure they had never seen before. Her head would drop and she would zone out for 5-10 minutes and then deny anything happened because she wasn't aware anything had happened. The denial was the funny part when I would find her standing in the dark in the dining room, half way up the stairs in a daze or in la la land while on the toilet. It's hard to convince someone of something they don't remeber.
Fortunately after several ESI's, inflamation was reduced and several other treatment methods were used the seizures stopped and we have been focusing on the neck and shoulder pain. She hasn't had a seizure in almost 2 years. Botox, Occipital blocks and trigger point injections have been very effective at relieveing the neck and shoulder pain. There really is nothing to be scared of with the botox. Another added benefit from botox is the effective treatment of hyper hydrosis. She had a paratoid tumor removed "salivary gland" and they have to clip the nerve that goes to her ear. When she eats something sour, instead of producing saliva, there is a 2 inch by 4 inch patch just in front of her ear that would sweat profusely. So they inject that aree too and it solved that problem. It's really a tiny needle and the only risk is botox migrating to a live nerve in the face and causing temp facial paralysis.
Your doc may or may not use the leftover on your forehead or other areas you might have similar problems with. It's too expensive to waste and since were paying for the vial, our PM doc has no problem relieving the physical problems and using it on her forhead to paralyze those muscles to help prevent tension headaches and reduce frown lines. I can't think of any additional risk other than the same risk of infection from any injection you might have. It's a tiny needle that he uses to deliver small amounts all across the back of her shoulders, the base and down the sides of her neck, her forhead and the side of her face where the nerve was clipped that causes hyperhydrosis. Aside from the bobble head effect... it's great stuff.
just kidding
Botox, trigger point injections and occipital blocks have been far more effective than any pain med or muscle relaxer she has ever tried. This is what PM is reallly about, finding the most effective treatment for your problem, Not who has a doc that will prescribe the most dope.
That statement isn't directed towards you, it's meant for those that think PM is only about opiates and for those that don't understand why their doc may have a problem beginning a life-long opiate dependency when something else may work.
It takes 3-5 days to reach full effect and lasts 3-4 months. Getting insurance to pay was a bear, but with the right DX they did finally approve 4 more treatments over the next 12 months. There is something called Botox B which your doc can prescribe and you pick up at the pharmacy and bring to him to inject that costs about 1/4 of what a bottle of Botox A costs. Should your insurance become a problem and you get similar great results ,it is an option to continue treatment with the Botox B.
Good luck and compared to the surgery, the itsy bitsy shots are nothing and may give you more relief. She can drive herself to and from and go straight back to work after getting 20 tiny injections.
I hope it's as effective for you as it has been for my wife.
Take care, Dave
Re: Botox 
