One Year after surgery ....DRAMATIC RESULTS

So, it has been a whole year now after surgery. I have to share these images of my daughter's syringomylia after surgery.  I had lowered my expectations.  The first three pics are BEFORE surgery.  The rest are after surgery.

We had a goal of 50% reduction. We were told it can take years.  I remember clearly crying to Dr. George about how I believed I made a mistake.  My daughter 20hrs after surgery  was on morphine and just "out of it" not herself.  Now, 1 year later.....I definately did not make a mistake!

Before:

Huge Sepatated Syrinxs CSpine

Full Spine View before surgery.  Compelling Syringomyelia

CSpine - biggest syrinx cysts

Now ONE YEAR POST OP;

                                       CSpine 1yr post op.  Reduction of syringomyelia and obvious flow restored

    Lumbar view NO syrinxs

           Thoracic Spine = resolved syringomyelia

Obviously, Pictures are PROOF that for our daughter, she has recovered very well. I bet the next question is going to be about symptoms. Olivia still gets headaches. Not as often and she rarely goes to bed with them.  She has NOT woke up with a headache since her surgery.  She has regained most of the "feeling" she had lost.  She no longer runs with a limp.  She is happy, healthy, and she is a different person for the better after surgery.  

I wanted to post these.  My other daughter does not have to have another MRI this year.  It will be a couple more years before she has to go back. Abrianna has very few bad days now.  She has been our most vocal child with "symptoms".  Her swallowing/chocking from the Chiari Malformation is gone.  Her headaches are just a few times a month, much better than daily. Her body temperature is very  hard to control.  She can overheat easily.  We got her a cooling vest and it does well. Getting used to using the cooling vest has been tricky. In and out play she wears it less than riding bikes and going to a park.  School will be a place that she will be using it often.  Abri didn't have it before the school year.

I believe that we made the correct decision.  Surgery for Chiari Malformation is a treatment and not a cure.  I do feel, that once proven (with CSF flow studies, and obvious MRI imaging of the compact brain), surgery is a must for anyone with Syringomyelia. However for the other child, she did NOT have syrinxs/syringomyelia.  She did however have a lot of symptoms.  She had swallowing issues, stomach pain (we now know that her head pain got so extreme it was from her head ending with abdominal migrane), sudden difficulty feeling her legs, body temperature regulation, headaches daily and often, and just an general overall of "not feeling well".  

While surgery is behind us, I know that we have a way to go with regards to growth factors and what will happen long term. 

I hope this blog is encouraging for the families seeking answers.  My next post will be on how to choose a good surgeon. 

Hugs to all our fans!!!!!