Faces of Chiari

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Faces of Chiari - Austin

On October 17, 2009, Austin took a severe blow to the head while playing in a football game. After the hit he was lying unconscious on the field and eventually began convulsing. He was rushed by ambulance to the local children’s hospital where they told us he had suffered a category 3 concussion. They performed a CAT scan and did not see any signs of bleeding, or any significant brain damage, so we were obviously relieved, but at the time, we had no idea that we should have asked for an MRI right then. The ER doctor referred Austin to the Concussion Clinic for follow up evaluation the following week. They managed Austin’s recovery by following the IMPACT program designed for kids 12 and older with sports related concussions. After several weeks of having Austin in total isolation from light, noise and all activity, his symptoms began to worsen and showed no signs of improvement. The doctor decided it was time for Austin to have an MRI scan. The MRI was performed on 11-12-09 and we received a phone call from the doctor on 11-17-09 and were told that Austin had been given the diagnosis of Chiari 1 Malformation.

We had never heard of this, so we went straight to “Dr. Google” to research and determine how serious this condition really is. My husband and I visited site after site in total disbelief and shock. Countless hours went by and we were still sitting in front of the computer trying to find at least one story that had a good ending, but we found nothing. The “good ending” we were searching for was, “YES” there are cures and complete recoveries with no lingering side effects! Austin is extremely athletic and currently plays football and baseball. He is one of the top ranked & fastest football players in his division. He is very passionate and driven when it comes to football, but now, his future in sports is highly questionable!

We immediately made an appointment to see the neurosurgeon. He took a look at the scans and said that Austin’s Chiari seems to protrude 7 mm, but his braces caused some obstruction in many of the films. He decided to monitor Austin’s symptoms thru the holidays to see if they improved, because at the time he was still having lingering complications from his concussion. After the holidays, his concussion symptoms improved significantly, however, he developed some new symptoms which were definite signs that his Chiari symptoms were developing further. We had Austin’s braces removed and are currently waiting for his scan on February 9th. We hope to have some answers and some type of plan of action soon!

I have 3 boys, ages 19, 15 & 12. Out of the three of them, two have now been diagnosed with serious medical conditions! On 11-23-02, my oldest son Dustin was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In fact he & Austin were only six days shy of being diagnosed on the same exact day at the same exact age! I guess being 12 years old in my family is pretty scary. Dustin had brain surgery here in Atlanta, GA, and currently receives treatment at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Tobie, my 15 year old said, “I guess I’m next”! Over the past 7 years I had always wondered, “Why My Son”, but now all of that has changed. I now wonder, “Why Two Of My Sons”!!!!!! I begin everyday by going into Dustin & Austin’s rooms and standing next to them just watching them sleep and how innocent they look and how their hopes and dreams have been torn to pieces and there is nothing I can do to help them. It is a helpless and torturous feeling that no parent should have to endure. Please pray for my boys!

Susie