Suboccipital craniectomy, C1 laminectomy, and expansile duraplasty

Yes, that is a mouthful. And yes I had this procedure done to me 5 weeks ago because I was diagnosed with a Chiari I malformation and syringomyelia. To over simplify: Chiari is a congenital condition where the lower portion of your brain herniates through the opening at the base of your skull. This can lead to compression of the spinal cord which can disrupt normal cerebral spinal fluid flow. This disruption can cause a syrinx (a fluid filled cyst in the middle of the spinal cord) which is called syringomyelia. Not all people who have the Chiari malformation have clinical signs, or a syrinx, or even need surgery/treatment.  But go figure, I did.

The whole ordeal has been quite the eye opener. I started 2013 finally feeling like my life was in order. Within the last year I had purchased my first home and left a crummy job for an excellent one. If you would have asked me how I felt about my health I would likely have said if my health had to be quantified by some kind of numerical scheme, I would fall in the good to excellent category. Well in early March this all changed. I had acute onset of severe pain at the base of my skull and neck along with progressive tingling/numbness of my arms and legs. And this is how my suboccipital craniectomy, C1 laminectomy, and expansile duraplasty came about. Fortunately I live in an area with good healthcare providers and I'm lucky enough to have good health insurance

Overall, I feel I am recovering as well as can be expected. The hope long term is that my pain goes away, clinical signs stop progressing, and hopefully improve. Recovery will take several months and there will likely have to be some minor lifestyle changes but all things considered, that's not too shabby! The surgeon, his surgical team, and the hospital were fantastic. I am so lucky to have had such excellent medical care. It has been a not so gentle reminder that you never know what life has in store for you good or bad. Make every day count and strive to do things that bring you happiness. If my recovery continues to go well, 2013 will hopefully end with me feeling again like my life is in order :)

And a couple of my pictures....

My MRI image: shows the syrinx (the bright white oval shaped thing in the middle of the picture) and if you know your landmarks the 12 mm herniation of my cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum.

Just after hospital discharge. 2.5 days post-op and 32 staples later. It really does look like a zipper!

Links to more info on Chiari and syringomyelia:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Mayo Clinic - Chiari Malformation
Mayo Clinic - Syringomyelia