9/8/13

I got ahead om my headache today but it took a lot of caffeine.  I don't drink coffee that often unless it's cold out(it was over 100 degrees today) or a frapp from starbucks(which is rarely) but I thought it might help my headache. I drank 2 cups of coffee and a coke, and of course about 6 bottles of water. It helped some but made me jittery. I am not sure why but I have been very shaky today. I thought it was my blood sugar but it wasn't. I have also been off balance today. I have almost fell on my face a few time and I did fall into the wash machine this afternoon. It's like my hip just freezes up and it doesn't want to move, then all of sudden I am trying to catch myself. I am hoping all my meds are filled when I get off work tomorrow.

As far as my weight it's the same as last week and so is my measurements. I am hoping that will change next week with me starting a new crunch challenge. I forced myself to get on my bike tonight and I made it 20 minutes.

Chiari facts for tonight.

How are they classified?

CMs are classified by the severity of the disorder and the parts of the brain that protrude into the spinal canal.

Type I involves the extension of the cerebellar tonsils (the lower part of the cerebellum) into the foramen magnum, without involving the brain stem. Normally, only the spinal cord passes through this opening. Type I—which may not cause symptoms—is the most common form of CM and is usually first noticed in adolescence or adulthood, often by accident during an examination for another condition. Type I is the only type of CM that can be acquired.

Type II, also called classic CM, involves the extension of both cerebellar and brain stem tissue into the foramen magnum. Also, the cerebellar vermis (the nerve tissue that connects the two halves of the cerebellum) may be only partially complete or absent. Type II is usually accompanied by a myelomeningocele—a form of spina bifida that occurs when the spinal canal and backbone do not close before birth, causing the spinal cord and its protective membrane to protrude through a sac-like opening in the back. A myelomeningocele usually results in partial or complete paralysis of the area below the spinal opening. The term Arnold-Chiari malformation (named after two pioneering researchers) is specific to Type II malformations.

Type III is the most serious form of CM. The cerebellum and brain stem protrude, or herniate, through the foramen magnum and into the spinal cord. Part of the brain’s fourth ventricle, a cavity that connects with the upper parts of the brain and circulates CSF, may also protrude through the hole and into the spinal cord. In rare instances, the herniated cerebellar tissue can enter an occipital encephalocele, a pouch-like structure that protrudes out of the back of the head or the neck and contains brain matter. The covering of the brain or spinal cord can also protrude through an abnormal opening in the back or skull. Type III causes severe neurological defects. 

Type IV involves an incomplete or underdeveloped cerebellum—a condition known as cerebellar hypoplasia. In this rare form of CM, the cerebellar tonsils are located in a normal position but parts of the cerebellum are missing, and portions of the skull and spinal cord may be visible.

Another form of the disorder, under debate by some scientists, is Type 0, in which there is no protrusion of the cerebellum through the foramen magnum but headache and other symptoms of CM are present.