Brain malformation changes lives. Who knew that one day my mother would be diagnosed with Chiari, she has suffered from daily migraines to multiple side effects, that one day in mid- December of 2012 she would be admitted to treat a kidney infection but the doctors were confused as why the pain medication was not treating the migraines. A neurologist was called out to examine my mother due to her on going migraines, he ordered a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of her brain and when the exam results usually takes longer on other patients, her diagnostic came through fast, within hours of her MRI the doctor informed us that he knew why she has been suffering with the pain.
The illness is called Chiari Malformation, which involved her brain …show more content…
As her health declined and she developed a fever, testing to know where the infection was coming from if one, it appeared that the spinal fluid had been contaminated during surgery and caused a virus meningitis, not harmful to us but deadly to her as the immune system was weak and the infection could in fact kill her, a central line IV was placed to provide antibiotics and other medication on the hour. But it was Christmas eve and we were video chatting when my mom started to feel very ill, the nurse had left the spinal fluid valve open after the hourly draining, which caused my mother’s brain to almost hemorrhage, she had to lay flat for the remainder of the night until blood pressure and spinal levels regulated. WIth vomiting and extreme headaches my mother made it through that night. From those multiple events and having brain surgery, she fought with every force she had left. After she was discharged from the hospital, her symptoms did not improve, vomiting with even a sip of water to taking medications, a nausea ointment was prescribed to rub on wrist since oral medications could not be tolerated. A month of recuperation, walking using a walker, sitting in shower as standing long would cause dizziness and pain, even she had to take physical
The illness is called Chiari Malformation, which involved her brain …show more content…
As her health declined and she developed a fever, testing to know where the infection was coming from if one, it appeared that the spinal fluid had been contaminated during surgery and caused a virus meningitis, not harmful to us but deadly to her as the immune system was weak and the infection could in fact kill her, a central line IV was placed to provide antibiotics and other medication on the hour. But it was Christmas eve and we were video chatting when my mom started to feel very ill, the nurse had left the spinal fluid valve open after the hourly draining, which caused my mother’s brain to almost hemorrhage, she had to lay flat for the remainder of the night until blood pressure and spinal levels regulated. WIth vomiting and extreme headaches my mother made it through that night. From those multiple events and having brain surgery, she fought with every force she had left. After she was discharged from the hospital, her symptoms did not improve, vomiting with even a sip of water to taking medications, a nausea ointment was prescribed to rub on wrist since oral medications could not be tolerated. A month of recuperation, walking using a walker, sitting in shower as standing long would cause dizziness and pain, even she had to take physical