This is a bit of a shot in the dark, but I am curious whether anyone has had a decompression surgery for this condition in the Houston area? Doctors you may recommend?

I have a friend that has several children that has had the surgery (3 or 4). PM me your email and I can get you in touch with him. We live in Sugar Land.

I also recommend posting this in the Houston board asking for surgeon recommendations.

I actually have Chiari Malformation as well and had decompression surgery almost a year ago (June 19), although it was in Austin. I do have a couple of doctors names in Houston that can help, but not nearby. I will get them and post them for you tomorrow.

I had mine done in San Antonio by Dr Bogaev. Friend's son used Dr Dong Kim, he cared for US Rep Giffords after she was shot in AZ. Friend was pleased with results and his son is doing well.

Has anyone heard anything about Dr. Rob Parrish, good or bad?

email is username@yahoo.com - I appreciate any info and contacts who have dealt with the condition in one way or another.

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Has anyone heard anything about Dr. Rob Parrish, good or bad?

email is username@yahoo.com - I appreciate any info and contacts who have dealt with the condition in one way or another.

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I was actually going to come tell you for NS to go to Dr. Rob Parrish. He is probably one of the best there is.

Any chance you have updates on how your surgery went?

I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

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Any chance you have updates on how your surgery went?

I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

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Well, I am one year post-surgery now....I am doing better than I ever was. I can be outside without sunglasses now when it is cloudy or late day/early afternoon. I used to not be able to be without sunglasses ever.

I am regulating body temperature much better. Initial if I got too hot, I couldn't cool myself down; or got too cold could not warm up. I am able to work outside now, as long as I drink water, and occasionally get in some shade.

I have full feeling, and use of, of my left hand again. I lost the feeling when I was 6 or 7.

I do still have headaches sometimes. I don't have them constantly any longer though (I had a constant headache for about 7 years).

I am on medication everyday still, but am hoping to eventually get off of them. I was told it could take up to five years to completely recover and I'm hoping that by then I'll be off of them.

I occasionally still have balance issues. I can be standing there and then will just randomly lose my balance.

I don't have full strength back, and can't lift more than about 15-ish pounds, but I was told I need to be careful about lifting.

Overall, I'm doing awesome comparatively.

Thanks for letting me know!

I'm in College Station, but am considering traveling outside the area if I need to- to make sure I am seeing a dr that is familiar with it.

Dr. Parish in Houston is good. I had Dr. Harper in Round Rock. Dr. Jimenez in San Antonio is supposed to be one of the best anywhere. Dr. Denning in Dallas is supposed to be good also.

Good luck with it.

Glad everything went well and hope recovery is quick! I look forward to hearing about it. I'm still considering the surgery, so the more information the better.

I'm glad you are doing well. You will have days where you wonder why you did the surgery to yourself, but then you reeber what it was like before and you know that it was the right choice.

The offer still stands that if you need anything, ask. I know what you are going through.

Bumping this thread, had my chiari decompression surgery with Dr Rob Parrish in Houston a week ago. I will try to update throughout my recovery process. I'm doing pretty well so far, still managing with pain meds, muscle relaxants, and steroid pack. But going on some short walks now and certainly starting to feel a bit more myself.

Obviously hopeful for 100% reduction in symptoms given mine were primarily just the pressure headaches and dizziness and coordination issues, but we will see. Was hoping to get an update from you basketaggie and Cole97 on how things were going?

byoung1052 I actually ended up getting really sick about 3 weeks out from surgery. I developed a leak and my brain slumped. Dr Jimenez continually told me I was fine, and that I needed a headache specialist. My whole health declined, and my PCM ran an MRI since Jimenez had issues with doing one for me. My report showed everything, so I went to Parrish who was wonderful. I had a titanium plate placed in July and it made a HUGE difference. I very rarely take pain meds now and all my other health issues that escalated with the slumping are all gone now. I absolutely adore Parrish, and am thankful he did my revision. The best thing for my recovery is walking. I can tell on days that I miss. It really keeps the scar tissue down.

I hope you are doing well. It's a long road for sure, and there are some crazy support groups out there, so I'll try to do better about checking in.